‘The Witcher’ Season 2 Production Starts in U.K., Adds Seven to Cast Including ‘Game of Thrones’ Star Kristofer Hivju
By Todd Spangler
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Production on fantasy epic “The Witcher” Season 2 has commenced in the U.K., with a planned launch in 2021, Netflix announced.
The show also announced seven new cast members joining “” for S2, including Kristofer Hivju, the Norwegian actor who played the red-bearded wilding leader Tormund Giantsbane on “Game of Thrones.”
Netflix last month claimed “The Witcher” Season 1 was tracking to be its biggest original TV series debut to date. However, that’s according to a new metric invented by the company that found 76 million member households watched at least 2 minutes of the show in the first four weeks after its Dec. 20 release.
The streamer renewed “The Witcher” for Season 2 last fall with an eight-episode order, more than a month before the freshman season hit the streaming service. The show represents “a massive new franchise that we’ll develop season after season,” Netflix chairman/CEO Reed Hastings said on the company’s Q4 2019 earnings interview Jan. 21.
Returning for Season 2 are Henry Cavill (“Mission Impossible – Fallout,” “Man of Steel”) who leads the cast of “The Witcher” saga in the role of Geralt of Rivia; Anya Chalotra (“The ABC Murders,” “Wanderlust”) as the sorceress Yennefer; Freya Allan (“Third Day,” “Gunpowder Milkshake”) as the princess Ciri; and Joey Batey (“Knightfall,” “Strike”) as the bard Jaskier who sings the signature ballad “Toss a Coin to Your Witcher” from the series.
New cast members for S2 include Kristofer Hivju (“Game of Thrones”) as Nivellen, Yasen Atour (“Young Wallender”) as Coen, Agnes Bjorn as Vereena, Paul Bullion (“Peaky Blinders”) as Lambert, Thue Ersted Rasmussen (“Fast and Furious 9”) as Eskel, Aisha Fabienne Ross (“The Danish Girl”) as Lydia, and newcomer Mecia Simson as Francesca.
Other returning cast include MyAnna Buring (“Kill List”) as Tissaia, Tom Canton (“Good Karma Hospital”) as Filavandrel, Lilly Cooper (“Peterloo”) as Murta, Jeremy Crawford (“Titans”) as Yarpin Zigrin, Eamon Farren (“Twin Peaks”) as Cahir, Mahesh Jadu (“Marco Polo”) as Vilgefortz, Terence Maynard (“Cursed”) as Artorius, Lars Mikkelson (“House of Cards”) as Stregobor, Mimi Ndiweni (“Black Earth Rising”) as Fringilla Vigo, Royce Pierreson (“Judy”) as Istredd, Wilson Radjou-Pujalte (“Hunter Street”) as Dara, Anna Shaffer (Harry Potter films) as Triss Merigold, and Therica Wilson Read (“Young Wallender”) as Sabrina.
“The reaction to season one of ‘The Witcher’ set a high bar for adding new talent for the second season,” showrunner and executive producer Lauren Schmidt Hissrich said in a statement. “[Casting director] Sophie Holland and her casting team have once again found the very best people to embody these characters, and in the hands of these accomplished directors, we’re excited to see these new stories come to life.”
Based on the best-selling fantasy series, “The Witcher” follows Geralt of Rivia, a solitary monster hunter who struggles to find his place in a world where people often prove more wicked than the beasts. But when destiny hurtles him toward a powerful sorceress, and a young princess with a dangerous secret, the three must learn to navigate the increasingly volatile Continent together.
Season 2 will be directed by Stephen Surjik (“Umbrella Academy”) who will direct 201 and 202; Sarah O’Gorman (“Cursed”) for episodes 203 and 204; Ed Bazalgette (“The Last Kingdom”) for episodes 205 and 208; and Geeta Patel (“Meet The Patels”) for episodes 206 and 207.
