After cementing its success as one of the biggest first season debuts on Netflix, The Witcher can only soar higher in terms of production scale. As such, the streaming juggernaut is adding many significant characters from different corners of the Continent to join the all-star cast of the series.
While fans have been gushing over the casting of Vesemir, who’s as of yet unconfirmed, reports indicate that Lauren Hissrich and her team are already looking to find the talent that’d portray the most powerful spy in the Northern Kingdoms, Count Sigismund Dijkstra. According to Redanian Intelligence, a news site covering the latest rumors in the Witcher world, auditions are taking place and actor Graham McTavish, known for his roles as Dwalin in The Hobbit trilogy and Dougal MacKenzie in Outlander, has participated. Though it’s still unclear if he’s snagged the part or not.
As fans of the novels would tell you, Dijkstra leads the secret intelligence of Redania under King Vizimir. His presence is actually integral to the narrative of The Witcher saga as a whole, so it’d be interesting to see who’ll get to play the cunning and charismatic master spy in the live-action adaption by Netflix.
What this could imply for the future of the series is questionable. From what we’ve learned thus far, though, the second season will be different in terms of narrative structure. Reports have even claimed that it will mostly adapt Blood of Elves, the first official novel in The Witcher saga after the collection of short stories.
It makes sense, too, but if this early casting of Dijkstra is any indication, we’re probably going to see the introduction of new material in the context of the adaptation, as previously seen in the first season with the origin story of Yennefer. In any case, be sure to stay tuned for more as production on season 2 continues.
