We got A LOT of The Witcher updates from WitcherCon and we are going to share them ALL with you. Because they are plentiful. They are great. They are everything we have been wanting. Mostly.
For those of you that don’t know, CD PROJEKT RED and Netflix teamed up for the virtual online celebration of The Witcher franchise WitcherCon. It took place on July 9-10th, 2021, and covered all things Witcherverse – new, old, game, and book. So, what exactly did we get? Let’s break it down!
Panels
There were panels that included Executive Producer Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, included Henry Cavill (Geralt), Freya Allan (Ciri), Anya Chalotra (Yennefer), Paul Bullion (Lambert), and Mimi M Khayisa (Fringilla). During the panel, they played the Deck of Destiny, which included fan questions which no one knew beforehand. Here are some juicy little tidbits that were revealed.
Lauren Schmidt Hissrich on the relationship between Geralt and Ciri:
“At the end of Season 1, we have what I think is one of the sort of most emotional scenes that we’ve done, which is Geralt and Ciri finding each other after they’ve both been searching all season… And it seems like we’ve got a father figure and daughter figure, and everything’s going to be perfect at that point, except for they’ve never met. And so it was really fun to start Season 2 thinking about, well, they’re not a family yet. How do they grow to be one? What do you do if you are a person like Geralt, who has sworn he doesn’t need anyone in the world whatsoever? And then he’s presented with a girl who is now solely in his care. And we have Ciri, who’s used to being under the care of people but has basically been running from everyone for an entire season and now being told that this person is going to take care of you. And so it was really fun to start Season 2 kind of them a little uncertain about how to be with each other, and they have to really grow into that. We wanted to make sure that felt like an authentic relationship, that they weren’t just bonded at the very beginning.”
Freya Allan on whether we are going to see Ciri in training sequences this season:
“[Training] was one of the things I was most excited about for Season 2, because I love doing all that. I love the stunt department. We have the best people involved, and they’re so much fun and get the best out of you. But yes, Ciri begins training and it actually becomes one of her main kind of drives. She’s very determined, and she really wants to become a great fighter and become a Witcher.”
Anya Chalotra on her favourite things about her character Yennefer:
“I’d have to say, where there’s a will, there’s a way with her. She is a survivor, and I love that about her. That would be my favourite. But there’s lots, there’s many traits I love. We’ve become quite similar. We form each other, I think.”
Lauren Schmidt Hissrich on new characters to Season 2:
“There are so many characters that we’re introducing in Season 2. We are getting to see Dijkstra for the first time and sort of the Redanian Kingdoms. I know a lot of fans are excited to meet Philippa for the first time, Codringher and Fenn, Rience, Nenneke. There’s so many, but I would have to say Vesemir is the one I’m looking most forward to our audience meeting. Vesemir is so integral to the story that we’re telling this season. Obviously, we’re returning to Kaer Morhen for the first time, and in a season that is about Geralt becoming a father to Ciri, it felt so important to meet who his father figure was. And you end up with this multigenerational story because Vesemir and Ciri have a story as well, and it does start to feel like, “Oh, all of these people are meant to be interacting and learning from each other and fighting with each other,””
Henry Cavill on the journey of his character Geralt of Rivia:
“I played the Season One way deliberately, which was him out in the wilds and without the opportunity for vast swathes of dialogue. I thought it best to be the man who says less because that seems like he’s thinking more. And that was the intention with that. But once you get into a scenario with Cirilla, and the Witchers and his home space and with those people who he already knows, I was of the opinion that you had to let him be verbose and be philosophical and speak more and be intellectual, because that’s what he is. He’s not just a big old white-haired brute.”
New Photos for Season 2
We get to see some more photos from season 2 that we haven’t seen before. We get to see Lambert and Ciri training, a look at our beloved horse Roach who has so much personality, and FINALLY a look at Jaskier. Jaskier looks like he has been through a bit. Where has his bards taken him?
Season 2 Premiere Date and Teaser
While I love getting all content from panels and photos, we also got two really big things that I have been waiting for. First the premiere date! Yes, you read the right. The Witcher is set to premiere on Netflix on December 17th. We have a bit to go before we get there, but now we have an end date in sight!
Netflix and The Witcher team have been teasing us for the last couple of months with different teasers for Ciri and Geralt. I’m still waiting on Yennefer, but I digress. But they have given us more than twelve seconds of footage to digest. This time it is 2:12 and is the first official trailer for season 2. Take a gander!
Nightmare of the Wolf
Day one gave us a lot of information about the upcoming anime The Witcher spinoff, Nightmare of the Wolf. The anime prequel is set to hit Netflix on August 23rd, which is just right around the corner. They also teased us with the announcement poster and a first look video.
Exclusive Content From WitcherCon
Besides all the panels, news, trailers, teasers, and announcements, WitcherCon day one also gave us some more content for The Witcher season 2.
A converging destinies series featuring Yennefer and Ciri that shows their evolution from season 1 going into 2. Anya Chalotra (Yennefer) and Freya Allan (Ciri) look back at their characters’ journeys so far and preview what’s in store.
We get a look at the episode titles that we often see in trailers and wonder what they mean.
From the two teaser trailers we have seen so far, we knew there was a very high chance that Kaer Morhen was going to be a prominent location for season 2. We were right and we get to see a glimpse inside the infamous Witcher training grounds.
It takes a village to make a television series or movie come to the screen. It’s so much more than just the actors you see on screen. What we love wouldn’t be possible without the tireless efforts of the crew putting their hearts and souls into their project. The production crew is bringing us along as they work to bring The Witcher to life through the Humans of the Continent Series.
I would have really loved some more Yennefer content because she is the best character on the show. But we got a lot of other content so I can’t really complain too much. If you missed WitcherCon and would like to go back and watch the streams you can find them on Youtube and Twitch.
