For months now, rumors have persisted that grizzled Star Wars actor Mark Hamill take the role of Vesemir in The Witcher Season 2 (opens in new tab). Hamill himself expressed interest in the role way back in 2018 (opens in new tab) (although he also admitted he had "no idea what this is or what it's about"), and at least one fan site recently reported it as a done deal—short of official confirmation, of course.
Now we have confirmation, and it's not Hamill: It's Danish actor Kim Bodnia (opens in new tab). He's not exactly a household name in North America, although he did play a relatively prominent role in Killing Eve, which earned him a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He's also won multiple Danish film industry awards in a career that dates back to 1989.
Introducing Vesemir: Kim Bodnia will play the Continent's oldest and most experienced Witcher in Season 2 of #TheWitcher. pic.twitter.com/HAmYciZ5K4February 28, 2020
Vesemir (opens in new tab) is an old witcher, one of the only survivors of the destruction of Kaer Morhen, and serves as a mentor and father figure to Geralt. He's hard-bitten and cynical, but allows himself a soft spot for Geralt and the gang: In the Killing Monsters (opens in new tab) trailer, for instance, when Geralt decides to intervene in a woman's lynching, Vesemir doesn't try to stop him but merely tells him to "make it quick." That's a good dad right there.
It'll be a while before we get to see Bodnia in action, as The Witcher's second season isn't expected to release until 2021, probably in the second half of the year. Other new cast members (opens in new tab) include Yasen Atour as Coen, Agnes Bjorn as Vereena, Paul Bullion as Lambert, Kristofer Hivju as Nivellen, Thue Ersted Rasmussen as Eskel, Aisha Fabienne Ross as Lydia, and Mecia Simson as Francesca.
And here's a fun movie poster from 2004:
