“Rats: A Tale from the Witcher World” it’s a prequel “The Witcher”showing the birth of a young gang of outcasts: children of war who survive through bravado, crime and loyalty to each other. The film follows their desperate plan of action, which is supposed to be a chance for freedom, but quickly turns into a disaster. Lurking in the background is Leo Bonhart (Sharlto Copley), a hunter who will soon become their worst nightmare. Creator Lauren Schmidt Hissrich talks about “Rats” as the story of a generation growing up in a world torn by war and betrayal.
“Rats” tells the story of the fate of outcasts before they meet Ciri at the end of the third season of “The Witcher”. The Netflix film starred: Christelle Elwin, Connor Crawford, Ben Radcliffe, Aggy K. Adams, Fabian McCallum and Juliette Alexandra. The witcher Brehen from the Kota school, played by Dolph Lundgren, also appears.
Initially, it was assumed that it would be a miniseries, but it was finally released on the platform as an 80-minute film. Netflix suggests watching it after watching the fourth installment of “The Witcher” to avoid spoilers.
“Rats: A Tale from the World of the Witcher” unexpectedly hit Netflix on October 30, 2025, the same day as the new season of “The Witcher”. This is another spin-off of the series from the streaming giant after “Wolf’s Bane”, “Blood Line” and “Mermaids of the Deep”.
For now, it is difficult to find reviews of the film online, and in Poland “Rats” is not even among the TOP 10 most watched productions of recent days. The almost zero promotional campaign is most likely to blame. Many fans of “The Witcher” still have no idea that the spin-off has already appeared on the platform.
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