The highly anticipated second season of The Witcher cannot catch a break, as production has been put on hold again by the coronavirus.
It seems like the good folks over at Netflix’s The Witcher cannot catch a break. Production on the second season has been temporarily halted in the UK after four people involved with the show tested positive for coronavirus, Deadline reports. Those people have been isolated, and the Netflix will conduct a round of testing on the cast and crew. As of yet, there have been no positive test results from the main cast, including Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, Anya Chalotra as Yennefer of Vengerberg, and Freya Allan as Princess Ciri.
This is the second time production has been put on hold since newcomer Kristofer Hivju (who played Tormund Giantsbane on Game of Thrones) tested positive back in March. The Norwegian actor has since made a full recovery. Production eventually returned in August following a full lockdown in the UK.
Showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich took to Twitter to break the news:
Hey, the world is turned upside down — so thanks for the love and support for our little corner of it. We Witchers are okay. The health and safety of our crew and their families come first, and we will do whatever we need to do to protect them. We’ll be back soon. Xx
— Lauren S. Hissrich (@LHissrich) November 8, 2020
Before this announcement, filming was progressing nicely, with Netflix releasing new official shots of Geralt’s armor, a new storyline for Yennefer, and the new-and-improved Nilfgaardian army.
There were some unofficial shots coming out, too, including this one of Henry Cavill and Anya Chalotra filming together on horseback at Frensham Little Pond, in Northern England:
Filming will resume in Arborfield Studios, just outside London, when the cast, crew, and Netflix know the set is safe. Hopefully, this means we’ll still get a 2021 release.
The Witcher is far from the only production shutting down as coronavirus cases spike again around the world, but at least one major production has inched over the finish line: Colin Trevorrow, the director of the upcoming Jurassic World: Dominion, told Deadline about finishing filming after a long, uncertain production period.
“There are a lot of emotions,” Trevorrow said. “I’m not sure I can put it into words. It has been remarkable. Our crew and our cast has been so resilient. All producers have worked around the clock to make it the best it can be. It has been inspiring.”
"This movie is about the need to co-exist and survive together. If this pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we need the different generations to protect each other. It was the right movie to be making at this moment."
Jurassic World: Dominion is due out on June 10, 2022.
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