February was a great month for news about Netflix’s original new successful series, The Witcher, with many new stars joining the ranks of Anya Chalotra, Henry Cavill, and the rest of the cast appeared in the first season. Netflix has started filming the second season. In addition to these essential castings, including Game of Thrones veteran Kristofer Hivju, is now officially confirmed. Also, Redanian Intelligence was able to identify a series of set leaks in England, one of which released the fate of one of The Witcher’s main characters: Vengerberg’s Yennefer. Join us in our summary of February news related to The Witcher.
Topics in the Summary of The Witcher:
- The Witcher season 2 enters production in the United Kingdom
- Redanian Intelligence and Netflix release new cast members
- Director lineup and returning cast members announced by Netflix
- Season 2 to include a beloved monster from the games
- Set Report: Yennefer’s fate revealed (SPOILER!)
- Set Report: Extra pictures from the Elven war camp with Filavandrel & Francesca
- Set Report: Nilfgaardian extras don old armor in previous season 2 scenes
- Henry Cavill rejoins with Roach ahead of filming.
The Witcher Season 2 Enters Production in the UK:
Though filming was initially set to start on February 17, Netflix secretly began production a few days ahead of schedule. After preparing for months in their home base at Arborfield Studios, The Witcher’s team took to a forest location in the Surrey Hills to shoot a scene involving Yennefer and Fringilla.
A report from Getting Surrey announced that Netflix would be filming in that location throughout the event’s first & second week of shooting, under the production “Mysterious Monsters”/”MM.” The initials TPL for signage has been used for production.
What scenes were shot in the forests of Surrey? Thankfully, a series of leaks have published quite a little info on that matter. The scene in question requires an army of elves and one of season two’s most important fresh characters.
Redanian Intelligence & Netflix reveal new cast members
The Continent just got a little bigger. Here's the new cast of #TheWitcher Season 2:
Yasen Atour as Coen
Agnes Bjorn as Vereena
Paul Bullion as Lambert
Kristofer Hivju as Nivellen
Thue Ersted Rasmussen as Eskel
Aisha Fabienne Ross as Lydia
Mecia Simson as Francesca— Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) February 21, 2020
With filming having started in the UK, Netflix and Redanian Intelligence announced most of the essential new stars joining Anya Chalotra (Yennefer), Henry Cavill (Geralt), and Freya Allan (Ciri) in season 2.
while first reported by Redanian Intelligence, Netflix has finally confirmed the starring of Game of Thrones alum Kristofer Hivju— known for the cast of Tormund Giantsbane in the HBO fantasy series. Hivju will suppose the guest role of Nivellen in the first episode of season 2. It will be assisted as an adaptation of the classic Witcher small story A Grain of Truth and which is itself a parody of The Beauty And The Beast. Nivelles is a man cursed with the head of a bear, who falls in love with a mysterious beauty. Agnes Born will be playing violent Vereena.
Ciri (Freya Allan) and Geralt (Henry Cavill) will be sharing scenes with Hivju in Nivellen’s mansion in the first episode of season 2, while on the road to Kaer Morhen.
Leading the current witcher characters is Killing Eve’s Kim Bodnia, who has played as Vesemir. Netflix describes Vesemir as “A lovable relic of the Witcher’s Golden Age. He is the oldest and most expert witcher in our series, as well as a father figure to Geralt.
Before deciding on Bodnia, Netflix reportedly provided the role to several fan favorites, including Mads Mikkelsen, Michael Keaton, and Mark Hamil. Beginning of this year, Netflix declared that an animated film centered on Vesemir is also in the works, named The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf. Bodnia may lend his voice to a younger Vesemir in that movie as well.
These witchers will be introduced along with Vesemir at Kaer Morhen, where Geralt will be taking Ciri previously in season 2. A significant role is Coen, who helps to train Ciri in the ways of a witcher, played by Yasen Atour (Young Wallander). Paul Bullion (Peaky Blinders) has played as the fan-favorite Lambert, who had a significant role in the games. Finally, Thue Ersted Rasmussen has been casting as another gamer, Eskel.
The witchers of Kaer Morhen will be seen in three episodes and will be joined by Allan and Cavill for Ciri’s training.
Mecia Simson has been cast in the leading role, and he will appear in seven out of eight episodes of season 2, as the Elven sorceress Francesca Findabair. Francesca is described as “The most beautiful woman in the world. she is tall, powerful, intelligent, and protective towards her kid.” As released by Redanian Intelligence, young actor Kaine Zajaz will be playing Francesca’s brother Gage, who is related as “a rotund bruiser with black eyes. Gage is dependent on Francesca’s leadership for survival. He will be seen in four episodes of the latest season.”
As in the books, Elves’ introduction of the guerilla army called the Squirrels in an important political force in the Continent.
Aisha Fabienne Ross is also joining the role in The Witcher, who represents the sorceress Lydia van Bredevoort, Fabienne will be acting beside Mahesh Jadu’s Vilgefortz. The character is described as “Almond eyes with Dark hair, Assistant and Secretary to the Master, who carries out a horrible deed.” Lydia will be seen in two episodes.
Lastly, Dolittle actress Carmel Laniado took the role of an original character (which means, this character did not appear in the books). As first released by Deadline, Laniado will play Violet, “a young girl whose whimsical demeanor is a front for a sharp and more sadistic character.” Violet will be seen in three episodes.
