The Witcher

The Witcher Cast News

Geralt of Rivia

Henry Cavill

news

Yennefer

Anya Chalotra

news

Ciri

Freya Allen

news

Cahir

Eamon Farren

Dandelion

Joey Batey

Tissaia

MyAnna Buring

To date, Netflix’s The Witcher cast has brought us two seasons of the adventures of Geralt of Rivia, with Season 3 expected to stream some time in the summer of 2023. With only 16 episodes delivered so far, the series has managed to bring an incredible cast to the screen, including the current lead, Henry Cavill. Sadly, Cavill will be leaving the series after Season 3, but not before already delivering some incredible television.

Like the best fantasy series, the stories The Witcher is based on–by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, whose books you can explore on GoodReads–are supported by an intricate world-building foundation including a vast history, complex politics, and fantastic mythologies. It requires a large cast to bring these wizards, warriors, and royalty to life, and here’s our list of the talent and their matching characters.

THE WITCHER CAST – LED FIRST BY HENRY CAVILL BUT WILL BE REPLACED BY LIAM HEMSWORTH

Henry Cavill – Geralt of Rivia

Since 2019, Henry Cavill has led The Witcher cast as Geralt of Rivia, the now iconic hero of the Netflix series, Sapkowski’s stories, and the hit video game series. Like most witchers, Geralt is a loner and a fierce warrior. While his duty as a witcher mostly pits him against monsters and various forms of undead, Geralt is more than willing to throw down with perfectly non-supernatural humans, should the need arise.

With his history, it’s no mistake that Geralt’s existence is often a solitary one. As desperate as many corners of the world are for the services of witchers, the same people who pay for their sword work often wind up being the first to spit on them as they pass.

Liam Hemsworth – The Future Geralt of Rivia

While we have yet to see him as part of The Witcher cast, it’s been confirmed that as of Season 4 of the Netflix series, Liam Hemsworth will be taking over from Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia.

The immediate assumption was that Cavill had left the series because of a new commitment to his role as Superman, but other reports say the star was unhappy with The Witcher‘s writers drifting further from the source material than he wanted.

Anya Chalotra – Yennefer of Vengerberg

Few in The Witcher cast have more conflicted feelings for the eponymous hero than Anya Chalotra’s Yennefer. Though she and Geralt continue to circle each other with romance always on the edge of possibility, any potential for love is marred by a djinn whose magic affected their first union. Regardless, in spite of the pair sometimes finding each other at cross purposes, Yennefer’s devotion to Ciri always brings her back to Geralt’s side.

Freya Allen – Ciri

More of the plot of The Witcher revolves around Freya Allen’s Ciri than any other cast member, including Geralt. Eventually, we learn it’s because of her Elder blood that kingdoms literally fall in the wake of her pursuit. While he has no biological connection to Ciri, because of an ancient tradition called the Law of Surprise, Geralt is essentially Ciri’s father by law.

Kim Bodnia – Vesemir

Kim Bodnia’s Vesemir is the closest thing in the cast of The Witcher to Geralt’s mentor. A pragmatic but still soulful warrior, Vesemir is the oldest living witcher in the era of the series. A younger version of the character appears in the animated film The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, voiced by Theo James (Divergent).

Joey Batey – Jaskier

Jaskier the Bard is one of the most beloved members of The Witcher‘s cast. While he may not be the main hero, the inescapable earworm “Toss a Coin to Your Witcher” comes directly from the handsome and often ridiculous Jaskier. He and Geralt part ways angrily in Season 1–leaving Jaskier to write the vengeful “Burn Witcher Burn”–though they mend fences in the followup season.

Paul Bullion – Lambert

Introduced, like most of the other witchers of Kaer Morhen, in Season 2 of The Witcher; Paul Bullion’s Lambert at first seems like perhaps the most untrusting and cynical witcher we’ve met. At different times, Lambert takes his frustration in the complicated events of the series out on Geralt and Ciri, though the latter is able to win him over with sheer determination. Flawed but good-hearted, Lambert is one of the few witchers of Kaer Morhen to survive Season 2.

Yasen Atour – Coën

At the opposite end of The Witcher‘s Kaer Morhen cast from Vesemir, Yasen Atour’s Coën is one of the youngest living witchers. Coën can often be found with Lambert, including during their shared taunting of the young Ciri. Like Lambert, he lives to the see the end of The Witcher‘s second season.

THE WITCHER CAST – SORCERERS AND SORCERESSES

MyAnna Buring – Tissaia de Vries

We first meet Tissaia de Vries (MyAnna Buring) in Season 1 when she recruits Yennefer to the magical academy of Aretuza. An unforgiving teacher, Tissaia nevertheless betrays some soft edges to her.

Regardless, by the end of Season 2, Tissaia is working against the heroes of The Witcher cast. After the defeat of Nilfgaard at the Battle of Sodden Hill, Tissaia reveals what she knows about the young Ciri to the rulers of the Northern Kingdoms. She is there when the decision is made to put a bounty on not only Ciri’s head, but of the heads of anyone found helping her.

