The cast and crew of The Witcher have been making painstaking efforts to ensure the safety of everyone as it resumes production on Season 2. In the aftermath of the delay brought on by filming during COVID-19, The Witcher is losing an actor. Season 2 newcomer, Thue Ersted Rasmussen, was set to star in the Netflix smash hit, and he has now had to step down from his role.
Thue Ersted Rasmussen is not walking away from The Witcher because he has been diagnosed with COVID-19. Instead, it is one of those nasty scheduling conflicts that come up every now and then. This one was caused by how far production on Season 2 was pushed back due to the response to the pandemic. On Instagram, Rasmussen explained his reasons for leaving The Witcher, posting the following message:
Thue Ersted Rasmussen had been cast to play the role of Eskel, a Witcher. While not the Witcher, Eskel’s relationship with Geralt was pretty chummy in the books. CinemaBlend’s Laura Hurley speculated that viewers should see him pop up in Kaer Morhen as Ciri’s training begins. Hence his importance in the upcoming season, which I suppose means the character will now need to be recast. As for Rasmussen, the chance to play that storyline has sadly ended.
I would imagine that a recast is already underway. Fans of The Witcher will have to stay tuned to learn who ends up replacing Thue Ersted Rasmussen as Eskel. While Season 2’s delay had been described as a good thing by the casting director, it has not worked well for every cast member. The good news is that there is not another case of illness among the ensemble.
Season 2 newcomer to The Witcher (and Game of Thrones veteran), Kristofer Hivju, tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this year. Fast forward to after the unexpected break, and filming recommenced back in late August, with The Witcher running pretty smoothly since then, according to social media posts. Even if Henry Cavill looks a bit unhappy in the best-natured way possible, Season 2 is making substantial progress.
The Witcher will now have to prevail without its original pick for Eskel. Since Season 2 is back in the swing of things and casting was not hampered by the virus, the Netflix show should be able to find Thue Ersted Rasmussen’s replacement. Will it be the runner-up? Due to how the crisis has impacted filming schedules, that actor may be willing and able to step into the role now.
Thue Ersted Rasmussen’s exit from The Witcher is probably going to be one of many the industry will see as productions finally get back to work. You can stream the first season of The Witcher on Netflix along with a ton of new 2020 content. Season 2 should premiere well after this fall’s premieres, hopefully, in 2021.
