The series was originally green-lit by Netflix in July 2020 as a six-part miniseries prequel to The Witcher, though it was ultimately released as four episodes.

Jodie Turner-Smith was originally cast as the lead in January 2021, but had to exit the project in April due to scheduling conflicts.

Sophia Brown took over the role vacated by Jodie Turner-Smith, while Michelle Yeoh joined the cast in July 2021.

Additional cast members including Lenny Henry, Mirren Mack, Nathaniel Curtis and Dylan Moran were announced after filming had already begun.

Filming took place in the United Kingdom starting in August 2021, and the production wrapped and entered post-production by November 2021.

The series received largely negative reviews from critics, holding only 28% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 45/100 on Metacritic, though the action sequences and special effects were praised by some critics, such as IGN's David Griffin.