THE Witcher is set to welcome an acclaimed fantasy actor into the fold in its upcoming second series.
Kristofer Hivju, who played wildling warrior Tormund on Game of Thrones, will be joining the Henry Cavill-fronted Netflix drama.
Hivju will play Nivellen, according to a cast sheet, which described the character as a “charismatic, witty, and funny man” from an aristocratic family.
In the Andrzej Sapkowski novels upon which The Witcher is based, Nivellen is a cursed man with an array of beastly powers that he often struggles to control.
Much like in the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, he lives a secluded life in a plush manor house, isolated from his local community.
The character was originally codenamed “Nigel” to throw fans off the scent, but director Stephen Surjik announced the casting in a now-deleted Instagram post.
While scouting locations for series 2, he tagged the likes of Hivju, Cavill and Yennefr actress Anya Chalotra in a post addressed to the cast.
The news comes after Hivju spoke about what became of Tormund and Jon Snow (Kit Harington) after the controversial Game of Thrones finale.
The final shots of Jon saw him march into the forests alongside the wildings, who were returning home now that the threat of the Night King and the White Walkers had been dealt with.
Tormund was among those who marched north with Jon, along with former members of the Night’s Watch.
Hivju said that their friendship would have been of great comfort to Jon, given his isolation from his siblings Arya (Maisie Williams), Sansa (Sophie Turner) and Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) Stark.
“Jon is in a huge depression, so he needs Tormund to cheer him up, by the fire, warming each other,” Hivju told Entertainment Weekly.
Referring to Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) choosing Jamie Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) over his on-screen alter ego, he added: “Tormund is pretty heartbroken himself, so maybe they can bond over that.”
If only Jon and Tormund had their own spin-off series in the works tracking the highs and lows of their bromance…
Season 1 of The Witcher is available to stream on Netflix now.
