The first season of The Witcher was filled with Henry Cavill's Geralt being grumpy and talking to his horse Roach, and viewers can't wait to see more. The waiting will be tough, as we all want to know Yennefer's fate -- don't go spoiling anything if you read the books! Making matters worse, the second season won't be dropping on Netflix until 2021. The wait will be hard, but we're lucky enough to have the books and games to help us get that Witcher fix.
While the show itself won't come to our televisions until 2021, casting for the second season is well underway, and filming will start in the coming months. Seeing which characters have been cast can give us some clues where the show is headed storywise, and with the long wait ahead of us, we'll have plenty of time to speculate and theorize about every detail. To help you get started, here's a look at which new characters have been cast for the second season of The Witcher.
Violet
Violet is instantly the most interesting new character coming to The Witcher. The character is a mystery not only to people who only know of Geralt's story from the Netflix series but to the fans of the books as well. Violet has been created specifically for the show and she's expected to appear in at least three episodes. The character, described as "a young girl whose playful and whimsical demeanor is a front for a smarter and more sadistic character," is played by Carmel Laniado, who recently appeared in Doolittle with Robert Downey Jr.
Nigel
Actor Kristofer Hivju quickly became a fan-favorite actor as Tormund Giantsbane on Game of Thrones, and now he's bringing that big bushy beard of his to The Witcher, though we may not see much of it. Hivju will be playing Nigel, an aristocrat who has been cursed for the crimes he has committed in the past. The character's name isn't connected to the known Witcher mythology, but his story sounds a lot like that of Nivellen.
In the books, Nivellen came from a family that gained its wealth through illegal means. After robbing a temple and assaulting a young woman, Nivellen was cursed to be a "monster in a man's skin," and sure enough, he turned into a monster. In the books, Nivellen's story plays out not unlike Beauty and the Beast.
Vereena
If Hivju is indeed playing Nivellen, then he'll be spending a lot of time with actress Agnes Bjorn, who has been cast as Vereena. In the books, Vereena is Nivellen's lover, even though they didn't speak the same language. Love knows no bounds, but maybe this is the one time it should have; it turns out that Vereena is a Bruxa -- a type of vampire that is not affected by the sun.
Eskel
There aren't many people Geralt considers a friend, but Eskel is one of them. The two first met when they were children training to become Witchers. Geralt looks back at the childhood hijinks with a smile, which is probably the only time that guy's lips curve upwards. Eskel will be played by Thue Ersted Rasmussen, who you will see in Fast 9.
Lambert
First appearing in 2007's The Witcher game, Lambert quickly showed up in the books, playing a role in 2008's Blood of Elves. Like Geralt, Lambert is a Witcher and in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, he holds a serious grudge against Geralt. While our hero has become famous for his adventures, Lambert toils away in obscurity, battling lesser monsters. He'll never have bards singing about his victories the way Geralt does, and this makes him angry. Lambert will be played by Paul Bullion, best known as Billy Kitchen in Peaky Blinders.
Coën
Yasen Atour has been cast as Coën and recently appeared in Robin Hood alongside Taron Egerton and Jamie Foxx. Like Geralt and Lambert, Coën is a Witcher, but his childhood has left him looking vastly different from any of his compatriots. As a child, Coën contracted chickenpox, and apparently he was a scratcher because his face is pockmarked. The training of Witchers begins when they are children, and each child chosen is immunized to keep them safe from such illnesses. Coën having the chickenpox suggests he either came into contact with the virus at a very early age, or he started his Witcher training late in his life.
Lydia van Bredevoort
No one has it easy in the world of The Witcher, but Lydia has had some seriously bad luck. The one-time assistant to Vilgefortz, Lydia is a sorceress herself, as well as a painter. In the books, she is described as having a very strange face with expressive eyes, which may be because half of her face is an illusion. When she was younger, Lydia took part in an experiment with four other mages that went terribly wrong. Three of the mages were killed, the fourth lost not only his eyes but his hands as well. Lydia was horribly burned, leaving her jaw mangled and her larynx destroyed. Unable to speak, Lydia communicates via telepathy. Lydia will be played by Aisha Fabienne Ross.
Francesca Findabair
The queen of Dol Blathanna, Francesca Findabair is an elf, a sorceress, and a founding member of the Lodge of Sorceresses, a secret group of female mages who believed that men were too incompetent to properly govern over the areas of magic. Francesca is considered to be the most beautiful woman in the world, and will be played by Mecia Simson, a British model turned actress.
Vesemir
Vesemir will be played by Kim Bodnia, who is best known for playing Konstantin Vasiliev on Killing Eve. An older and more experienced Witcher, Vesemir is like a father to Geralt when the hero was training. One of the only members of the School of the Wolf to survive the assault on Kaer Morhen, Vesemir became the only living old Witcher. Placed in charge of teaching the little Witchers in training how to handle a sword, Vesemir does not have the knowledge nor skills to create the mutagens needed to mutate male disciples into witchers.
The Witcher stars Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, Anya Chalotra as Yennefer of Vengerberg, Freya Allan as Ciri, and Joey Batey as Jaskier. Season 1 is now available on Netflix. Season 2 is currently in production and is set to be released in 2021.