The Witcher season 2 is eagerly awaited, whether by fans of the saga who have read the books and played the games or by new fans of the license, who discovered Geralt de Riv on the occasion of the first season of the Netflix series. Either way, here's something to wait for before you can finally enjoy the witcher's upcoming adventures.
The first season of The Witcher was a hit on Netflix, so we should have many more seasons to eat in the years to come. Video game sales, already very good, exploded with the publication of episodes. A spin-off The Witcher in the form of an animated series has even already been ordered by the SVOD platform. And The Witcher: Blood Origin, a six-episode miniseries looking back at the origin of mutations and the appearance of monsters with British actress Jodie-Turner Smith headlining, will complete the family as well. But the next big date is season 2 of The Witcher. While waiting for his availability, here is what we know about him. Of course, expect spoilers in the lines that follow, especially in the parts devoted to the casting and the plot.
📅 WHEN IS THE WITCHER SEASON 2 RELEASED?
No official release date has yet been communicated. Several events delayed the production schedule, including the health situation which put a stop to filming for a time between March and August 2020. Then, several members of the team tested positive for COVID-19 in November 2020, causing another pause. Then Henry Cavill, who plays Geralt de Riv, injured his hamstrings while filming a scene, which took him away from the sets for about a month.
At the end of January 2021, production is back to work, slowed down with the sanitary protocol to be respected. The continuation of the adventures of The Witcher is filmed in the United Kingdom (Scotland and England), in Slovakia and in the Czech Republic.
Lauren S. Hissrich, the showrunner, explained aiming for 2021 to see Geralt, Dandelion, Yennefer, Triss and Ciri on our screens again. The Witcher season 2 is unlikely to be available on Netflix before the start of the 2021 school year. We can expect a release during the last quarter of the year.
🔢 HOW MANY EPISODES IN THE WITCHER SEASON 2?
As with the first, this second season of The Witcher includes eight episodes. Lauren S. Hissrich has already made it known that we should have less time back and forth now that the story is out. A linearity that should make it easier for spectators who have not played video games or who have not read books to understand.
👫 CASTING: WHICH ACTORS AND WHICH NEW CHARACTERS IN SEASON 2 OF THE WITCHER?
The actors who camped the characters of season 1 are joined by new faces in this season 2 which will introduce new characters. In the returns category, we obviously have the essentials. Henry Cavill is still the witcher Geralt of Rivia, his protégé Ciri is played by Freya Allan, the witches Yennefer and Triss Merigold come to life respectively thanks to Anja Chalotra and Anna Shaffer, and it is Joey Batey who has the role of the minstrel Jaskier.
Among the newcomers, we will have the opportunity to (re) discover Geralt's witcher companions. At least four of them will be represented on the screen, more normal since this season 2 will take us to Kaer Morhen, the place where the witchers of the school of the wolf (of which Geralt is a part) are trained. Vesemir, Geralt's mentor, is played by Danish actor Kim Bodnia (Killing Eve). Another character well known to fans of the license, Lambert is played by Paul Bullion, known for his presence in the cast of Peaky Blinders. Yasen Atour brings Coën to life, who will train Ciri in sword fighting. It is the only one of the other writers mentioned here who is not affiliated with the school of the wolf, but with that of the griffin. Finally, Eskel, recognizable by his deep scars, is played by the Swiss actor Basil Eidenbenz.
Alastair Parker also joined the cast. Seen in Doctor Who and Carnival Row, he is also a video game dub for the Dragon Age license and in… The Witcher III! For the anecdote, this is the third voice actor present in The Witcher III to join the cast of the Netflix series after MyAnna Buring (Tissaia de Vries, the witch who formed Yennefer, in the series and Anna Henrietta in the extension Blood and Wine) and Lu Corfield (Marites in the series and Iris von Everec in the Hearts of Stone expansion).
If the novels of Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski form the basis for the writing of the series, video games also have an influence. The Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales spin-off introduces the character of Meve, Queen of Lyria and Rivie. This one should appear in season 2 of the Netflix show, in the guise of Rebecca Hanssen, seen recently in the film Elona Holmes. Meve, Foltest's cousin from Temeria, is a rather minor character in the books. In the third volume of the Witcher saga (and in Thronebreaker), she dubbed Geralt Knight of Rivie for helping him win a battle against the Nilfgaardian army.
Kristofer Hivju, who made a strong impression in his role as Thormund in Game of Thrones and also seen in Fast and Furious 8, plays Nivellen, a cursed man with a monstrous appearance who will cross paths with Geralt. Agnes Bjorn plays Vereena, a brouxe (a kind of female vampire), who fell in love with Nivellen. Still in the arrivals department, Aisha Fabienne Ross plays Lydia van Bredevoort, the apprentice of the powerful magician Vilgefortz de Roggeveen. The latter participated and survived the Battle of Mount Sodden alongside Yennefer, Triss Merigold and Filippa Eilhart.
