Netflix has wholeheartedly embraced the fantasy epic genre in its TV adaptation of The Witcher, with season 2 set for a December 2021 release. Starring Henry Cavill in the lead role as Geralt of Rivia, a monster slayer for hire, The Witcher is based on a series of books by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski and was adapted for TV by Netflix's Lauren S. Hissrich. Despite drawing a mixed critical consensus in the weeks following its initial release, The Witcher's first season received a minimum of 76 million views in its first month alone, highlighting The Witcher franchise's inherent popularity.
Set in a fantasy world called the Continent, season 1 of The Witcher divides its focus between Geralt, a sorceress called Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra), and Ciri (Freya Allan), a young princess with an important destiny. All three become swept up in politics and war as the kingdom of Nilfgaard advances across the land, aiming to conquer the entire Continent. Though Geralt attempts to keep his focus on killing monsters for coin alongside his trusted bard Jaskier (Joey Batey), the world of The Witcher is full of characters trying to sway him to their cause.
With its lavish budget and the DCEU's Superman himself leading the cast, The Witcher is clearly a major priority for Netflix, so it's no surprise that a second season was green-lit before the first was even released. As dark forces close on Ciri and her destiny, The Witcher season 2 is bound to double down on the creature-led viscera and action that made its first installment so compelling. Here's everything we know so far about The Witcher season 2, including its release date, characters, story, and how it links to Netflix's animated Witcher movie Nightmare of the Wolf.
The Witcher Season 2 Is Happening
Netflix officially announced season 2 of The Witcher in November 2019, with the announcement accompanied by an image of Geralt's two swords (steel for killing humans, silver for killing monsters). Netflix's Hissrich responded to the news with elation, saying, "I could not be more proud of what the amazing cast and crew of The Witcher have accomplished, and can’t wait for the world to dig in and enjoy these stories with us." The fact that The Witcher season 2 confirmation was made prior to the series premiere highlights Netflix's continued confidence in the dazzling fantasy drama, with Hissrich subsequently cementing The Witcher's renewal for a third season via a Twitter post in September 2021.
The Witcher Season 2's Release Date
The announcement of The Witcher season 2 last year also arrived with the news that viewers can look forward to more episodes before the end of 2021. The Witcher season 2 release date is now confirmed to premiere on December 17th, 2021, in a release that almost matches its inaugural season's two years to the day. All eight The Witcher season 2 episodes will be available to stream on Netflix the same day, also mirroring The Witcher season 1's release format.
The Witcher Season 2 Story Details
The Witcher is closely based on Sapkowski's books, and season 1 concludes with the Battle of Sodden Hill, which marks the end of the first Northern War. The first season is primarily based on the first two collections of Witcher stories: The Sword of Destiny and The Last Wish, and also touches upon the series' first novel, Blood of Elves. Notably, season 1 is split into three different timelines: Yennefer's, Geralt's, and Ciri's. Geralt and Yennefer's paths cross twice in the first Witcher season, and Geralt and Ciri finally meet at the end of season 1 as the three timelines converge. It is likely that the characters' narratives are all caught up to one another so that The Witcher season 2 will have a more linear approach as Yennefer and Geralt help Ciri fulfill her noble destiny as the powerful Crown Princess of Cintra.
The Witcher season 2 story is confirmed, via Netflix Geeked, to begin with Geralt and Ciri's journey to Geralt's childhood home of Kaer Morhen, the Witcher fortress. In a faithful adaptation of Sapkowski’s “A Grain of Truth,” The Witcher season 2 story opener will see Geralt start on his journey to becoming a father figure to the young princess while also encountering several prominent characters from the original Witcher story, including the cutthroat Nivellen and Vereena, the vampire. Beyond its first new episode, what to expect from The Witcher season 2's story will likely arrive as an adapted re-telling of Sapkowski’s Blood of Elves, which continues to take place in Kaer Morhen, the old fortress where The School of the Wolf trains Ciri as she plants her feet and fights back against the evil pursuing her.
In its wider scope, The Witcher season 2 will also likely expand on the North-South conflict covered in Blood of Elves as Nilfgaard looks to consolidate its power, while Yennefer (unbeknownst to Geralt and Ciri) sets off on a journey of exploration that grants her some unlikely alliances. Netflix's The Witcher season 2 trailers have also teased the inclusion of some prolific Witcher videogame characters, including the forest-dwelling Leshen and the formidable, Baba Yaga-inspired Crones. While The Witcher season 2's story is unlikely to be constrained to just one time period, as evidenced by season 1's non-linear narrative, Blood of Elves contains a far less divided plot that hastens each main character towards their respective destinies.
The Witcher Season 2 Cast
Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri are the only The Witcher season 2 characters that look set appear in every episode, but there are a large number of recurring cast members who will also be back, including Joey Batey as Geralt's bard friend Jaskier, MyAnna Buring as Tissaia, Tom Canton as Filavandrel, Lilly Cooper as Murta, Jeremy Crawford as Yarpin Zigrin, Eamon Farren as Cahir, Mahesh Jadu as Vilgefortz, Terence Maynard as Artorius, Lars Mikkelson as Stregobor, Mimi Ndiweni as Fringilla Vigo, Royce Pierrseson as Istredd, Wilson Radjou-Pujalte as Dara, Anna Shaffer as Triss Merigold, and Therica Wilson Read as Sabrina.
In addition, The Witcher season 2 character roster adds many new additions to the ensemble. Kim Bodnia (Killing Eve) will play Geralt's mentor Vesemir despite a fan push to cast Mark Hamill in the role. Game of Thrones veteran Kristofer Hivju has been cast as the dangerous Nivellen, while three more Witchers are headed into the fray, Yasen Atour (Robin Hood) as Coën, Paul Bullion (Peaky Blinders) as Lambert, and Thue Ersted Rasmussen (Fast and Furious 9) as Eskel. Finally, Carmel Laniado plays Violet, Aisha Fabienne Ross (The Danish Girl) plays Lydia, and newcomers Agnes Bjorn and Mecia Simson play Vereena and Francesca, respectively.
How Witcher Season 2 Connects To Nightmare of the Wolf
Netflix also recently released its animated series The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, which focuses on a young version of the character Vesemir, who is set to debut in The Witcher season 2. Nightmare of the Wolf's present-day scenes (taking place in 1165) heavily influence The Witcher season 2's story, with the disaster that befalls Kaer Morhen the most obvious example here. Other pertinent Nightmare of the Wolf scenes include looks at younger versions of The Witcher season 2 characters, introducing the elf king Filivandrel before taking the throne, Queen Calanthe's ancestor Dagorad of Kaedwen, and even a child eventually revealed to be Geralt himself.
In particular, introducing a younger version of Geralt in Nightmare of the Wolf helps establish a key relationship that will undoubtedly play a big role in The Witcher season two and allows the Netflix series narrative freedom that would ordinarily be taken up expanding on the pair's history together. Netflix has already confirmed The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf's backstories are canon within The Witcher franchise, meaning the events that befall Vesemir will likely be heavily referenced again in The Witcher season 2.