Netflix’s The Witcher plans spin-off series ‘The Rats’: See all details here

Netflix's highly popular series, The Witcher, is expanding its universe with a new prequel spin-off called The Rats. While the third season of The Witcher is still in production, the streaming giant has quietly begun developing this new series, which will introduce a group of teenage renegades in the upcoming season. Here's what we know about The Rats so far.

Although Netflix hasn't made an official announcement about the series yet, news about its development has been circulating for months, and the cast and crew are currently filming on location.

While The Rats doesn't draw its plot from any existing books or storylines by Andrzej Sapkowski, the author of The Witcher, it takes the characters and develops its own backstory for them prior to their encounter with Ciri at the end of The Witcher Season 3.


The Rats began production under the working title 'Riff Raff' in Cape Town, South Africa, with filming commencing in late April. Originally scheduled to conclude in September 2023, the series has wrapped up filming as of July 2023. While the exact number of episodes is unknown, it could be as few as four, similar to The Witcher: Blood Origin.

Netflix is yet to announce the release date for The Rats, but based on the available information, a likely release window would be early to mid-2024. This prequel spin-off is one of two major projects in the works for The Witcher, with the main series already renewed for up to five seasons. The other spin-off is an anime film titled The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep.

FAQs

What is The Rats about?
The Rats is a prequel spin-off of The Witcher that follows a group of teenage renegades as they pull off a daring heist against a dangerous crime ring.

When will The Rats be released?
Netflix has not yet announced a release date for The Rats, but it is expected to premiere in early to mid-2024.