At first, it appeared as though Netflix was going to keep on with production of The Witcher season 2 despite the looming threat of the coronavirus pandemic. However, the streaming service eventually postponed production on the show, and later it was discovered that The Witcher season 2 actor Kristofer Hivju had tested positive for the virus. The Witcher season 2 was already not set to premiere until 2021 at the earliest, but now there is some worry that the show may not return to Netflix until 2022.
With so many delays and cancellations due to the coronavirus, this is a legitimate concern for The Witcher fans. However, it appears as though those worries are a bit premature. According to The Witcher news site Redanian Intelligence, The Witcher season 2 won’t necessarily be pushed back until 2022.
As explained by Redanian Intelligence on Twitter, The Witcher season 2 has already filmed about one month of its planned 5+ month production. The Witcher season 1 had about six to seven months of post-production work, so for The Witcher season 2 to be delayed to 2022, filming would have to be delayed until February or March 2021. So if The Witcher season 2 is able to start filming before that point, then fans shouldn’t have to worry too much about the show slipping into 2022.
Regardless of when The Witcher season 2 premieres on Netflix, it will be one of the streaming platform’s most hotly-anticipated shows. The Witcher season 1 was a big hit for Netflix, beaten only by the mega popular Stranger Things when it comes to the most-watched programs on the service. And this is despite The Witcher season 1 earning somewhat mixed reviews from television critics.
The Witcher season 1 was much more warmly-received by fans than by critics, with much praise given to Henry Cavill’s performance as Geralt and the show’s action sequences. The Witcher season 2 will be doing away with the nonlinear narrative structure that served as one of the first season’s biggest criticisms, plus it will be adding some fan favorite characters to the mix.
More specifically, The Witcher season 2 will add Geralt’s mentor Vesemir to the cast. It will be interesting to see what he brings to the show’s dynamic whenever season 2 premieres, whether it be in 2021 or 2022.
The Witcher season 2 is still scheduled to premiere in 2021 on Netflix.
