The Witcher season 1’s Kikimora fight is one of the show’s best set pieces, and here’s how it was filmed. Netflix launched the fantasy TV series in 2019, which is when viewers first met Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia. Geralt is a superhuman monster killer known as a Witcher, and The Witcher season 1 didn’t skimp on showing his combat skills in action.

As a means of establishing The Witcher‘s fantasy world and solidifying Geralt’s place among the greatest Witchers, the series repeatedly features him fighting various monsters. The fights range from Geralt attacking the horrifying Striga in episode 3 to a genie-like entity known as a Djinn in episode 5. But The Witcher memorably kicks off with an epic fight scene between Geralt and a Kikimora, a giant spider-like monster, which was a great way to display Geralt’s fighting ability and purpose right from the start.

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Since The Witcher season 1 had to create the Kikimora with CGI, how did the show and Cavill film the stunt? The execution of Geralt’s Kikimora fight required extensive fight training and choreography. Stunt coordinator Vladimir Furdik (who famously played the Night King on Game of Thrones) mapped out Geralt’s fight by having four people play the part of the Kikimora’s eight legs. After he nailed down the choreography, it was up to Cavill and his stunt double to nail the moves. When it came to filming The Witcher‘s Kikimora fight, the set did not have the benefit of using a stand-in for the giant monster. Instead, it was up to Cavill and the stunt team to act as though the Kikimora was there, with VFX teams adding the creature in after the fact to line up with the moves.

Even though The Witcher‘s season 1 Kikimora fight is only a few minutes long, it is still an impressive sequence considering how it was made. Viewers know that the Kikimora is a computer-generated threat to Geralt, but the coordination of the fight is expertly done. Many might also not realize that much of Geralt and the Kikimora’s surroundings were also CGI creations, with even parts of the water created in post-production. It’s no wonder The Witcher chose this as the kick-off to the show, as it immediately shows fans the type of action that will be included throughout.

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The action and monsters are some of the many highlights of The Witcher, and there will be plenty more of them in the future. The show was a massive hit for Netflix and brought a renewal for season 2 and the creation of multiple spinoffs. The Witcheruniverse will only continue to grow from there, which should mean audiences are treated to many more thrilling battles between witchers and monsters.

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Cooper Hood
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Cooper Hood is a news and feature writer for Screen Rant. He joined Screen Rant in late 2016 following a year-long stint with MCU Exchange, which came after first developing an MCU blog of his own. He graduated college in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Media & Public Communication, with a minor in Media Production. Cooper’s love for movies began by watching Toy Story and Lion King on repeat as a child, but it wasn’t until The Avengers that he took an invested interest in movies and the filmmaking process, leading him to discover the world of film journalism. Every year Cooper looks forward to seeing the latest blockbusters from the likes of Marvel, DC, and Star Wars, but also loves the rush to catch up on Oscar films near the end of the year. When he isn’t writing about or watching new releases, Cooper is a fantasy football obsessive and looking to expand his Blu-Ray collection – because physical media is still king! Follow Cooper on Twitter @MovieCooper.

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