A short video released by Netflix has confirmed that the premiere episode of The Witcher season 2, which is coming to the streaming service on December 17th, is based on The Witcher creator Andrzej Sapkowski's short story A Grain of Truth. In the video, showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich discusses bringing A Grain of Truth to the screen – and in the process, bringing Kristofer Hivju onto the show as Nivellen, "a man cursed as a result of a terrible sin".
The showrunner calls the adaptation of A Grain of Truth a poorly kept secret because it was already revealed quite a while ago that the title of season 2's first episode is A Grain of Truth. Here's the list of episode titles:
Episode 1 – A Grain of Truth
Episode 2 – Kaer Morhen
Episode 3 – What Is Lost
Episode 4 – Redanian Intelligence
Episode 5 – Turn Your Back
Episode 6 – Dear Friend
Episode 7 – Voleth Meir
Inspired by a series of novels written by Sapkowski, The Witcher stars Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia. The show is an
epic tale of fate and family — the story of the intertwined destinies of three individuals in the vast world of The Continent, where humans, elves, witchers, gnomes, and monsters battle to survive and thrive, and where good and evil is not easily identified.
Season 2 has the following synopsis:
Convinced Yennefer’s life was lost at the Battle of Sodden, Geralt of Rivia brings Princess Cirilla to the safest place he knows, his childhood home of Kaer Morhen. While the Continent’s kings, elves, humans and demons strive for supremacy outside its walls, he must protect the girl from something far more dangerous: the mysterious power she possesses inside.
Cavill is joined in the cast by fellow returning cast members Freya Allan as Princess Cirilla, Anya Chalotra as Yennefer of Vengerberg, Joey Batey as Jaskier, MyAnna Buring as Tissaia, Tom Canton as Filavandrel, Lilly Cooper as Murta, Jeremy Crawford as Yarpen Zigrin, Eamon Farren as Cahir, Mahesh Jadu as Vilgefortz, Terrence Maynard as Artorius, Lars Mikkelsen as Stregobor, Mimi Ndiweni as Fringilla Vigo, Royce Pierreson as Istredd, Wilson Radjou-Pujalte as Dara, Anna Shaffer as Triss Merigold, and Therica Wilson Read as Sabrina.
In addition to Hivju, new cast members in season 2 include Carmel Laniado as a smart, sadistic teenager named Violet; Mecia Simson as Elven sorceress Francesca; Aisha Fabienne Ross as the sorceress Lydia; Agnes Born as Vereena, who is fragile and vulnerable on the outside but is capable of brutal violence; Kim Bodnia as Geralt's mentor Vesemir; Paul Bullion as witcher Lambert; Yasen Atour as witcher Coen; Graham McTavish as Dijkstra, a master spy and head of special forces for the kingdom of Redania; Cassie Clare as Philippa Eilhart, an advisor to Redania's King Vizimir II and leader of the Lodge of Sorceresses; Adjoa Andoh as Melitele priestess Nenneke; Liz Carr as Fenn, a partner in a law firm and detective agency in Dorian; Simon Callow as Fenn's partner Codringher; Chris Fulton as the mage Rience; Basil Eidenbenz as witcher Eskel, a friend from Geralt's youth; and Kevin Doyle as Ba'lian, a character who has apparently not been featured in any of the Witcher novels or video games.