Mimî Ndiweni – Fringilla Vigo

As the court wizard of Nilfgaard, Mimî Ndiweni’s Fringilla Vigo isn’t exactly one of the most beloved magic users of The Witcher cast. Not only does she aid in Nilfgaard’s invasion of Cintra, but later murders most of Nilfgaard’s generals to cement her own power. When we last see her in Season 2, she’s being thrown into prison by Emperor Emhyr var Emreis (Bart Edwards).

Anna Shaffer – Triss Merigold

Anna Shaffer joined The Witcher cast in a recurring role as the sorceress Triss Merigold in Season 1, but got a lot more screen time in the following season. She first shows up to get Geralt’s aid in rescuing the princess of her homeland, Temeria, but in Season 2 she takes a much larger part in the larger stories. Along with helping to fight off the Nilfgaardians in the Battle of Sodden Hill, Triss later tries to safely train Ciri in her emerging abilities.

Royce Pierreson – Istredd

Few members of The Witcher‘s cast have loyalties that drift as easily as Royce Pierreson’s Istredd. The sorcerer seduces Yennefer early in Season 1 and we ultimately learn the motivation for his affair with her is, at least in part, to get information for the devious illusionist Stregobor (Lars Mikkelsen). As soon as he learns of Yennefer’s part-Elven heritage, he leaks it to Stregobor and later does the same to the elves themselves.

Lars Mikkelsen – Stregobor

Lars Mikkelsen–older brother to Mads Mikkelsen of Hannibal fame–plays Stregobor, who proves to be one of the first sorcerers we meet in The Witcher cast. In the series premiere he tries to hire Geralt as an assassin to kill the vengeful Renfri (Emma Appleton)

ROYALTY AND ROYAL SERVANTS

Jodhi May – Queen Calanthe

The ruler of Cintra and the grandmother of Ciri, Jodhi May’s Queen Calanthe is one of the most important characters in The Witcher cast. Though she often appears hard-hearted after years of tragedy, more than anything Calanthe is fiercely dedicated to her granddaughter’s safety. While the queen sadly doesn’t survive Nilfgaard’s invasion of Cintra, it’s only through her actions that Ciri survives to see Geralt’s protection.

Adam Levy – Mousesack

The druid Mousesack was a devoted adviser to Queen Calanthe and did much to make sure her final wishes of ensuring Ciri’s survival were carried out. Unfortunately, Mousesack is eventually murdered and his loyalty to Cintra is used against Ciri. The Nilfgaardian general Cahir (Eamon Farren) has a Doppelganger kill the druid and assume his physical appearance in hopes of luring Ciri to him.

Graham McTavish – Sigismund Dijkstra

Fans of Peter Jackson’s J.R.R. Tolkien adaptations may recognize The Witcher cast’s Graham McTavish as the man who played the Dwarf warrior Dwalin in all three The Hobbit films. In The Witcher, McTavish plays the ruthless Sigismund Dijkstra; adviser to the Redanian King Vizimir II. At Dijkstra’s advice, Redania’s royalty plots to get Ciri in their possession to become the most powerful nation in the world.

THE WITCHER CAST – THE ELVES

Wilson Mbomio – Dara

Dara (Wilson Mbomio) is special among the members of The Witcher‘s cast in that he’s the first true ally Ciri finds after she escapes from the Nilfgaard invasion of Cintra. After the young elf saves Ciri from Nilfgaardian soldiers, the pair face a number of other dangers in the wilderness. The pair are eventually separated, and Dara is imprisoned by Redania and pressed into service as a spy.

Mecia Simson – Francesca Findabair

In the cast of The Witcher, Elves are treated as something of an oppressed minority, and they have no fiercer advocate than Francesca Findabair (Mecia Simson). Fooled into complacency by the promises of Nilfgaard, Francesca’s more fiery reactions to humans are reawakened after the murder of her newborn baby daughter. Season 2 ends with Francesca adding her name to the list of those hunting for Ciri, believing she is the key to establishing a new, powerful Elven homeland.

THE VILLAINS

Eamon Farren – Cahir Mawr Dyffryn aep Ceallach

Supernatural or otherwise, few villains in The Witcher cast are as brutal as Eamon Farren’s Cahir. One of the leaders of the Nilfgaardian military, Cahir is a merciless and skilled warrior. The last we see of him in Season 2, he’s being taken away to the prisons at the order of Emperor Emhyr var Emreis along with Fringilla.

Ania Marson – Voleth Meir

Played by Ania Marson, the demon Voleth Meir is arguably one of the most powerful villains–if not the most powerful–we’ve seen in The Witcher. A part of the Wild Hunt, Voleth Meir manipulates many of the series’ mages, and eventually Ciri, in the hopes of freeing herself from the prison where the first witchers left her. The demon succeeds in rejoining the Wild Hunt at the end of Season 2, but she and the rest of the Hunt fail to capture Ciri.

Chris Fulton – Rience

A prisoner in the dungeons of Cintra when Nilfgaard invades, Rience is one of the crueler and more dedicated villains who is put on Ciri’s trail by unknown parties. While he survives Season 2, he is horribly scarred by Yennefer. When the mage kidnaps and tortures Jaskier, Yennefer turns Rience’s fire magic against him by spitting alcohol at him just as he’s cutting loose with his flame.

