The director of Netflix's The Witcher series has confirmed that, after a pause on production caused by Coronavirus, he is back to work on season 2 of the popular show. He took to Twitter to share a photo of himself and showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich practicing their social distancing while continuing to work on the show.
The first season of The Witcher, based on the novels and video games of the same name, came out on Netflix back in December 2019, and was a big hit for the streaming service. Its popularity not only made it a success in its own right, but also drove thousands of people to purchase and play The Witcher 3 as well, giving the series of games and novels a massive upsurge in awareness.
For those uninitiated, The Witcher began as a series of Polish short stories by Andrzej Sapkowski, which eventually spun into a saga of novels set in his original universe. The novels starred Geralt of Rivia and Ciri, who are linked by a mutual destiny. Set in a world of fantasy creatures where humans battled their way to supremacy over the other races, Geralt is a Witcher, a magically enhanced monster hunter who travels the land looking for jobs that involve protecting people and hunting down things like basilisks and cockatrices. Ciri meanwhile, is a princess who discovers that she has unusual powers and abilities that make her uniquely important and valuable.
The novels themselves were a huge hit in Poland, but never made a huge splash in America until the property was licensed by Polish video game studio CD Projekt Red, who then adapted the stories into a series of video games. The Witcher and The Witcher 2 were very popular with PC gamers, though the series didn't fully break into the mainstream until The Witcher 3, which was critically and commercially acclaimed, selling over 28 million copies as of today, and winning many game of the year awards.
When it came time for the Netflix show to be announced, fans were incredibly excited to see their favorite characters in live action, and by all accounts, the show delivered. Set over several time periods which eventually coalesce into one narrative, the show was a big hit with fans and newcomers alike, with Henry Cavill receiving significant praise for his portrayal of Geralt as both accurate to the character and charismatic in his own right. While there isn't much known about the upcoming second season, it is planned to hit Netflix in 2021, and fans can rest assured knowing the final touches are being made.
Season 2 of The Witcher is expected to return next year.
Source: Stephen D Surjik/Twitter