'The Witcher' prequel series to star Jodie Turner-Smith

Jan. 25 (UPI) -- The Witcher prequel series has cast Jodie Turner-Smith in a lead role.

Netflix confirmed Monday that Turner-Smith, 34, will play Éile in The Witcher: Blood Origin, a prequel to the Netflix series The Witcher.

Deadline said Éile is "an elite warrior blessed with the voice of a goddess." The character leaves her clan and her position as Queen's guardian to live as a nomadic musician.

"A grand reckoning on the continent forces her to return to the way of the blade in her quest for vengeance and redemption," an official description reads.

The Witcher: Blood Origin takes place 1,200 years before the events of The Witcher. The six-part series explores the origins of the first Witcher and the events that led to the "conjunction of spheres," when the worlds of monsters, men and elves merged into one.

The Witcher writer Decla de Barra will serve as showrunner and executive produce with The Witcher series creator Lauren Schmidt Hissrich.

The Witcher is based on the Andrzej Sapowski book series, which was previously adapted as a series of video games. The Netflix series stars Henry Cavill, Anya Chaltroa and Freya Allan, and is expected to return for a second season this year.

Turner-Smith is known for the 2019 film Queen & Smith. She also played Sgt. Azima Kandie on The Last Ship and Melantha Jhirl on Nightflyers.