The Witcher Season 2 Is Now in Production, with a Game of Thrones Alum and Other New Talent in Tow

Netflix had already tossed another coin to The Witcher ahead of its December 2019 premiere, and as of February, cameras are rolling in the U.K. on the epic fantasy series’ second season in anticipation of a 2021 launch, the streamer announced Friday. They’ve also detailed Season 2’s cast, including both new and returning actors.

In the latter category, the series will of course return its central trio: Henry Cavill (Mission Impossible – Fallout, Man of Steel) as titular witcher Geralt of Rivia, Anya Chalotra (The ABC Murders, Wanderlust) as the formidable sorceress Yennefer and Freya Allan (Third Day, Gunpowder Milkshake) as the young, yet powerful princess Ciri. Also reprising his fan-favorite role is Joey Batey (Knightfall, Strike), who plays Geralt’s sidekick, clever bard Jaskier, of “Toss a Coin to Your Witcher” fame. Who knows—perhaps he has another banger up his frilly sleeve to unleash in Season 2.

Other actors returning to The Witcher’s extensive ensemble cast include:

MyAnna Buring (Kill List) as Tissaia, Tom Canton (Good Karma Hospital) as Filavandrel, Lilly Cooper (Peterloo) as Murta, Jeremy Crawford (Titans) as Yarpin Zigrin, Eamon Farren (Twin Peaks) as Cahir, Mahesh Jadu (Marco Polo) as Vilgefortz, Terence Maynard (Cursed) as Artorius, Lars Mikkelson (House of Cards) as Stregobor, Mimi Ndiweni (Black Earth Rising) as Fringilla Vigo, Royce Pierreson (Judy) as Istredd, Wilson Radjou-Pujalte (Hunter Street) as Dara, Anna Shaffer (Harry Potter) as Triss Merigold, Therica Wilson Read (Young Wallender) as Sabrina.

As if all that weren’t enough, Season 2 will also feature a number of newcomers: Yasen Atour (Young Wallender) as Coen, Agnes Bjorn as Vereena, Paul Bullion (Peaky Blinders) as Lambert, Thue Ersted Rasmussen (Fast and Furious 9) as Eskel, Aisha Fabienne Ross (The Danish Girl) as Lydia, Kristofer Hivju (Game of Thrones) as Nivellen and newcomer Mecia Simson as Francesca. The standout name there is Hivju’s—the red-bearded Norwegian actor best-known for portraying Tormund Giantsbane on HBO’s Game of Thrones is in familiar territory here.

Directors tapped to oversee Season 2 include Stephen Surjik (Umbrella Academy), Sarah O’Gorman (Cursed), Ed Bazalgette (The Last Kingdom) and Geeta Patel (Meet The Patels), each of whom will direct two of the season’s eight episodes. Surjik will direct episodes 201 and 202, O’Gorman 203 and 204, and Patel episodes 206 and 207, while Bazalgette will handle episode 205 and the season finale, 208.

The Witcher showrunner and executive producer Lauren Schmidt Hissrich (Marvel’s Daredevil, Marvel’s The Defenders, Umbrella Academy) said of today’s announcements in a statement:

The reaction to season one of The Witcher set a high bar for adding new talent for the second season. Sophie Holland and her casting team have once again found the very best people to embody these characters, and in the hands of these accomplished directors, we’re excited to see these new stories come to life.

Season 2 of the mainline series isn’t all The Witcher fans have to look forward to: Netflix also has an anime companion film in the pipeline. And of course, Andrzej Sapkowski’s fantasy novels have already spun out an expansive universe in which to immerse oneself. That’ll have to last you until 2021.

Watch Paste’s video appreciation of The Witcher below. Season 1 is currently streaming on Netflix.