Netflix has halted production in the UK on The Witcher season 2 after four confirmed positive results for COVID-19, according to a report from Deadline. An isolated round of testing will be carried out on all staff and actors; however, the confirmed cases are not from the lead cast. Production and filming at Arborfield Studios, west of London, will continue once it has been deemed safe to proceed.

This is the second time that production has halted for season 2, as the first time was back in March following a lead actor testing positive which then stretched to mid-August due to lockdown in the UK. Thue Rasmussen, the actor who played Eskel in the series, has had to drop out of the show due to COVID-19 rescheduling issues. Despite these setbacks, the third season is apparently already in the works.

Netflix has officially announced that Kim Bodnia will be playing the role of Vesemir in the upcoming season 2. This news comes after the reveal that the animated series The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf will be starring the same character. Other recurring characters include Sorceress Tissaia de Vries played by MyAnna Buring, Stregobor by actor Lars Mikkelsen, Therica Wilson-Read, Sorceress Sabrina, and Vilgefortz, mage and member of the Chapter of Sorcerers played by Mahesh Jadu.

Netflix also revealed more of the season 2 cast, which was drawn from Game of Thrones and other shows. The Witcher in general is one of the most popular releases of 2019 and has garnered plenty of attention from fans, to the point of the show still being in high demand even now. Following the show’s success, the book publisher has announced they’ll be reprinting 500,000 copies of the original novel to meet demand. Henry Cavill, the actor who plays Geralt of Rivia, confirmed on his Instagram that season two will be in pre-production soon.

Showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich addressed some criticisms of The Witcher in an extensive and informative Twitter thread about the creative process and how certain decisions are made when adapting any sort of media. However, in a recent interview with TV Guide Hissrich stated that the multiple timelines of The Witcher‘s first season was “obviously one of the most controversial aspects of the show,” and while she defended this approach to telling the story, she acknowledged that some audiences found this storytelling device to be confusing.

In that regard, Hissrich explained that Season 2 of the show "will be a lot easier to follow," and that the next season "aligns all of our characters on a similar timeline." While the show seemingly will still utilize a structure taking place over different periods of time, Hissrich stated that its approach will be done “in a different way” that should hopefully be more appealing to audiences.

It seems the series launch has had a positive affect on the games, as it caused a large resurgence in The Witcher 3's player count -- which hit over 100,000 concurrent players on Steam, more players than during its launch. Be sure to check out our own review for the Netflix series The Witcher here.