The Witcher Season 2, An Updated Netflix Cast List

The Witcher took the world by storm when it debuted at the end of 2019, and not just because of the ridiculously catchy "Toss a Coin to Your Witcher" song. Arguably Netflix's answer to Game of Thrones, The Witcher launched as a fantasy saga adapting a popular series of novels that have enough content to power the series for many seasons to come. Season 2 is on the way, and although details about the plot are relatively scarce, members of the cast have been announced.

Read on for a rundown of the biggest names and newest stars coming to The Witcher Season 2 on Netflix!

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(Image credit: Netflix)

Henry Cavill - Geralt of Rivia

Henry Cavill of Man of Steel and Justice League fame is of course reprising his role as Geralt of Rivia for The Witcher Season 2. Cavill almost blinded himself from sheer enthusiasm for the role, and Geralt's journey in Season 2 should take him beyond simple monster hunts as he must work to protect Ciri and seemingly return to the witcher stronghold of Kaer Morhen.

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(Image credit: Netflix)

Anya Chalotra - Yennefer of Vengerberg

Despite Yennefer's ambiguous ending in The Witcher Season 1, Anya Chalotra will be back as the sorceress who forged her own path, captured Geralt's heart, and whose maternal instinct could well be helpful to Ciri. Yennefer may not be entirely unscathed after the last stand against Nilfgaard, and fans of Andrzej Sapkowski's book saga can guess that what's in store for Yennefer in Season 2 likely won't be easy on her.

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(Image credit: Netflix)

Freya Allan - Ciri

Ciri finally met her "destiny" in the Season 1 finale when she crossed paths with Geralt, and Freya Allan will be back as the exiled princess in Season 2. Thanks to her powers, Ciri is much more than just a girl who needs protection, as fans saw in Season 1. Spending time with Geralt, potentially more witchers, and Yennefer may transform her into somebody very different from the scared refugee she was by the Season 1 finale.

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(Image credit: Netflix)

Joey Batey - Jaskier

Jaskier, a.k.a. the bard who sang "Toss a Coin to Your Witcher" in Season 1, will be back as Geralt's unlikely friend in Season 2. Joey Batey's character isn't much of a fighter and doesn't have magical powers or mutations, so it should be interesting to see what part Jaskier plays as the threat of war with Nilfgaard grows. The question is: will he sing his signature song again, or something even more catchy?

Now, onto some newcomers to The Witcher for Season 2!

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Kim Bodnia - Vesemir

Kim Bodnia, known for Killing Eve, is on board The Witcher Season 2 to play the oldest and most experienced witcher on the Continent: Vesemir. Despite rumors that Mark Hamill would tackle the role, Bodnia plays Vesemir as a "charming relic of the witcher Golden Age" who survived the Massacre at Kaer Morhen and became fiercely protective of the other survivors. Vesemir should be a different kind of witcher than viewers saw in Season 1, and fans should see a lot of him on Netflix.

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Yasen Atour - Coen

Known for roles in 2016's Ben-Hur and the Young Wallander TV series, Yasen Atour will play Coen in The Witcher Season 2. In the books, Coen is a witcher who first appeared at Kaer Morhen, and he became Ciri's trainer in sword combat. According to Redanian Intelligence in its descriptions of new Season 2 characters, the TV show's Coen is "easy-going and fun" while "charged with training a young apprentice."

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Agnes Born - Vereena

Agnes Born is a relative newcomer to showbiz, with the series Monster as her only television credit. She'll play Vereena in The Witcher Season 2, and book fans will likely guess she doesn't have a huge role in the grand scheme of things. Vereena is reportedly "animalistic" and "capable of brutal violence," although also "beautiful, fragile and vulnerable." Geralt may not want to get on her bad side!

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Thue Ersted Rasmussen - Eskel

Toss a coin to another witcher! Danish actor Thue Ersted Rasmussen, known for 2019's Sunday and slated to appear in F9 in 2021, will play the witcher named Eskel, who in the books was particularly close to Geralt among the witchers. Given that Netflix's The Witcher has followed the source material pretty closely, Eskel will likely debut at Kaer Morhen among the other witchers and help train Ciri.

