Netflix’s The Witcher will see a handful of new witchers to accompany Geralt of Rivia in Season 2. It was announced in February that Thue Ersted Rasmussen would be playing Eskel, one of the professional monster hunters at Kaer Morhen. However, due to scheduling issues, Rasmussen was forced to exit the role.

According to Deadline, the hit-fantasy series has now cast Basil Eidenbenz as the scarred witcher. The Swiss actor, known for his performance in shows such as Victoria and The Athena, has reportedly filmed several major scenes already, though the details of these scenes have not been revealed.

Rasmussen recently announced his departure from the series, explaining that he was forced to leave due to rescheduling necessitated by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Season 2 of The Witcher originally began filming in February but was forced to shut down in mid-march. Filming resumed in August with the adoption of new health and safety protocols. Reports suggest that these precautions have resulted in a prolonged filming schedule, extended by approximately two months.

Eskel is one of the witchers present at Kaer Morhen– home of the School of the Wolf. The character was introduced in Andrzej Sapkowski’s novel, Blood of Elves, alongside fellow witchers Lambert, Coën and Vesemir, who are set to appear in the series, played by Paul Bullion, Yasen Atour and Kim Bodnia, respectively. Together with Geralt, these witchers help train Ciri following her flight from Cintra.

The Witcher stars Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, Anya Chalotra as Yennefer of Vengerberg, Freya Allan as Ciri and Joey Batey as Jaskier. Season 1 is now available on Netflix.

Source: cbr.com