The Witcher Season 2 Loses Eskel Actor Thue Rasmussen

Netflix’s The Witcher has lost a significant witcher ahead of season 2, as Eskel actor Thue Rasmussen has quit the show owing to scheduling clashes. Based on Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski’s fantasy novel series of the same name, Netflix’s The Witcher is an action-adventure sage created by Lauren Schmidt Hissrich. The show chronicles the lives of  Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill), Crown Princess Ciri (Freya Allan), and the sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra) first at different points in time where each characters’ impressionable past is explored. By the end of season 1, they meet in a single timeline where they face-off against the invaders from Nilfgaard.

In February 2020, it was announced that Thue Ersted Rasmussen would join The Witcher season 2. Rasmussen was set to play the role of Eskel, a witcher of the School of the Wolf, who was mentored by Vesemir at Kaer Morhen. Although Eskel is a kind and passionate warrior, who shares a brother-like camaraderie with Geralt, he is often mistaken as a monster due to the terrifying scars on his face. In the novels, Eskel trains Ciri despite his initial skepticism. But he eventually grows wary of her health as she starts getting stupors after she inadvertently sips some White Gull. Eskel has appeared in all major The Witcher video games, and he will also appear in the Netflix show, although the role will have to be recast first.

Thue Rasmussen confirmed on Tuesday, in an Instagram post, that he will not play Eskel in The Witcher season 2. Rasmussen has opted out of the Polish-American web series due to calendar conflicts. When Rasmussen was brought on board for The Witcher, he had his agenda seamlessly charted out. But in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, his other projects were rescheduled, which created clashes with The Witcher’s production timetable. “Sadly, due to the rescheduling because of Covid-19, I will not be portraying Eskel in The Witcher,” Rasmussen wrote on Instagram.“It’s heartbreaking, of course, but I mostly feel happy and grateful for the days I got to spend on set earlier this year.” 

Netflix and The Witcher‘s creators have yet to announce Rasmussen’s exit from the series. Rasmussen has made it clear in his Instagram post that he had filmed some scenes for The Witcher season 2 before quitting the series. Hence production delays are quite imminent, as the series will have to reshoot the scenes it already filmed with Rasmussen. While the former Eskel actor finds his departure from the series heartbreaking, he is grateful he at least got the opportunity to work on an inspiring project.

Provided the narrative significance of Eskel in The Witcher‘s upcoming storyline, it will only make sense for Netflix to recast the character. And since the production for The Witcher season 2 is also already underway, the series will have to speed up its casting process. The showrunners may have already approached other performers to play the reliable witcher, and now they are waiting for a new actor to sign the dotted line before they can set out a press release announcing the cast shake-up. Rasmussen’s departure from the series is indeed devastating, but fans can count on the series’ creators’ perceptive eye that their new Eskel will be just as good as the original one.

Source: Thue Rasmussen

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