Netflix has halted production in the UK onThe Witcherseason 2 after four confirmed positive results for COVID-19, according toa report from Deadline. An isolated round of testing will be carried out on all staff and actors; however, the confirmed cases are not from the lead cast. Production and filming at Arborfield Studios, west of London, will continue once it has been deemed safe to proceed.
This is the second time that production has halted for season 2, as the first timewas back in Marchfollowing a lead actor testing positive which thenstretched to mid-Augustdue to lockdown in the UK. Thue Rasmussen, the actor who played Eskel in the series, has had to drop out of the showdue to COVID-19 rescheduling issues. Despite these setbacks, the third season is apparentlyalready in the works.
Netflix hasofficially announcedthat Kim Bodniawill be playing the roleof Vesemir in the upcoming season 2. This news comes after the reveal that the animated seriesThe Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolfwill bestarring the same character.Other recurring charactersinclude Sorceress Tissaia de Vries played by MyAnna Buring, Stregobor by actor Lars Mikkelsen, Therica Wilson-Read, Sorceress Sabrina, and Vilgefortz, mage and member of the Chapter of Sorcerers played by Mahesh Jadu.
Netflix also revealedmore of the season 2 cast, which was drawn fromGame of Thronesand other shows.The Witcherin general is one of themost popular releasesof 2019 and has garnered plenty of attention from fans, to the point of the show stillbeing in high demandeven now. Following the show’s success, the book publisher has announced they’ll bereprinting 500,000 copiesof the original novel to meet demand. Henry Cavill, the actor who plays Geralt of Rivia,confirmed on his Instagramthat season two will be in pre-production soon.
Showrunner Lauren S. Hissrichaddressed some criticismsofThe Witcherin an extensive and informative Twitter thread about the creative process and how certain decisions are made when adapting any sort of media. However, ina recent interview with TV GuideHissrich stated that the multiple timelines ofThe Witcher‘s first season was “obviously one of the most controversial aspects of the show,” and while she defended this approach to telling the story, she acknowledged that some audiences found this storytelling device to be confusing.
In that regard,Hissrich explainedthat Season 2 of the show “will be a lot easier to follow,” and that the next season “aligns all of our characters on a similar timeline.” While the show seemingly will still utilize a structure taking place over different periods of time, Hissrich stated that its approach will be done “in a different way” that should hopefully be more appealing to audiences.
It seems the series launch has hada positive affecton the games, as it caused a large resurgence inThe Witcher 3’s player count – which hitover 100,000 concurrent playerson Steam, more players than during its launch. Be sure to check out our own review for the Netflix seriesThe Witcherhere.
