The Witcher has cast someone to play Vesemir, Geralt’s mentor

The Witcher has been staffing up lately, casting a host of new characters who will appear in season 2 of Netflix’s fantasy hit. Game of Thrones veteran Kristofer Hivju (Tormund) will play a monster, we’ve got actors playing some of Geralt’s colleagues in the witching profession. There are elven sorceresses, courtly spymasters…make no mistake, the world of The Witcher is about to get a lot bigger.

But there’s one role in particular that’s generated a lot of buzz: Vesemir, the oldest witcher at Kaer Morhen, the witchers’ keep, and the man who taught Geralt of Rivia everything he knows about hunting monsters and taking names. Netflix is even making an animated movie about Vesemir to give fans something to watch between seasons 1 and 2, so you know it’s an important role. It follows that Netflix would want someone big for the part.

And if you believe the reports, they tried. Apparently, Netflix offered the role to both Mads Mikkelsen and Michael McKean, who both turned it down. But easily the biggest rumor was that Mark Hamill was in line to play Vesemir, and since he just played Luke Skywalker as a crotchety teacher in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, it seemed like a good fit. Hamill even expressed interest in the part, if informally.

So is Hamill playing Vesemir? No. Netflix announced today that the role will go to Danish actor Kim Bodnia:

The 54-year-old Bodnia has been working in film and TV since the ’80s, although he’s probably best known for playing as police detective Martin Rohde in the Scandinavian crime drama series The Bridge. He’s also in Killing Eve, where he plays a guy who trains assassins, so Vesemir may not be a huge stretch for him.

Would it have been cool for Luke Skywalker to play Vesemir? Yes, but ultimately showrunner Lauren Hissrich and her team should go with the person who’s best for the part. I look forward to seeing what Bodnia can do with this material.

The Witcher is filming its second season right now. It’s possible we could see it late this year, but I’d place my bets on 2021.

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