Plus, Jaskier is back!
Even before The Witcher became a massive hit at the end of 2019, Netflix had already greenlit a second season of it. But filming for the next installment was derailed by the filming shutdowns in March 2020, which is why, a full year later, principal photography finally wrapped up in early April 2020. Although the interruptions mean fans will have to wait a while still for the release, the details coming out about The Witcher Season 2 are sure to get everyone excited in the meantime.
The Witcher Season 1 was an interesting experiment in mixing different kinds of media into a single adaptation. The world of The Witcher started as short stories, then moved to full-length novels before being adapted into video games. Showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich used all of these in creating the Continent for Netflix. Geralt's short stories and video game antics were utilized as "monster of the week" adventures, while on separate timelines, the series expanded Yennefer's backstory and Ciri's importance to the mythos.
Season 2 will be the more straightforward adaptation of the full-length novels. But while the story might be easier to follow, it also means an entirely new set of characters from the books will arrive soon.
The Witcher Season 2 Trailer
The first full trailer for Season 2 dropped on Friday, July 9. The trailer heavily focused on Geralt and Ciri, picking up immediately after the two first met in the final moments of Season 1. As shown in the trailer, a big part of Season 2 will center around Geralt training Ciri at the witcher’s keep, helping her to hone and control her powers.
The Witcher was one of the hardest-hit of Netflix's big shows by the 2020 filming shutdowns. The series had only just begun work on Season 2 in March 2020 when it shut down the first time. After months of delay, the series picked back up in August but faced several unplanned breaks due to more shutdowns and injuries. But fans can rejoice that the new season is complete and will arrive on Dec. 17, as revealed in the trailer.
On Oct. 29, The Witcher Season 2 released the second trailer that gave fans more sense of this season’s plot. It also revealed several things fans have been waiting for, including footage of Ciri getting her first sword. Oh, and even better, Jaskier is back! Toss a coin to you bard, oh valley of plenty, for he shall sing us a song again.
The Witcher Season 2 Teasers
Fans got their first look at footage from The Witcher Season 2 as part of Netflix’s “Geeked Week.” Though the clip is short (and does not give much of Geralt or Yennefer), it does prepare viewers for the changes Ciri is about to undergo.
Fans also got a look at behind-the-scenes footage in Netflix's first official Season 2 video, commemorating the end of filming for the season.
Netflix released two teasers for Season 2 during the streamer’s TUDUM event on Sept. 25. The first clip introduced Geralt’s beastly friend Nivellen, and the second video showed Geralt protecting Ciri from an unseen monster.
The Witcher Season 2 First Look
As early images show, Henry Cavill will return as the titular Witcher, Geralt of Rivia, as will Freya Allan as Ciri. The most significant change between seasons shows Ciri's "lost princess in the woods" look will give way to a more realistic warrior look for her training.
The Witcher Season 2 Cast
Cavill and Allan will be joined by Anya Chalotra, who is returning as Yennefer. Despite her disappearance at the end of Season 1, photos promise Yennefer will be back. She's not the only sorceress returning either. MyAnna Buring will return as Yennefer's old mentor, Tissaia de Vries, Mimi Ndiweni as Fringilla Vigo, Anna Shaffer as Triss Merigold, and Therica Wilson Read as Sabrina. Also returning this season: Lars Mikkelson as Stregobor, Royce Pierrseson as Istredd, and Wilson Mbomio as Dara. Finally, fan-favorite Joey Batey will return as the bard, Jaskier.
But the big announcements have been about the new arrivals. Fans will recognize Adjoa Andoh, who starred in Bridgerton as Lady Danbury. She'll play Nenneke, a priestess and head of the Temple of Melitele. Andoh's joined by fellow Bridgerton alum, Chris Fulton (Sir Philip, who married Marina), who'll be playing Rience, one of the mages chasing Ciri.
Other additions include Cassie Clare (Brave New World) as Phillippa Eilhart, Redania's court sorceress, and Graham McTavish (Outlander) as Dijkstra, the head of Redanian Intelligence. Simon Callow (Midsomer Murders) and Liz Carr (Silent Witness) join the cast as Codringher and Fenn, who run a detective agency. Kevin Doyle (Downton Abbey) as Ba'lian, a writer and map maker.
These characters join the already announced new cast that includes Basil Eidenbenz (Victoria) as Eskel, Paul Bullion (Peaky Blinders) as Lambert, and Yasen Atour (Young Wallander) as Coën, fellow Witchers who fight alongside Geralt. Mecia Simson (Brave New World) plays Francesca, another sorceress who works with Tissaia.
The Witcher Season 2 Plot
After binding several source materials together in Season 1, The Witcher Season 2 will mostly follow the novels starting with Season 2. In Blood of Elves, the first novel, Geralt, who is protecting Ciri, takes her to the witchers' keep, Kaer Morhen, to be educated and keep her safe. But as fans saw in Season 1, Ciri's abilities are far greater than Geralt suspects. Vesemir, the head of the Witcher order, asks sorceress Triss Merigold to check out Ciri and work with her to help control these odd abilities. Triss discovers Ciri is a "Source," which is beyond her abilities to teach. She tells Geralt to seek out Yennefer to train the girl.
It's not clear how much of this will make it into Season 2. As fans have noted, quite a few short stories remain unused. Moreover, some of the cast, like Kristofer Hivju (Game of Thrones) as Nivellen, Agnes Bjorn (Monster) as his lover Vereena, and Aisha Fabienne Ross (The Danish Girl) as Lydia, are directly pulled from the short stories. That suggests the series will still weave in some of the remaining stories
The Witcher Season 2 Episode Titles
In a sneak peek video released during Witchercon, Netflix revealed the episode titles for the upcoming season:
“A Grain of Truth”
“Kaer Morhen”
“What Is Lost”
“Redanian Intelligence”
“Turn Your Back”
“Dear Friend”
“Voleth Meir (Deathless Mother)”
(Redacted)
Some of these titles will be immediately recognizable to fans of the Witcher books and games. Kaer Morhen, for example, is the Old Sea Fortress where Geralt trained to be a Witcher and takes Ciri to learn to manage her abilities. The episode will probably be set in and around it and perhaps will hold flashbacks to the past as well. That suggests “A Grain of Truth” will be his journey with Ciri to the fortress. “What is Lost” may reference Yennefer and her disappearance. (Finding her to help train Ciri is a significant point in the novels when Geralt realizes that the men of the Witcher world aren’t equipped for it.)
But not all the titles are so straightforward. “Voleth Meir” for instance, is the name of a character, but does that mean she’s not showing until the penultimate episode, or is this an episode in which she steps forward into the story’s center? And what is the final redacted title? It’s obviously going to be a spoiler of some sort, but what it would reveal, fans probably won’t learn until the season arrives in December.
The Witcher Season 2 Release Date
The Witcher Season 2 will premiere on Netflix on Dec. 17, 2021.
The Witcher Season 1 is streaming now on Netflix.
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