One of the key additions toThe Witcherin its second season won’t be around when Netflix’s fantasy series comes back for a third round now that Rience, a.k.a. the “Fire F**ker,” has been recast.
The fire mage came blazing atThe Witcherlast season, thanks in part to Chris Fulton’s key performance in the role. However,Redanian Intelligencereports that a new actor has been seen on set playing the man tasked with hunting down Ciri. Stepping in for Fulton will be actor Sam Woolf, who’s previously appeared in other shows likeTheodosiaand has gaming credits to his name fromAssassin’s Creed: Valhalla, in addition to being set to appear inThe Crown’s next two seasons as Prince Edward.
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Funnily enough, consideringThe Witcherseason 3 has been filmingfor some time now, Woolf has actually been working on set all along. It just happens to be that the show’s crew has done an admirable job at recreating Fulton’s look in him. As seen in pictures gathered by Redanian Intelligence, the two actors look similar enough, so that it’s hard to distinguish one from the other from afar, meaning that’s one less aspect to worry about for fans who enjoyed Rience’s presence last season.
Of course, it helps that the picture only features what is supposed to be the burnt side of Rience’s face, which explains why the casting decision had not become known until now. Regardless of that, it remains unclear why Fulton won’t be returning. Rience was the protagonist of one of season two’s best moments when even a powerless Yennefer proved to be too crafty for him and ended up giving him the scars Woolf will be inheriting.
In any case, whenThe Witcherseason 3 will finally become available on Netflix or when a trailer for it will be released is also a mystery, especially considering that theBlood Originprequel is believed to have suffered setbacksand plot changes that will delay its premiere. As the third quarter of 2022 nears its end, it’s become increasingly unlikely thatThe Witcherwill be out by the holidays again.
The next chapter in Netflix’sThe Witcherwill mostly focus on story elements taken fromBaptism of FireandTime of Contempt, although the series has alreadydepartedThe Witchergamesand novel dramatically after last season’s finale. Unlike Rience, his master Vilgefortz will return looking exactly the same, and he’ll probably be clashing with Geralt of Rivia.
The Witcherseasons 1-2 are now available on Netflix.
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