Henry Cavill donned the white wig and yellow contacts one last time for The Witcher Season 3.

While the insanely popular Netflix series has already been greenlit for a fourth season, despite Season 3 just releasing, Cavill will not be returning as the White Wolf after this and will be replaced by Liam Hemsworth for the final four planned seasons.

However, fans of Cavill as Geralt of Rivia have this one last season to see the actor portray the character in a plot that is sure to be full of action, romance, and of course, adventure.

The Witcher Season 3 picks up where the second season left off and follows Geralt, reunited with his family, as he continues to protect Ciri against the foes that wish to capture her.

Here is all we know about The Witcher Season 3, including the potential plot, returning actors, release date, and why Cavill will not return to this fan-favorite role.

THE WITCHER SEASON 3 IS BASED ON BOOK TWO: THE TIME OF CONTEMPT

In a tweet posted last year by the official The Witcher Netflix account, scenes from The Witcher Season 3 show Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri reunited and on a journey to the fortress of Aretuza, where Yennefer will teach Ciri how to harness her magical gifts.

While the family of three is seeking solace in the fortress, they will instead fall into the middle of a political war and be met with dark magic and betrayal. 

The Witcher television series is based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s popular book series, and The Witcher Season 3 is based on the second book in The Witcher Saga called The Time of Contempt. It is highly regarded as one of the most action-packed books in the entire series.

While the first two seasons of The Witcher have stayed close to the source material, like any show, there have definitely been some creative differences between the series and the books.

However, showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that The Witcher Season 3 would closely resemble The Time of Contempt and include many of the same scenes and action points, including major reveals of the big bad.

While the third season is based on The Time of Contempt, fans will see segments adapted from other books in The Witcher Saga. The first episode of The Witcher Season 3 is called “Shaerrawedd,” a name taken from a setting in the first book of The Witcher Saga, Blood of Elves.

Here, fans of the series will understand more of Geralt’s thoughts on neutrality, a theme that will continually pop up in the third season of the show, according to Hissrich.

HENRY CAVILL, ANYA CHALOTRA, AND FREYA ALLAN RETURNED

The Witcher Season 3 returned many familiar faces, including Henry Cavill as the White Wolf/Geralt of Rivia. Anya Chalotra returned as the powerful sorceress and Geralt’s love interest, Yennefer. Freya Allan was also back as Princess Ciri, Geralt’s “prize” from the “law of surprise,” his adopted daughter and ward.

Joey Batey made appearances in The Witcher Season 3 as the fan-favorite bard, Jaskier. MyAnna Buring and Anna Shaffer returned as the other two main powerful sorceresses, Tissaia and Triss.

In addition to the return of familiar characters, new faces appeared in The Witcher Season 3. The new crowd includes Robbie Ammel, Meng’er Zhang, Hugh Skinner, and Christelle Elwin. 

Ammel (who is known for playing Wesley Rush in The Duff, 2015) played Gallatin, the leader of a guerrilla Scoia’tael army, in The Witcher Season 3. Zhang (Xialing from Shang-Chi, 2021) will play Milva, a human girl adopted by the dryads of Brokilon Forest.

Skinner (Barnes from The Wipers Times, 2013) portrayed Prince Radovid, a royal socialite and ladies’ man. Finally, Elwin (Ruby from The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself, 2022) introduced the character of Mistle, a member of a deviant gang of teenagers who steal from the rich.

NETFLIX RELEASED THE WITCHER SEASON 3 IN 2023

The Witcher Season 3 released in two parts. The first five episodes came on June 29, 2023 and the final three hit on July 27, 2023.

Obviously, The Witcher Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on the streaming platform, as well as the show’s spinoff prequel, The Witcher: Blood Origins.

LIAM HEMSWORTH WILL REPLACE HENRY CAVILL IN THE WITCHER SEASON 4

Although fans of the series were devastated when they heard the news that Henry Cavill will not be reprising his role as Geralt of Rivia (despite the show’s plan to have seven seasons), showrunner, Hissrich, has promised that Cavill will get a “heroic sendoff” to honor his time as the White Wolf.

While the exact reason for Cavill’s exit after The Witcher Season 3 is unknown, many speculated it was so the actor could take a more active role in future Superman movies from DC.

Unfortunately, James Gunn never hired Cavill to reprise Superman, and Cavill was quickly booted from two major franchises within the same month. However, there is always a bright side, and Cavill (the king of all nerds) is now working on a live adaptation of the table game Warhammer.

To take over the helm as our favorite witcher, Liam Hemsworth from The Hunger Games will be sticking his feet in Cavill’s big boots after the end of The Witcher Season 3. After Netflix announced that Hemsworth would be taking over the character, the youngest Hemsworth brother took to Instagram to show his excitement.

The actor described how he was a big fan of Cavill’s and how he was “honored” to take over the part.

Henry Cavill also posted on Instagram, saying that he “passed the torch with reverence” to Hemsworth and encouraged the younger actor to explore the character of Geralt to see what he could find.