Picture: Netflix
The fourth season of Netflix’s The Witcher entered production in April 2024. Now, a few months on, it’s time to check in with how production is going, what we know so far about season 5, and cover a new face we’ll be seeing next season.
The new season will debut Liam Hemsworth as Geralt of Rivia, replacing Henry Cavill, but it will also see the return of the previous main cast: Anya Chalotra, Freya Allan, Joey Batey, Graham McTavish, Cassie Clare, Meng’er Zhang, and many more.
First look at Liam Hemsworth as Geralt of Rivia
Liam Hemsworth was cast in The Witcher in late 2022, following Henry Cavill’s sudden exit, and Netflix finally released the official first look at Liam Hemsworth as Geralt of Rivia a little earlier this year.
The picture comes from a short shoot that isn’t part of Season 4, but a teaser explicitly made for promotional purposes. Entertainment Weekly was given the exclusive.
Along with the photo, there was a short video showcasing the new Geralt and Roach.
That wasn’t our very first look, though. Some time prior, we had a very decent look at Liam Hemsworth in full costume via pap photos. The pap photos come from Metro and Redanian Intelligence, where Liam Hemsworth and others were captured on camera filming The Witcher Season 4.
There’s a full gallery of photos over there, so do take a look! If you choose to, you’ll also see Anya Chalotra’s Yennefer appearing at the same location, but whether she was part of the same scene is unclear. The scene in question reenacted the previous season’s iconic fight between Geralt and Vilgefortz.
They reshot that scene to make it part of Liam’s introduction as Geralt, told by an unreliable narrator with some details altered, particularly the armor. Season 4 will possibly be the “true” version of how that happened.
First look at Laurence Fishburne as Regis
Next up, we have the very first look at Laurence Fishburne as Regis, the fan-favorite barber-surgeon who is also a vampire. For many, Regis will be known for the acclaimed The Witcher 3 expansion Blood & Wine.
Fishburne was photographed at Waverley Abbey, England, where The Witcher was filming a large sequence from the books where Geralt, Regis, and the rest of the group are at a refugee camp where religious fanatics threatened to burn a woman at the stake. That’s where Regis steps in and has one of his big moments, which we won’t spoil here.
First look at Ciri, her new outfit, and The Rats in The Witcher Season 4
Another set of photos obtained by Redanian Intelligence shows Freya Allan as Ciri along with her companions, The Rats, played by Ben Radcliffe, Christelle Elwin, Aggy K. Adams, Fabian McCallum, Juliette Alexandra and Connor Crawford.
At the end of Season 3, Ciri meets these six teenage bandits and introduces herself to them as Falka. In Season 4, she becomes a member of their team. As such, she gets involved in such things as armed robbery. In particular, Freya Allan was photographed filming Ciri and the Rats robbing a carriage of a baron’s daughter, which is also a scene from the books.
Another photo from a previous filming day shows clearly The Rats themselves:
New Nilfgaardian armor, again
Back to Waverley Abbey, we have a new set of Nilfgaardian armor again. First, we had them all black in Season 1, but they sparked quite a bit of controversy, so for Seasons 2 and 3, The Witcher introduced different versions, looking more medieval, albeit more golden than black. Now, they are all black again.
This is part of the same sequence mentioned above, with Geralt, Regis, Jaskier and the rest of Geralt’s Hansa. Shortly after Regis has his big moment, Nilfgaard attacks the refugee camp and all turns to chaos, resulting in our heroes characters losing track of each other.
Jack Myers Joins The Cast of The Witcher
Picture: Ruth Crafer
We can confirm that Jack Myers has joined The Witcher season 4 in a role we believe is a codename by the name of River. Myers was most recently seen in Masters of the Air for Apple TV+ and previously appeared in Netflix Originals The Crown, White Lines, and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Myers is also cast in an upcoming untitled Marvel film.
Here are the new cast members of The Witcher Season 4, both revealed officially as well as those uncovered by Redanian Intelligence:
- Laurence Fishburne as Regis
- Sharlto Copley as Leo Bonhart
- Danny Woodburn as Zoltan Chivay
- Linden Porco as Percival Schuttenbach
- James Purefoy as Stefan Skellen
- Clive Russell as Stribog
- Eve Ridley as Nimue
- Audrey Kattan as Beata
- Miles Jovian in an unknown role
- Edmund Kingsley in an unknown role
Season 4 of The Witcher is filming until late October 2024 (we’re told it’ll be wrapped up on October 31st), with Season 5’s production following shortly after.
Netflix Synopsis: "As monarchs, mages, and beasts of the Continent compete to capture her, Geralt takes Ciri into hiding, determined to protect his newly-reunited family against those who threaten to destroy it. Entrusted with Ciri’s magical training, Yennefer leads them to the protected fortress of Aretuza, where they hope to uncover more about the girl’s untapped powers; instead, they discover they’ve landed in a battlefield of political corruption, dark magic, and treachery. They must fight back, put everything on the line – or risk losing each other forever.
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