Even before the coronavirus blew up, The Witcher's second season wasn't set to air until summer 2021. The first season of the show premiered in late 2019, so TheWitcher's second season skipping more than a whole year meant fans naturally had to wait a lot longer before engaging with the show once more. Sadly, it looks like that wait just got extended, as Netflix has decided to postpone the second season's production — again.
According to Netflix, multiple individuals on The Witcher's production team have tested positive for the coronavirus. Four members were confirmed to be carrying the virus today, and so Netflix has decided to run a series of isolated tests on the whole team. Online news site Deadline reports that four individuals have tested positive and that all of them have since been isolated. Also, none of those who've tested positive so far are among the lead cast members.
Netflix claims that filming for The Witcher's second season will pick up again at Arborfield Studios once it's confident that the set is completely safe. In other words, the streaming service will likely wait to see if any other production team members have been infected and will determine whether or not to proceed with filming based on the results. It will also probably need to adjust the COVID-19 safety precautions Netflix has in place before moving forward.
This isn't the first time Netflix has had to postpone production on The Witcher's second season. Actor Kristofer Hivju tested positive for the virus earlier this year, which caused the show to go into hiatus for five months. It's unlikely that it will take production as long to get moving this time around, even though many more team members have tested positive. Netflix should have plans in place for this exact situation, as it continued production on the show well into the coronavirus pandemic.
Hopefully, those infected with the virus will make a quick recovery. Fans are just as hopeful that the show will be able to resume its production soon. The Witcher turned out to be one of the most successful original shows Netflix has premiered. Many fans look forward to seeing what season 2 will bring to the table, especially considering Lauren Hissrich — The Witcher's showrunner — promised to flesh out Geralt and Ciri's relationship more than the books did. Along with that, the show will do away with the controversial editing that went into season one, so it will have a new format to showcase.
The Witcher Season 2 arrives in 2021 on Netflix.
Source: Deadline