FIGHT OF FANTASY

After its hit first season, fantasy series The Witcher and ‘grumpy snowman’ Geralt of Rivia return for some more magic and moody monster-slaying. As the franchise expands, Total Film gets enchanted by star Henry Cavill and the team.

- JAMES MOTTRAM

Before The Witcher Season 1 dropped on Netflix in December 2019, it’d be fair to say fans held their collective breath. The monsters-and-mages fantasy already had hardcore admirers of the original books by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowksi and the videogame series by CD Projekt Red. How would an eight-episode TV series match up? Thankfully, the reaction was overwhelmingly positive to a show that went some way to plug that Games Of Thrones-sized hole left by HBO’s seminal series.

“I’ve definitely spent a lot of time reading through all the commentary,” admits British star Henry Cavill, sporting a cashmere jumper that clings to his muscular frame. As the taciturn Geralt of Rivia, the monster-hunting Witcher of the title, Cavill was “excited to see what the world thinks” of a role that took him up, up and away from his turn as Superman in the recent slew of DC movies. “As much as I’m the guy playing this character, this character belongs to a lot of people.”

That’s for sure. When TF Zooms with Cavill – his black-and-white dog Kal mooching around his living room – it’s just a couple of weeks before WitcherCon, a virtual event for fans of the books, games and TV show, starts. “It is cool that we’ve got our own little thing going that can get everyone really hyped and excited,” says Cavill’s co-star Freya Allan, modestly. Featuring as crucial character Ciri, the powerful princess of Cintra, the blonde-haired Brit is psyched for what she calls “a supportive bubble of Witcher love”, arriving ahead of this December’s much-anticipated Season 2.