One of the key additions to The Witcher in its second season won’t be around when Netflix's fantasy series comes back for a third round now that Rience, a.k.a. the "Fire F**ker," has been recast.
The fire mage came blazing at The Witcher last season, thanks in part to Chris Fulton's key performance in the role. However, Redanian Intelligence reports that a new actor has been seen on set playing the man tasked with hunting down Ciri. Stepping in for Fulton will be actor Sam Woolf, who’s previously appeared in other shows like Theodosia and has gaming credits to his name from Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, in addition to being set to appear in The Crown's next two seasons as Prince Edward.
Funnily enough, considering The Witcher season 3 has been filming for some time now, Woolf has actually been working on set all along. It just happens to be that the show’s crew has done an admirable job at recreating Fulton's look in him. As seen in pictures gathered by Redanian Intelligence, the two actors look similar enough, so that it’s hard to distinguish one from the other from afar, meaning that’s one less aspect to worry about for fans who enjoyed Rience's presence last season.
Of course, it helps that the picture only features what is supposed to be the burnt side of Rience's face, which explains why the casting decision had not become known until now. Regardless of that, it remains unclear why Fulton won’t be returning. Rience was the protagonist of one of season two’s best moments when even a powerless Yennefer proved to be too crafty for him and ended up giving him the scars Woolf will be inheriting.
In any case, when The Witcher season 3 will finally become available on Netflix or when a trailer for it will be released is also a mystery, especially considering that the Blood Origin prequel is believed to have suffered setbacks and plot changes that will delay its premiere. As the third quarter of 2022 nears its end, it’s become increasingly unlikely that The Witcher will be out by the holidays again.
The next chapter in Netflix's The Witcher will mostly focus on story elements taken from Baptism of Fire and Time of Contempt, although the series has already departed The Witcher games and novel dramatically after last season’s finale. Unlike Rience, his master Vilgefortz will return looking exactly the same, and he'll probably be clashing with Geralt of Rivia.
The Witcher seasons 1-2 are now available on Netflix.
Source: Redanian Intelligence