The Witcher casts Queen Meve of Lyria and Rivia

10 comments

The Witcher is still filming its second season and there have been lots of reports from the sets lately, including pictures of stars Henry Cavill, Anya Chalotra and Freya Allan in costume. The one thing that has been rather hard to come by is casting updates. Today we can bring you news on one of the most beloved supportive characters: The formidable Queen Meve of Lyria and Rivia.


We have exclusively learned that Scottish actress Rebecca Hanssen will take on the role of Meve, who is the queen of Lyria and Rivia in the books. In Season 2, Hanssen will appear in an unknown number of episodes directed by Sarah O’Gorman and Ed Bazalgette, who are in charge of episodes 3-4 and 5&8 respectively.

Hanssen has featured in multiple film- and television projects, including Netflix’s Enola Holmes (alongside our own Henry Cavill), and Amazon’s Lore. She will also play a role in the upcoming video game Baldur’s Gate III, a continuation of the popular RPG series.

Rebecca Hanssen will play Meve. Photo Credits: Michael Shelford

So for those unacquainted with the source material, who is Queen Meve and why is this a big deal? In the books, Meve is the ruler of a small but important Northern kingdom and literally steals the show every time she appears on stage, easily putting her fellow male colleagues into place. CD Projekt Red capitalized on her popularity and made her the main character of their 2018 GWENT-based video game Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales. If Meve in the show is anything like her book- or game counterparts, we’re in for a lot of classy sarcastic comments on the state of the Continent’s politics.

If you missed it, here’s more on what we know about Meve in the show, based on an audition tape that leaked earlier this year:


This is very exciting. We must admit that we imagined Meve to be a bit older, given that she has two adult sons in the books. That being said, casting director Sophie Holland and her team have done a terrific job with this show and we trust Rebecca will be more than up to the task. What are your thoughts? Let us now in the comments below or on twitter.

10 comments on “The Witcher casts Queen Meve of Lyria and Rivia”

  1. Noooooooooooo.
    I want eastern Catherine the Great from Russia. But with this actress it can only be western Mary Sue from America or in the best case Johan Arc from France.

    1. OK. So I find there are now Catherine the Great (2019) and The Great (2020-) so maybe last good Joan of Arc from 1999 have now time for “original Hollywood reinterpretaion”.
      So i’ll be fine with this, if Meve still wants to kill Ciri like in the books, at least in the 2nd and 3rd series.

  2. Great, I saw Enola Holmes recently but I don’t remember her. I don’t mind if she’s younger than the books but I hope she has kept her sarcastic character. Let’s hope for more casting news soon 😉. Thanks RI

    1. She had main role 🙂
      You saw her like body double of Millie Bobby Brown, so she must be capable of some fighting, stunts and probably the best of the candidates in horse riding.

  3. I can’t wait for more casting announcements. Ty Redanian Intelligence for the news. Do you have any idea when to expect a teaser? Around Xmas or am I too optimistic?

  4. This actress looks too young, 14-16-ish, and I think she is too uncharacteristic, there is nothing regal and fierce about her, can’t imagine as a warrior queen. She is more like that nice innocent peasant girl type whom the prince secretly falls in love with in a fairy tale. Seems like a bad choice for a woman Meve. 🙁

    1. She is nearly 27, also make up and costume work wonders. It might be a flashback, we will find out later next year.

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