The Witcher premiered as what looked like Netflix's answer to Game of Thrones - a sprawling fantasy saga based on books and boasting a big-name star, and the Henry Cavill series proved to be a huge hit for the streamer. In fact, The Witcher was renewed for Season 2 before Season 1 even premiered. Now, as fans anxiously await The Witcher Season 2 more than a year after the premiere of Season 1, the time is right to look at what's in store with the next batch of episodes.
We already know that the series will likely run for eight episodes and is expected to premiere in 2021, but a lot has changed in the television industry over the wait for The Witcher Season 2. Here are 8 things that have been confirmed for Season 2.
Season 2 Is In Production Despite Delays And Injury
The Witcher was one of many shows that had to suspend production in 2020 due to COVID-19, and the pandemic delays resulted in a casting change. The show did find ways to start filming again despite multiple halts to production. The bad news is that star Henry Cavill suffered an injury on set, although it reportedly wasn't too serious, and Deadline reports that production on scenes not involving Geralt could continue while he recovered. Production got back into gear in 2021 and one newcomer has confirmed that he finished filming Season 2, so The Witcher Season 2 could well make a 2021 premiere date.
The Witcher Has Added A Lot More Witchers And Others
The Witcher Season 2 will see Geralt and Ciri travel to the witcher stronghold known as Kaer Morhen, and moving to that location means a lot more actors than just Henry Cavill playing witchers. Killing Eve actor Kim Bodnia was the first announced, and he'll play Vesemir, the oldest and most experienced of the witchers. Young Wallander's Yasen Atour plays Coen, who will train Ciri in sword combat. Peaky Blinders' Paul Bullion plays the sharp-tongued Lambert. Basil Eidenbenz of Victoria will play Eskel, replacing Thue Ersted Rasmussen in the role. On the non-witcher front, Deadline reports Aisha Fabienne Ross as Lydia, Mecia Simson as Francesca, and Kristofer Hivju as Nivellen. Also on the way are Adjoa Andoh As Nenneke, Cassie Clare as Philippa Eilhart, Liz Carr as Fenn, Outlander's Graham McTavish as Dijkstra, Kevin Doyle as Ba'lian, Simon Callow as Codringher, and Chris Fulton as Rience.
The Witcher's Core Cast Will Be Back
The Witcher Season 2 will feature plenty of familiar faces as well as the newcomers. Henry Cavill (Geralt), Anya Chalotra (Yennefer), Freya Allan (Ciri) and Joey Batey (Jaskier) will be back. Also returning are MyAnna Buring as Tissaia, Tom Canton as Filavandrel, Lilly Cooper as Murta, Jeremy Crawford as Yarpen Zigrin, Eamon Farren as Cahir, Mahesh Jadu as Vilgefortz, Terence Maynard as Artorius, Lars Mikkelson as Stregobor, Mimi Ndiweni as Fringilla Vigo, Royce Pierreson as Istredd, Wilson Radjou-Pujalte as Dara, Anna Shaffer as Triss Merigold, and Therica Wilson Read as Sabrina.
There Will Be One Timeline
The Witcher Season 1 jumped around in the timeline without making the jumps clear, and the characters weren't clearly aged to show the passing of time. Netflix even had to tweet out a "quick crash course" timeline. According to The Witcher showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich to The Wrap, all the characters will be "existing on the same timeline" in Season 2, which "will be a lot easier for the audience [to] follow and understand." That's not to say there won't be flashbacks, but The Witcher will be down to one timeline for Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri.
There Won't Be A Huge Time Jump
With The Witcher Season 2 adapting Andrzej Sapkowski's Blood of Elves, which starts well after the Battle of Sodden Hill and Geralt's bond with Ciri already formed, a sizable time jump seemed likely. According to showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich to TV Guide, however, The Witcher won't include a leap forward in time:
Well, we found in writing the show that we didn't actually want to skip over those first months of them getting to know each other.
The Witcher won't skip the potential hilarity of grunting Geralt suddenly parenting a teenage girl across the Continent, and viewers aren't facing a major time jump.
Ciri Has A New Look
Ciri spent a lot of Season 1 wearing clothes fit for a princess, even if she got progressively grubbier the longer that she was on the run, and she wasn't exactly battle ready. An early image of Freya Allan as Ciri in The Witcher Season 2 reveals a whole new look, both when it comes to wardrobe and her expression. The exiled princess is presumably in training at Kaer Morhen in this image, complete with sword, practical pants, and an expression indicating that she is not to be messed with. Goodbye, Season 1 Ciri!
New Monsters Are Coming
Only a couple of seconds of new Witcher footage have been released so far, and those were hidden in a "Monster Mash" video. Still, those brief moments reveal an incredibly creepy new creature that seems to be comprised of spikes and an eyeball. Book readers know that the casting of Agnes Born as Vereena (and a Game of Thrones veteran as Nivellen) means that a bruxa is on the way as a type of vampire. Showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich also teased to Pure Fandom that "a crop of new monsters" is on the way. The larger quest to protect Ciri probably doesn't mean Geralt will be done hunting monsters for coin.
Geralt Thinks Yennefer Is Dead
Although Geralt and Yennefer's relationship had a lot of ups and downs in Season 1, he's not going on his quest to protect Ciri because he no longer cares about Yennefer. According to the official Netflix description for The Witcher Season 2, Geralt will be "[c]onvinced Yennefer’s life was lost at the Battle of Sodden." He'll believe that Yennefer is dead when he heads to Kaer Morhen to hide Ciri and her mysterious power. That doesn't mean that they won't reunite in Season 2, though, especially now that The Witcher is sticking with one timeline.
Magic Will Have More Consequences
The Witcher revealed that magic comes at a cost in Season 1, most notably with Yennefer losing the ability to have children (in a pretty gruesome makeover scene) in reaching her full potential as a sorceress. Witchers are also sterile, and Ciri's abilities have already caused trouble in their own ways as well. According to Lauren Schmidt Hissrich to Pure Fandom, there will be "a new cost to magic" in Season 2. With more witchers on the way, sorcerers returning, new monsters and undoubtedly new villains, there will likely be plenty of magic to have consequences.
Hopefully a trailer for The Witcher Season 2 will release sooner rather than later for fans who have been waiting more than a year now for clues of what comes next for Geralt and Co., but we'll have to wait and see. There are plenty of upcoming The Witcher projects in the works, so there is no reason to worry that Netflix is losing interested in the universe. You can always watch and rewatch the first season of The Witcher streaming on Netflix now.
