Netflix Is Reviving A Canceled Witcher Spin-Off Series In A New Format

"The Witcher" season 4 is almost upon us, with Liam Hemsworth set to replace Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia for the remainder of the Netflix fantasy behemoth's run (with season 5 already confirmed to be its last). The good news, though, is that Netflix plans on returning to this universe — namely, by resurrecting a spin-off that was previously canceled for apparently being a disaster.

According to What's on Netflix, "The Rats: A Witcher's Tale" — a project that was previously planned as a series — has been repurposed as a feature film. Details about "The Rats" are being kept close to the vest for now, but the outlet reports that it will be a heist story that revolves around a group of teenage crooks who decide to rob the most dangerous criminals in the realm. Mairzee Almas — whose previous Netflix collaborations include "The Sandman" and "Shadow & Bone" — will direct from a script by Haily Hall, who has worked on "The Witcher" since 2019.

This is exciting news for "Witcher" fans, as it means the franchise will continue its expansion following the main series, as well as the "Blood Origins," "Nightmare of the Wolf," and "Sirens of the Deep" spin-offs. What's more, "The Rats: A Witcher's Tale" reportedly endured a topsy-turvy production process, so it's kind of a miracle that it even exists at all. That said, let's not get our hopes up about it being Netflix's next fantasy masterpiece just yet.

"The Rats: A Witcher's Tale" entered production in 2023, with filming taking place in South Africa until unfortunate circumstances reportedly forced it to a halt. According to various reports on the matter, everything kept going wrong behind the scenes — so much so that the project was shelved after two months of filming, as opposed to the originally planned six. The SAG-AFTRA strikes might have played a part in the project going off the rails, but who knows for sure?

With that in mind, the decision to turn "The Rats: A Witcher's Tale" into a movie could stem from its creatives not having enough footage to justify an entire series, which begs the question: Will this film be akin to Dr. Frankenstein patching together assorted remains and creating a deeply-flawed creature? Let's just hope that the show's cast and crew shot enough key moments to turn it into a cohesive story, as the details we have at the moment aren't 100% reassuring.

At the same time, it's entirely possible that the film's creators captured more footage to make up for the messy production process after the fact. Regardless, "The Rats: A Witcher's Tale" is expected to be released in the near future, and the end product will confirm whether or not it's the disaster its reputation thus far would have us believe.

"The Witcher" season 4 will being streaming October 30, 2025, on Netflix.