Season 2 of Netflix's hit fantasy series The Witcher will resume in August. After much anticipation, the first season of The Witcher premiered on Netflix late last year and quickly became the hit the streamer was hoping for. The series, based on the book series by Andrzej Sapkowski and its subsequent video games, stars Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, or the titular "witcher". His story intertwines with those of Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra) and the princess Ciri (Freya Allan), making for an epic fantasy adventure. Netflix was so certain of The Witcher's success that the second season was greenlit before the first one even dropped, but that proved to be the right move when The Witcher became one of the biggest streaming series of 2019.
Production on season 2 got underway earlier this year, but it faced the same obstacle as most major film and television productions: The coronavirus pandemic. Numerous shoots shut down in mid-March, including that of fellow Netflix show Stranger Things. Initial reports suggested The Witcher was plowing on despite the pandemic, but they soon changed course and shut down like the rest. Matters were further complicated by the news that Kristofer Hivju (Game of Thrones), who is joining the cast for season 2, tested positive for coronavirus. Hivju has since recovered, but The Witcher has waited to resume filming.
The Witcher season 2 isn't getting back to work quite yet, but they have officially set a date: August 17. The official Witcher social media account shared the news in a clever verse that sounds like it came straight from Jaskier (Joey Batey), teasing the work that's going to resume before finally concluding with the official date. You can see it in the space below (and maybe sing it to yourself).
This news isn't too surprising considering the U.K, which is where The Witcher is filmed, eased its restrictions and announced new guidelines for film and television shoots. While this would have given The Witcher permission to resume work as soon as July, it's likely the crew needs time to prepare the new safety measures required for getting back to work amid the pandemic. This is why most other productions haven't quite jumped back in yet, though other U.K. sets like Jurassic World: Dominion are eyeing July starts.
Seeing as The Witcher season 2 was shut down for several months, it's certain that its Netflix premiere date will be delayed. Most expected it to arrive on the streamer at some point in 2021; now, if it still manages to arrive in that time, it'll surely be later in the year. It could possibly even be pushed to 2022, depending on how much work is left after the shutdown. Fans can probably expect more updates once production on The Witcher resumes in August.
Source: The Witcher/Twitter