Filming on the Netflix hit The Witcher may have had to shut down again recently, but the show is still much further along in filming on Season 2 than it was back in March. With that, we've had some updates on what might be coming in Season 2, and now one report is suggesting that the show could be adding a mysterious new character who's sure to excite fans of the novels.
We haven't, so far, heard much about what role, if any, everyone's favorite age-defying bard Jaskier will play in the upcoming season of The Witcher, but now it's possible that we could see even more of him this time around. According to a report from Redanian Intelligence, Season 2 might actually give Jaskier more of a back story, with the introduction of a character who's briefly mentioned in the Witcher novel The Tower of the Swallow, as well as being spoken of in Season 1, Episode 5: Countess De Stael. Apparently, the show might be looking to cast someone to play the countess in the new season.
As mentioned earlier, what we know about Countess De Stael currently can certainly be expanded on a great deal, because she's far from being a big part of the books. The only talk of her in Andrzej Sapkowski's source material notes that she's the reason Jaskier began writing songs and poetry at the age of 19, because he'd fallen completely in love with her. The Witcher television show took this nugget of information and expanded on it a bit, having Jaskier confirm to Geralt that the countess has left him. You can take a look at the full exchange below:
So, at least in the series, Geralt seems to have prior knowledge of the relationship between Countess De Stael and Jaskier, meaning that either the two were together for a while, or they've been on-again-off-again over a long enough period that the gruff monster-hunter has heard about her from his tuneful friend. Either way, however Jaskier dallies with the good countess, adding her as a real physical presence with whom the bard can interact would be sure to add some depth to his character.
Right now, Jaskier is a fun-loving character with a bit of a propensity for gossip, who also favors, um...sampling the female nobility in the towns he travels to whenever possible. It would be interesting to see his slightly flighty character with someone he's actually in love with, not to mention the fact that she could very well bring all kinds of trouble (monster-based or that of the court intrigue kind) to the doors of both Jaskier and Geralt, or end up helping out in some way.
It's important to note, again, that right now we don't know for sure that Countess De Stael will be seen in the new season of The Witcher, and we certainly don't have any potential casting news at this point. But, if the show is really adding her to the mix, it sounds like it could bring about some interesting story possibilities.
The Witcher's entire first season is available on Netflix, and for more to watch while we await Season 2, be sure to check out our guide to fall TV, and see what's coming up for winter / spring 2021!
