The Witcher show gets its Vesemir, and it's not Mark Hamill

(Image credit: Netflix)

For months now, rumors have persisted that grizzled Star Wars actor Mark Hamill take the role of Vesemir in The Witcher Season 2. Hamill himself expressed interest in the role way back in 2018 (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. 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.

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Vesemir 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 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 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:

(Image credit: Endaxi Film IS)
Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.