Netflix has paused production on the anticipated second season of The Witcher, ceasing filming sessions in the United Kingdom due to concerns over the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. The rapid spread of the illness has slowed down a significant portion of the entertainment industry thanks to an abundance of caution for crew members, cast members, and fans globally, and it appears that Netflix's The Witcher is no exception.
The fantasy drama series was actively continuing production just a few days ago, even as Netflix itself suspended production on its domestically filmed projects in the United States and Canada. With megahit Stranger Things among the streaming services' series forced to take a production break, it seems to have only been a matter of time before similar measures would be taken for The Witcher and Netflix's other series filmed abroad.
Self-isolation strategies have been recommended by the World Health Organization in curtailing the spread of COVID-19, meaning that large scale productions like The Witcher have been delayed by many entertainment companies. Premieres of films that have already completed production, including Mulan, No Time to Die and Fast 9, have also been rescheduled or delayed in order to prevent moviegoers from getting sick or acting as vectors for the coronavirus.
While the possibility of The Witcher's second season coming late is no doubt going to be a bummer for fans of the Netflix show and players of CD Projekt Red's series of games, delaying the show's filming schedule until the risk of the illness has subsided is the right thing for the producers to do. Entertainment is a valuable thing in uncertain times like these, but its creation should never come at the cost of the lives of the people who work hard to make it.
If fans of the Netflix version of the series are truly starved for content in the world of the Continent while waiting for the show to return, getting lost in the open worlds of the Witcher video games or reading the original novels by Andrzej Sapkowski isn't a bad place to start. Both provide their own rich variations on the familiar but unusual setting, and brushing up on the lore now will make you an expert by the time Netflix's take on the series returns.
Season 2 of The Witcher is scheduled to premiere in 2021 on Netflix.
Source: IGN