Axed The Witcher Spinoff The Rats Is Back From the Dead as a Movie

Netflix has been building a whole Witcher-verse for years, then suddenly started slamming on the brakes. Now one of the spin-offs that looked dead might be getting a second life — as a movie.

Where the franchise stands right now

The Witcher, based on Andrzej Sapkowski's books, was supposed to be a long-term play for Netflix. Beyond the main series, they rolled out the anime films The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf and The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep, plus the prequel mini-series The Witcher: Blood Origin. But lately, the momentum has been heading the other way. Season 4 finished shooting a while back with Liam Hemsworth stepping in as Geralt after Henry Cavill left, Netflix has already said season 5 will be the end, and two spin-offs — one called The Rats and another aimed at younger viewers — were reportedly axed.

The spin-off that refused to stay scrapped

Here’s the inside baseball part. The Rats started making the rounds back in 2021. It was conceived as a mini-series, similar to Blood Origin, and went into production in South Africa in 2023. Then, per industry chatter, Netflix saw early footage, didn’t love what they saw, and shut it down two months into what was supposed to be a six-month shoot. Through 2024, the rumor mill wouldn’t let it go: maybe the footage would be folded into The Witcher season 4 as a special episode, maybe sliced into flashbacks, maybe salvaged as its own feature.

So what is it now?

According to Whats-on-Netflix, the feature option is the one moving forward. The project is now being positioned as a standalone movie titled The Rats: A Witcher Tale, directed by Mairzee Almas and written by Haily Hall.

"Six teenage thieves must rely on their criminal skills as they plan the biggest heist of their careers against the most dangerous crime ring in the kingdom."

Not subtle, but clean: a heist hook inside the Continent. Honestly, if you’re trying to rescue a half-shot spin-off, turning it into a tight, contained film makes a lot of sense.

How we got here (quick timeline)

• 2021: Talk of The Rats spin-off starts, framed as a mini-series.
• 2023: Cameras roll in South Africa. After two months of a planned six-month shoot, Netflix reportedly pulls the plug following early footage.
• 2024: Rumors swirl about repackaging the material — special episode for season 4, season 4 flashbacks, or a standalone movie.
• Now: Whats-on-Netflix says Netflix is moving ahead with a feature called The Rats: A Witcher Tale, with Mairzee Almas directing and Haily Hall scripting.
• Meanwhile: The Witcher season 4 has wrapped with Liam Hemsworth as Geralt; Netflix confirms season 5 will be the final season; two spin-offs, including a younger-skewing show and The Rats (as a series), were said to be scrapped.

The bottom line

This revival is not an official Netflix announcement — it’s coming via reporting from Whats-on-Netflix — but if it lands, The Rats: A Witcher Tale could give the franchise one more side quest before the main show rides off after season 5. If you were curious about that shelved teen-thieves angle, this might be the way you finally see it. If you weren’t, well, at least it sounds like a self-contained heist that won’t overstay its welcome.