According to a new rumor, a stand-alone Witcher movie will reportedly be released alongside Season 4 on Netflix. The hit fantasy adaptation of the beloved book and video game series of the same name has turned into something of a universe on Netflix. Alongside the mainline Witcher series, there has been a live-action spin-off show, as well as several animated projects under the same monster-hunting banner.
The franchise will continue to expand, as it has been reported that a new Witcher film, The Rats: A Witcher Tale, is ready for release, set to come alongside the upcoming Witcher Season 4. Season 4 of the blockbuster streaming series will debut on Netflix on October 30, 2025, with Hunger Games star Liam Hemsworth taking over the leading role from Henry Cavill.
The news comes by way of What's On Netflix, with the outlet writing that the film project is actually the long-rumored The Rats spin-off of the mainline Witcher franchise.
The Rats has been in development for years, first surfacing in 2021 as something known as "Project Riff Raff."
The title reportedly went into production in 2023 in South Africa, but filming ended prematurely. According to Redanian Intelligence, the series had been dubbed a "disaster" by those involved. Because of this, The Rats' future was uncertain, with some speculating whether it would ever see the light of day.
In 2024, Redanian Intelligence began writing that it had heard the remains of The Rats would be reworked into Season 4 or would see the light of day as a stand-alone Witcher movie.
The project has seemingly reemerged as a full-length film, bearing the A Witcher Tale branding. It is unclear if this will be the first of many Witcher Tales or if it will be a one-off effort from the streamer.
Netflix's The Witcher tells the story of a stoic monster hunter known as Geralt of Rivia (played previously by Henry Cavill and by Liam Hemsworth starting in Season 4), who comes into the care of a young girl, Ciri (Freya Allen), whom he trains in his ways of slaying beasts.
The Rats is said to be a prequel to the mainline Witcher series, reportedly following six teenage thieves planning a heist against the biggest crime ring in the kingdom. The one-off film project was directed by The Sandman's Mairzee Almas and written by Haily Hall.
The Future of The Witcher Franchise on Netflix Explained
The Witcher has been one of Netflix's biggest licensed IPs for more than half a decade, but that does not mean it will be something the streamer continues to revisit forever.
Thus far, the Big N has gotten four seasons of the mainline Witcher series, a spin-off show, and two animated movies out of the franchise. It is set to squeeze one more season out of The Witcher, with a Season 5 already announced to be the show's last, and seemingly has The Rats: A Witcher Tale movie on the horizon as well.
However, after that, the future of The Witcher on Netflix is unclear. Since Season 1, the series has continually seen a decline in viewership with each successive episode drop.
That is expected to continue with the upcoming fourth season, as the show's biggest star, Henry Cavill, has been recast with Liam Hemsworth.
This negative wave of momentum could be enough for Netflix to get out of The Witcher business entirely, especially if something like The Rats arrives and does not light the world on fire.
Thus far, the streamer has failed to show it can succeed with a Witcher property outside the mainline series. So, once that is done, the hit fantasy franchise will lack an anchor point with which to move forward.
