Sorry, The Witcher season 3 won't be arriving any time soon

(Image credit: Netflix)

The Witcher season 3 won't be getting filmed any time soon, according to showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich.

Speaking exclusively to TechRadar at The Witcher season 2 press junket, Hissrich revealed that the Netflix fantasy show's third entry is still in the early phase of its development.

Hissrich admitted that the writing team had only just completed work on the scripts, and that the "creative process was only just starting" to ramp up as a result. She did, however, tease fans with what to expect when The Witcher season 3 arrives, although Hissrich declined to put a date on when principal photography may begin.

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"Actually, this is our last week [December 3] in the writers’ room," Hissrich told us. "We’re almost done with the scripting phase, and it’s amazing. I’m really thrilled with how the season is shaping up because it’s based on my favorite book in the saga, which is The Time of Contempt.

"I feel like seasons 1 and 2 have been laying the playing field for everything huge that’s about to happen," she added. "But the creative process is now really just starting. We have the scripts, and now we’ll bring directors on, the actors back in, and really start delving in deeper and reflecting back and making sure that it’s the perfect season."

If there’s any doubt who the star of the show is… #Witchmas https://t.co/rPI8BXooP7December 13, 2021

The Witcher season 2 is set to finally launch on Netflix on Friday, December 17 – bringing an end to fans' two-year wait for the next instalment in the streamer's popular TV adaptation.

We already knew that season 3 was on the way after Netflix greenlit the show's next instalment in September 2021.

Hissrich, Netflix and the rest of the cast and crew had hoped to have it on fans' screens earlier than that. But, after filming on season 2 suffered numerous setbacks, due to the ongoing pandemic and an injury sustained by star Henry Cavill on set, its launch was delayed until principal photography and the series' extensive post-production phases were completed. So we're hoping that it won't be another two years before season 3 lands on the streaming giant.

Still, fans of the TV show won't be devoid of Witcher content between seasons 2 and 3, however. The Witcher: Blood Origin, a six-part miniseries, is expected to debut on Netflix sometime in 2022 – and Hissrich has already told us why fans will be "surprised" by the prequel show. Other projects in Netflix's Witcher-Verse are also in early development, including a family friendly TV series, which were announced at Netflix's Tudum event in September 2021 (per Polygon).

Meanwhile, Henry Cavill, who portrays Geralt of Rivia, has also teased his involvement in Amazon Studios' Mass Effect TV show. If it's confirmed that the Man of Steel and Enola Holmes actor is part of that series' cast, it may be an even longer wait for The Witcher season 3 if he has a schedule conflict.

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As TechRadar's senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You'll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.

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