Casting for The Witcher Season 2 continues, and Netflix has announced the actor who will play one of the witchers who will likely be very important to the future of the series. Kim Bodnia of Killing Eve fame landed the role of Vesemir, and he should stand out from the other witchers (including Geralt) in some significant ways.
Kim Bodnia, likely best known in recent years for playing Villanelle's handler Konstantin on Killing Eve, will tackle a role that once seemed destined to be played by somebody else. Despite Mark Hamill campaigning (albeit somewhat lightheartedly) for the role of Vesemir, The Witcher went with somebody who fans en masse won't associate with lightsabers or Batman villains.
So who is Vesemir and why is he such a big deal for The Witcher Season 2? Vesemir is the oldest and most experienced witcher in the series, which is saying something considering Geralt is more than a century old by the end of Season 1. Described as a "charming relic of the witcher Golden Age," Vesemir survived the slaughter of the witchers known as The Massacre at Kaer Morhen, the witcher stronghold.
With only a few witchers left after the massacre, Vesemir is "fiercely protective" of those who survived and can still find glory on "The Path." He's the oldest of an endangered community of witchers who endanger themselves further by hunting monsters.
As the oldest, Vesemir will presumably be the head of the group of remaining witchers, which includes Geralt (Henry Cavill), Coen (Yasen Atour), and Lambert (Paul Bullion), Eskel (Thue Ersted Rasmussen). Wiith Kim Bodnia in the lead, this group of witchers in Season 2 should make for some fascinating stories.
Fans of Andrzej Sapkowski's Witcher novel saga already have an idea of how important Vesemir could be the the Netflix series, and The Witcher showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich (who spoke with CinemaBlend about how Netflix shaped Season 1 storytelling) said this about casting Vesemir:
I am so thrilled to welcome Kim Bodnia to the cast of The Witcher. I have admired his unique talents in shows like Killing Eve and The Bridge, and cannot wait for him to bring strength, tenacity, and warmth to the character of Vesemir, who is such an integral part of our upcoming season.
With Vesemir as an "integral part" of The Witcher Season 2, there's a good chance that fans will see plenty of Kim Bodnia in the role. Another Season 2 casting led me to suspect that Geralt and Ciri's time together might be more limited than expected, but hopefully a lot of Vesemir could mean some significant time at Kaer Morhen.
Fortunately, Lauren Schmidt Hissrich also made a comment that suggests (to me, anyway) that Vesemir might have a more easily-accessible softer side than Geralt. Or at least more of a sense of humor. Confirming the casting to Twitter users, Hissrich posted this:
Will Vesemir's "Dad" moments only involve the other witchers? Honestly, that could be pretty funny, considering even the youngest of the witchers should be pretty old and grizzled, since The Massacre at Kaer Morhen was many years ago. Or could Vesemir have some Dad moments with Ciri, if Geralt brings her back to Kaer Morhen rather than sending her away or dragging her along on his monster hunts?
The Witcher hasn't introduced such a thing as a female witcher, so it could also be pretty funny if a stronghold of aged witchers (no matter how young they look) have no idea what to do with a teenage girl. Considering how dark Season 2 could well be, based on how Season 1 ended, I'll take all the humor I can potentially get with Kim Bodnia!
Season 2 isn't expected until 2021, but fans can always hope that the animated movie set in the Witcher universe debuts during the break. Vesemir will actually be the lead of The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf. Even though the project will be animated, could it be viewers' first experience with Kim Bodnia as Vesemir? Netflix hasn't stated one way or the other if Bodnia will voice Vesemir as well as play him in live-action.
For now, fans can always rewatch the first season of The Witcher streaming on Netflix, along with plenty of other options currently and in the not-too-distant future.
