The Witcher has reportedly cast a star of Game of Thrones in a key season two role.
Early reviews praised the Netflix show for having superior fight scenes to Thrones, which angered fans of the source material, written by Andrzej Sapkowski, who complained that the two were completely different.
The addition of Kristofer Hivju won’t help. Having played Tormud Giantsbane from season three until the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones, the Norwegian actor is said to be playing Nivellen in new episodes of The Witcher.
Redanian Intelligence unveiled a season two breakdown that not only appears to confirm Hivju as joining the cast, but says he’ll play a character codenamed “Nigel”.
However, the description – “a charismatic, witty and funny man from an aristocratic family” – aligns with what fans know about Nivellen, a character who first appeared in Sapkowski’s short story A Grain of Truth.
Rumours of Hivu’s casting surfaced after director Stephen Surjik named him in a now-deleted Instagram post about the second season.
Hissrich explained the decision in a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) last month, saying: “The narrative structure was put in place so that we could tell Geralt’s short stories (the foundation of the whole Witcher world, in my opinion), while Ciri and Yennefer could also be a part of the action.
The Witcher stars Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, a monster hunter in a world known as The Continent
Season two is expected to be available to stream on Netflix in 2021.