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Kristofer Hivju - Nivellen

Undeniably best known for his role as Tormund Giantsbane on Game of Thrones, Kristofer Hivju plays Nivellen for The Witcher Season 2. Nivellen is at the center of one of the Witcher short stories, so viewers should expect to see Kristofer Hivju alongside Agnes Born as Vereena. That said, the timeline means that the "A Grain of Truth" short story can't be adapted precisely, so even diehard book readers can't say how Nivellen's story will unfold.

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Paul Bullion - Lambert

Back to the witchers of The Witcher! Paul Bullion of Peaky Blinders fame is on board as the witcher known as Lambert. Book fans know him as another of the younger witchers who had a hand in training Ciri, and the TV show may do something similar. Described as a "tall, sharp-tongued warrior," Lambert is reportedly trustworthy despite his inclination to "give in to pleasures like food, sex and booze."

Aisha Fabienne Ross - Lydia

Aisha Fabienne Ross of The Danish Girl and the Sunday Tide short will play Lydia, presumably the Witcher version of Lydia van Bredevoort from the books who was Vilgefortz's assistant who went through a terrible personal tragedy. She'll reportedly bear "the scars from an experiment gone wrong," which fits with Andrzej Sapkowski's source material. Lydia probably won't have the happiest storyline, but she could be key to the plot of Season 2.

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Mecia Simson - Francesca

A British model and actress recognizable for Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model, Mecia Simson joined The Witcher Season 2 to play Francesca, who is presumably the Netflix version of the books' elven sorceress Francesca Findabair. Francesca is known as the most beautiful woman in the world. Described as "protective towards her child," Francesca was not among the sorceresses who gathered to try and hold off Nilfgaard at the end of Season 1.

Carmel Laniado - Violet (rumored)

Carmel Laniado of Dolittle and FX's A Christmas Carol joining The Witcher Season 2 was reported back in early February, but she has not yet been confirmed by Netflix. According to the report by Deadline, Laniado signed on to play a girl named Violet whose "playful and whimsical" demeanor actually hides a more intelligent and sadistic side. There is no character by the name of Violet in Andrzej Sapkowski's source material, which could mean that "Violet" isn't her real name in Season 2 or Violet is an original character.

The Witcher will obviously include more cast members than those that have been announced so far. In addition to the major four of Henry Cavill, Anya Chalotra, Freya Allan, and Joey Batey who will be back, here are some of the returning but more minor actors returning for Season 2:

MyAnna Buring - TissaiaTom Canton - FilavandrelLilly Cooper - MurtaJeremy Crawford - Yarpin ZigrinEamon Farren - CahirMahesh Jadu - VilgefortzTerence Maynard - ArtoriusLars Mikkelson - StregoborMimi Ndiweni - Fringilla VigoRoyce Pierreson - IstreddWilson Radjou-Pujalte - DaraAnna Shaffer - Triss MerigoldTherica Wilson Read - Sabrina

Hopefully Netflix will continue confirming new actors and characters for The Witcher Season 2. There are more book characters who would fit into the second season, not the least of which is Dijkstra, who was once rumored to be played by an Outlander star. Only time will tell who will play this important character and others bound to debut when the series returns.

Unfortunately, The Witcher isn't expected to return to Netflix for Season 2 until some point in 2021. The good news is that an animated movie is on the way to elaborate on Vesemir's life before the events of Season 1, and it's entirely possible The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf will release ahead of Season 2.

For now, you can find the full first season of The Witcher streaming on Netflix. With many productions shut down due to the coronavirus (including The Witcher Season 2 after one actor tested positive for the virus), Netflix could be the place to be for TV in the coming weeks. For some viewing options, check out our 2020 Netflix premiere schedule.

Laura Hurley
Senior Content Producer

Laura turned a lifelong love of television into a valid reason to write and think about TV on a daily basis. She's not a doctor, lawyer, or detective, but watches a lot of them in primetime. CinemaBlend's resident expert and interviewer for One Chicago, the galaxy far, far away, and a variety of other primetime television. Will not time travel and can cite multiple TV shows to explain why. She does, however, want to believe that she can sneak references to The X-Files into daily conversation (and author bios).