Fantasy television fans had quite a year in 2019. We saw the divisive conclusion of the long-running Game Of Thrones series in the spring and then were introduced to everyone's new favorite witcher, Geralt of Rivia in the first season of The Witcher. Now it looks like the shows will be even more connected after it was reported that the actor responsible for one of everyone's favorite characters from Game Of Thrones has joined the cast of the Netflix series going into Season 2.
For those who haven't heard, Netflix has reportedly cast Game Of Thrones actor Kristofer Hivju, who played the wildling Tormund, in the role of Nivellen, a character whose story is strikingly similar to the fairy tale Beauty And The Beast. In addition to that casting, there is also speculation that Natalie Dormer may have joined the cast of The Witcher.
All of that news got us thinking - what other cast members would we like to see join the cast of The Witcher. Here are just five of the actors we'd like to see join Geralt on his adventures heading into the Season 2.
Sophie Turner
One of the lead actors in all eight seasons of Game Of Thrones, Sophie Turner both infuriated and surprised fans of the series for her portrayal of Sansa Stark, who by the end of the series was named the Queen of the North. We all watched Turner (and Sansa) grow from a young teenage girl who seemed to fall into bad situation after bad situation into a fully grown woman in charge of her own destiny, the people of Winterfell, and the realm of the North.
With experience in the fantasy genre, I think Sophie Turner would make a great addition to The Witcher cast as the show continues to expand its story in the coming seasons. One character that Turner could pull off is that of Maria Barring, also known as Milva. Heavily featured in several of The Witcher novels, Milva is an archer that eventually joins Geralt's company as the witcher searches for Ciri. And much like Sansa Stark would come to do in the final seasons of Game Of Thrones, Milva never backs down in the face of danger.
Stephen Dillane
Stephen Dillane spent four seasons (Season 2 through Season 5) portraying Stannis Baratheon, who after the death of his brother, King Robert Baratheon, declared himself king of the Seven Kingdoms and spent his entire arc on a campaign to take the Iron Throne from House Lannister before ultimately losing his life on the battlefield. Prior to his death, Stannis Baratheon made some absolutely horrendous decisions, including sacrificing his daughter, Shireen, to the Lord of Light.
Following his time on Game Of Thrones, it would make sense to see Dillane take on the role of Emiel Regis Rohellec Terzieff-Godefroy, better known as Regis, an intelligent vampire who joins Geralt's company during the Second Northern War. Despite being feared as a vampire, Geralt would eventually learn to trust Regis, who would ultimately sacrifice himself to save Geralt and Yennefer and was melted by the evil mage, Vilgefortz.
Vladimír Furdík
Vladimír Furdík portrayed the feared Night King in the final three seasons of Game Of Thrones when he took over from Richard Brake, who played the Night King the previous two seasons. And while Furdík's Night King didn't get the sendoff that so many fans wanted during the Battle of Winterfell, the actor brought a level of fear and intrigue that was unmatched by any other character on the show. With not a line of dialogue, this talented actor convincingly brought life to a character who wanted nothing more than to bring death to the Seven Kingdoms and beyond.
Perhaps this is why Furdík would be such an ideal candidate to portray Eredin Bréacc Glas, also known as the King of the Wild Hunt, a calvary of elven specters on a tireless mission to hunt Ciri. Eredin and the Wild Hunt are featured in a number of the Witcher books but take a more prominent role in the events of the video game The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt where the army chases Ciri across the main regions of the game. Furdík is more than capable of bringing fear to his characters, and with the Eredin wearing a helmet that covers his face throughout the video game, the actor could continue to emote through his physicality like he did in Game Of Thrones.
Hafpór Júlíus Björnsson
Ever since he first joined the cast as The Mountain in Season 4 of Game Of Thrones, Hafpór Júlíus Björnsson became something of a worldwide sensation. The 6-foot-9-inch native of Iceland comes in a staggering 441 pounds and has placed in the top three in the World's Strongest Man competition dating back to 2012. Björnsson even took home the first place trophy during the 2018 competition, the same year he won the Arnold Strongman Classic and was named Europe's Strongest Man. Somehow Björnsson managed to do all of that while starring in the HBO fantasy series.
With his size and track record, Hafpór Júlíus Björnsson would be the perfect candidate to portray Sigismund Dijkstra, a 7-foot behemoth of a man, who despite his size, is a talented and infamous spy within the Witcher universe. There are already rumors that Outlander actor Graham McTavish has auditioned for the role ahead of Season 2 of The Witcher, but nothing has been confirmed, so we can only hope that maybe Björnsson could end up with filling Dijkstra's massive shoes one of these days.
Carice van Houten
And then there is Carice van Houten, who portrayed Melisandre, also known as the Red Woman, the priestess who served the Lord of Light as well as provided counsel to Stannis Baratheon during his campaign to take the Iron Throne from the Lannisters. Following the death of Baratheon during battle, Melisandre would go on to serve Jon Snow after she revived him at Castle Black. Not too many characters believe the Red Woman when she spoke about the Lord of Light, but she would prove otherwise during the final battle at Winterfell by bringing the power of light against the army of the dead before finally meeting her own death.
Carice van Houten already has experience playing a character feared to be a witch, so it would only make sense for her to be considered for the role of Philippa Eilhart if that character is ever brought to the series. Featured heavily in the books and video games, Philippa is never revealed to be good or evil, instead living in the space in between. This powerful and ruthless sorceress could be brought to life by the talented and experienced Carice van Houten.
Those are just five of the Game Of Thrones actors we'd like to see join the cast of The Witcher in the coming seasons. Are there any characters you think we failed to mention? Toss a coin and let us know in the comments below.