Netflix also unveiled the appearance of 7 characters, including several key characters from the saga. Let us first mention Nenneke, the priestess of the Melitele temple. Performed by Adjoa Andoh (La Chronique des Bridgerton, Invictus, Doctor Who), she will come to the aid of Géralt on his journey by healing his wounds. Season 2 will also see the entry on the scene of Sigismund Dijkstra, played by Graham McTavish (The Hobbit, John Rambo, Preacher) and head of the Redanian intelligence secret service.
The witch Philippa Eilhart, main advisor to King Vizimir of Redania, will also be there in the guise of Cassie Clare (Mamma Mia !, Beauty and the Beast, Delicious). Netflix has also announced the presence of Rience, a dangerous mage on the hunt for a mystical jewel. He is played by Chris Fulton (Bridgerton, Clique, Estate). Fenn and Codringher, the lawyer duo, will be respectively played by Lizz Carr (The OA, Silent Witness, Les Misérables) and Simon Callow (4 weddings and a funeral, Inspector Barnaby, Shakespeare in Love).
Finally, the last information concerns an original character of the series, which does not exist in the books or in the video games The Witcher: Violet, played by Carmel Laniado. Consequently, we do not really know how it will be integrated into the scenario. Violet is a young girl whose playful and whimsical demeanor is a facade hiding a character smarter and more sadistic than she looks. She should appear in at least three episodes of season 2. It is also the case of Ba'Lian, an elf created for the occasion.
When it comes to directing, Lauren S. Hissrich has surrounded herself with new talents. The directors of Season 1 have been replaced by Ed Bazalgette (The Last Kingdom, Doctor Who), Sarah O'Gorman (Jamestown, Cursed), Geeta Patel (Santa Clarita Diet, Meet the Patels) and Stephen Surjik (Daredevil, The Umbrella) Academy), the latter having previously collaborated with Hissrich on Daredevil.
📄 HISTORY OF THE WITCHER: WHAT PLOT FOR SEASON 2?
If you are here, it is a priori that you agree to be informed about what will happen in the episodes of season 2 of The Witcher. We will recall it one last time, this part contains spoilers on the continuation of the series, as well as on the events of season 1.
Let's start by taking stock of where we left off. At the end of Season 1, Geralt of Rivia finally manages to find Ciri, being chased by the Nilfgaardians, who are also invading the northern regions. The alliance of witches including Yennefer and Triss Merigold allowed to inflict a severe defeat on the Nilfgaard, but the losses are enormous. It is from there that the next season will resume.
Netflix has released an official synopsis for this season 2:
Convinced of Yennefer's death during the Battle of Sodden, Geralt of Rivia takes Princess Ciri to the safest place he knows, his childhood home of Kaer Morhen. As the kings of the Continent, elves, humans and demons fight for supremacy outside its walls, he must protect the young girl from something far more dangerous: the mysterious power she possesses within her.
Several narrative arcs will intertwine. The two main characters of The Witcher are Geralt and Ciri, finally reunited. If the story follows that of the Blood of the Elves novel, then Ciri will be trained in combat, magic, alchemy, and monster lore by the witers of Kaer Morhen. We might also learn more about Ciri's identity, her true origins, and her powers.
Yennefer survived the Battle of Mount Sodden well, but finds herself in a bad position since she becomes captive according to an image shared by Netflix on which we see her chained. It remains to be seen what happens to Triss Merigold. In the work of Andrzej Sapkowski, it is believed that she was killed in action, but returns later. The series is not necessarily going to follow this path and could choose to focus on Yennefer and leave out Triss.
We will also discuss more about two of the main antagonists of this start of the series: Cahir, the dark knight sent by the Nilgaardian emperor Emhyr var Emreis to capture and Ciri, as well as Fringilla, the powerful witch who has put herself in the service of the army of the Empire.
Netflix has shared the first page of the script for Season 2 of The Witcher to make our mouths water. A first scene that promises to plunge us directly into the universe of the license with the presence of a particularly violent monster.
Lauren S. Hissrich promised in an interview a “more intense” season 2, the first season mainly serving to lay the foundations for the world of The Witcher. As announced previously, it will also be more linear and therefore easier to follow, because the different narrative lines will begin to converge between them.
Netflix has also communicated the identity of some monsters that will cross the path of the butcher of Blaviken: a creeping creature with an eye and three skeletons. One theory suggests the possibility that these represent the Moiré, the Ladies of the Forest and Ambrosia, Fuselle and Sigh witches. But that doesn't really hold up chronologically and visually.
Photos from the set have been posted by Netflix and the showrunner. And some of them are not the shadow of a doubt: the Scoia'tael will be present in this season 2. This group made up of elven warriors fights for the rights of non-humans and undertakes violent actions to arrive for their purposes. The Nilfgaard takes advantage of the Scoia'tael to destabilize the northern kingdoms.
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