But now there are still many unrevealed cast members, including the actor who will play Redanian Spymaster Dijkstra. In the upcoming weeks, we believe they will reveal the new cast members.
Netflix confirms director list and returning cast members
Besides the big cast reveal, Netflix confirmed the director lineup with The Wrap (as well as that which episodes they will direct) and told which season one cast members will return to film scenes for season 2.
Director list:
201: (Umbrella Academy) Stephen Surjik
202: (Umbrella Academy) Stephen Surjik
203: (Cursed, Jamestown) Sarah O’Gorman
204: (Cursed, Jamestown) Sarah O’Gorman
205: (The Last Kingdom) Ed Bazalgette
206: (The Magicians) Geeta Patel
207: (The Magicians) Geeta Patel
208: (The Last Kingdom) Ed Bazalgette
Returning cast include Tom Canton as Filavandrel, MyAnna Buring as Tissaia, Jeremy Crawford as Yarpen Zigrin, Lilly Cooper as Murta, Eamon Farren as Cahir, Terence Maynard as Artorius, Mahesh Jadu as Vilgefortz, Lars Mikkelsen as Stregobor, Wilson Radjou-Pujalte as Dara, Royce Pierreson as Istredd, Anna Shaffer as Triss Merigold, Mimi Ndiweni as Fringilla Vigo, and Theresa Wilson Read as Sabrina.
Redanian Intelligence confirmed that season 2 is the leading fight coordinator is Thomas Hacikoglu. He was in charge of training the cast & stuntmen for the fight scene at Blaviken in the series pilot, working alongside stunt coordinator Wolfgang Stegemann. However, we would have loved to see Stegemann return, and it’s okay that someone involved with The Witcher’s best fight scene in season 2.
Season two to feature a fan-favorite monster from the games
Gamers were happy to catch about the starring of Lambert and Eskel, and it seems that Netflix intends to please them once again with one of season 2 latest monsters. Season 2 will pit our witchers against a Leshy, known in the games as a Leshen.
“Leshens dwell in dense, primeval woods,” the video game bestiary describes. “Fiercely territorial creatures, they hunt with cunning and stealth as their only associates. They use their inborn magic to control the animals and plants within their territory, and so, when follows them, half the battle is merely getting closer enough to strike.”
However, the show’s Leshy could be completely different from the ones seen in the games, and it’s fascinating to see this woodland monster in live-action. Our sources informed us that the battle with the Leshy would have “serious consequences,” which sounds very interesting.
Redanian Intelligence Set Report (MILD SPOILERS):
However, the filming had only begun in the middle of Feb, Redanian Intelligence has been coordinating with partners in the United Kingdom to provide a series of extensive set reports. This time, we will take a look at the Elven army camp and the later of a battle, with all main cast members confirmed on location.
Set Report: Yennefer’s fate revealed (SPOILER!)
Season one of The Witcher finished with Yennefer’s destiny unknown. During the Battle of Sodden Hill, she is forced to unbottle her chaos and unloose a wave of fire on the Nilfgaardian army, and then she vanishes. Though Tissaia (MyAnna Buring) and Geralt (Henry Cavill) both look for her, and she is nowhere to be found and perhaps presumed dead.
Anya Chalotra (Yennefer) relic seen filming with he co cast Mimi Ndiweni (Fringilla) in the Redland forest of Surrey. They have last seen in the opposite battle fighting, but it seems they are both captured by a militant faction of elves previous in season 2. Fringilla and Yennefer are led to the Elven army camp, where they meet two important elven characters.
Elven War Camp: First look at Francesca and King Filavandrel returns:
As previously described, season two of The Witcher will introduce an Elven storyline with key new characters Gage (Kaine Zajaz) and Francesca (Mecia Simson, seen within the red circle). Adding them is season one cast member Tom Canton, who plays King Filavandrel.
These star members have been spotted shoot with dozens of extras, all of whom were dressed as elves in a different of new costumes created by The Witcher’s season two costume designer Lucinda Wright. These elves belong to the militant guerrilla group called the Scoia’tael, first introduced in the book Blood of Elves & revisited in CD Projekt RED’s video game trilogy.
Geralt reunites with Roach & Ciri to film the later of a battle
The Witcher season one finished with a major battle between the Northern Kingdoms and Nilfgaard at Sodden Hill, though the season winds up before the battle was over. New behind-the-scenes pictures reveal that Netflix has been shooting the later of a battle scene in Bourne Wood close London. We have also known that Henry Cavill was shooting on location beside Geralt’s trusted mare Roach and his Child Princess Ciri (Freya Allan).
This location has earlier been used in films such as the Half-Blood Prince and Gladiator and Harry Potter. Viewers were able to spot dozens of fake bodies, including those of dead horses and soldiers, all pierced with arrows. Most of the bodies seem to belong to Nilfgaardian soldiers.
It is possible that the scenes movie with Allan (and Roach) and Cavill exist not the same as those with the dead bodies. Sometimes in the movie industry, the same location can be used for the number of scenes. However, Geralt and Ciri likely ride through the battlefield as they were close to Sodden Hill at the end of season one.
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