The Witcher has reportedly recast Geralt's mentor Vesemir for season 4

News fresh from the Continent! Right now, Netflix is deep into production on the fourth season of its fantasy show The Witcher. The last word we got about season 4 was right around the beginning of this month, when star Liam Hemsworth confirmed that there were about three weeks of filming left for the season. That was roughly two weeks ago, which means production should be calling a wrap any day now.

Hemsworth has some big shoes to fill. This is his first outing with The Witcher, where he's taking on the role of lead monster hunter Geralt of Rivia following the departure of Henry Cavill after the show's third season. Recasting a role is never easy for a series, especially when it's the lead role after the last actor garnered pretty much universal acclaim. Many fans are understandably curious about how the transition from one Geralt to another will work.

But Geralt of Rivia won't be the only witcher to look a bit different in season 4. According to a new report about the production, another major role has been recast: Vesemir, Geralt's mentor in the ways of monster slaying.

Who will play Vesemir in The Witcher season 4?

This information about Vesemir being recast doesn't come from Netflix in any official capacity, but from The Witcher scoop site Redanian Intelligence. They've got a great track record with these sorts of leaks and have been keeping a very close eye on the production of season 4, so the chances that it's legit are very good. That said, we have to give the obligatory warning to take the info with a grain of salt until Netflix confirms it, as we do with all such leaks.

According to RI's report, The Witcher season 4 filmed a scene in the early summer where Geralt is reunited with his witcher brothers Lambert and Coen, as well as with Vesemir, the head witcher of Kaer Morhen, the witcher's keep. They believe this scene is likely to take place in episode 3 or 4, and had previously confirmed that actors Zates Atour (Coen) and Paul Bullion (Lambert) will appear in the season. New information they've unearthed points to Vesemir also being involved in that scene...however, actor Kim Bodnia isn't expected to return. As of right now, the question of who will play Vesemir is still shrouded in mystery; hopefully we'll find out more soon.

I'll admit, I have some mixed feelings about this, but they're not entirely negative. The last time we saw Coen, Lambert, and Vesemir was in The Witcher season 2, where they helped Geralt and Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) fend off an attack by the Baba Yaga-esque villain Voleth Meir at Kaer Morhen. I didn't love the way that The Witcher season 2 handled iconic characters like Vesemir or Lambert, so it feels like even with a recast we've got nowhere to go but up. Bodnia was one of the standout performers of the season as Vesemir, but the way Vesemir was written made me like him much less than I did in the books (where he only appears very briefly) or the video games (where he features prominently).

This is also where I have to point out that in The Witcher Saga books by Andrzej Sapkowski, there is no reunion between Geralt and the other witchers at this point in the story. Coen does feature later in the saga, so I'm glad to see the show is working him back into the tale. But as for the rest...well, The Witcher has a spotty track record when it comes to deviating from the novels, so I'm going to reserve judgment until watching season 4.

With filming wrapping soon, there's a very good chance we'll get to see the new season sometime in 2025. Netflix will also release a spinoff animated film called The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep next year, on February 11. And Sapkowski has a new Witcher book on the way. Lots to do and see around the Continent in 2025!

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