By Netflix is now deep into filming of The Witcher Season 4. Production kicked off in mid-April after the cast united for a table read. Over the first few weeks, we got our first look at Liam Hemsworth’s Geralt alongside returning costars Anya Chalotra (Yennefer) and Mahesh Jadu (Vilgefortz). Another month has passed since our first major recap, and now it’s time for another news roundup. This time, we’ll cover the exciting first look at Freya Allan’s Ciri (or, rather, Falka) in behind-the-scenes footage, some updates on the returning supporting cast, and how Season 4 completed its first major milestone.
Geralt’s Hansa Filming at Thursley Common
We’ll start the recap with the latest and go back to where we left off afterwards. The most recent location visited by the cast and crew of The Witcher is Thursley Common. Netflix security was on high alert, but local Sara Talib was able to grab pictures of the filming from afar.
Another onlooker told us he saw two cast members: a short, black-haired woman wielding a bow and a large bald man. They were most certainly Meng’er Zhang‘s Milva and Laurence Fishburne‘s Regis. Others in Geralt’s Hansa, including Geralt himself weren’t spotted.
These scenes were shot for Block 2, meaning episodes 3 or 4. That means by then, Geralt will already meet Regis.
Night-shoots in the Forest
Now back to the recap in chronological order. Towards the end of May, The Witcher‘s crew had returned to the forest of Puzzlewood for night shoots. Large lighting rigs were raised in the forest, and smaller torch-like lamps were assembled along a forest path. Smoke machines were also used.
Locals reported seeing at least one black horse led into the scene, although more horses may have been involved. Due to the late hours of filming, we did not hear much about this particular filming from locals.
A Brief Visit to Seven Sisters Cliffs
One of the most iconic and beautiful spots in the English countryside is the Seven Sisters cliffs in East Sussex. These white chalk cliffs have appeared in many films and television series including Wonder Woman, Atonement, and The Crown.
Judging by the presence of its crew members on location, it seems that the Seven Sisters cliffs will next appear in The Witcher Season 4. Filming on the cliffs was quite brief, completed over one day early in June, and we do not know which, if any, cast members were present. If we were to speculate, it’s possible this location could serve for external establishing shots of Aretuza.
Several Returning Cast Members
On June 3, Cassie Clare who portrays Redanian sorceress Philippa Eilhart announced her return to the Witcher set in an Instagram story. “I LOVE MY JOB,” the actress wrote, adding an owl emoji. As a reminder, Philippa is a polymorph who often transforms into an owl.
Cassie was the first of multiple cast members outside the close circles of the main three (Geralt and the Hansa, Yennefer and the Lodge of Sorceresses, Ciri and the Rats) to report her return to filming, but she was not the last. In the same week, two other cast members confirmed their return, and we were able to confirm a third independently.
On June 4, Edward Rowe who portrays King Henselt of Kaedwen announced his return to the set in an Instagram story showing his trailer and character name. Though Rowe scribbled over the production title beneath his character name, we already know it is “Road Rage”. In a second picture, Rowe showed Henslet’s rings and bracelet and wrote: “Nice to bring back the King!”
We were later able to verify that Rowe would appear in an episode directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan, who is helming the first two episodes of Season 4. This is not surprising, as The Witcher has traditionally filmed in an almost chronological order with its “block filming” structure.
In the books, Henselt arranged a deal with Nilfgaard to split Aedirn between them and end the fighting with the elven rebels of the Scoia’tael. This may be his role in Season 4, now that the Second Nilfgaardian War ravages the Northern Kingdoms. However, we learned that another cast member has returned and was on set at approximately the same time as Rowe, indicating that they may have shared their scenes. This cast member is Cal Watson who portrays Eva, the aide and assassin in service of Philippa Eilhart, who is also her lover.
With Eva on set, it’s quite likely that Philippa was involved as well, and her return to filming a day earlier makes this likely. Other Rednaian cast members who may have been involved include Graham McTavish who portrays spymaster Dijkstra and Hugh Skinner who portrays the newly crowned King Radovid, but neither has been confirmed on set for this particular scene.
Next up is Mecia Simson, who portrays the elven queen and powerful sorceress Francesca Findabair. Simson announced her return to the set on June 5 with a picture of the cast and crew trailers on location and an elf emoji, also in her Instagram story.
The locations was very likely around Bourne Woods and later were were also able to verify that Francesca was the character filming in Puzzlewood. That means we’ll see Francesca in the woods once again in the first two episodes of the new season.
The last we saw her, Francesca had lost her husband Filavandrel alongside many of her troops while fighting for Nilfgaard in the battle of Aretuza, only to then find out that the Nilfgaardian Emperor was responsible for killing her child and her friend Fringilla chose not to inform her of this.
This sets Francesca on a rather different path from the novels, in which she continues to cooperate with Nilfgaard and is rewarded with land in the Valley of Flowers as a kingdom of the elves. But one thing is certain about Francesca, this new path she is taking will eventually lead her to the Lodge of Sorceresses, as was already confirmed by showrunner Lauren Hissrich.
Lastly, new cast member Miles Jovian whose role is not yet known was on set for stunt training. As we can see in his Instagram story, the actor is training for some horse riding scenes. In our original report of his casting, we speculated that Jovian may have been cast as Nilfgaardian general Menno Coehoorn.
The Witcher Prepares for Filming in Waverley Abbey Ruins and the Nearby Woods
Waverley Abbey is a beautiful ruin in Surrey, England. The site is closed for visitors from May 17 to June 21, at least in part due to filming of The Witcher Season 4. The crew had set up in the nearby forest and later relocated to the ruins, where they erected many tents.
It’s not clear whether these tents belong to an army or refugees, but there were no symbols or emblems spotted on location. For example, these tents looked very different from the elven tents seen in The Witcher Season 2, but also different from the black Nilfgaardian tents. In addition to tents, there were wheelbarrows with hay and other props.
We’ll have to wait and see what will be filmed there. The area is not yet complete, so hopefully we’ll learn more soon.
The Rats Assemble for Filming in Hankley Common
On June 5, The Witcher‘s cast and crew took to the Hankley Common to film scenes involving the Rats. Series star Freya Allan was on set as Ciri, wearing the same ragged costume she wore at the end of the previous season and the same long hair, indicating this scene happens immediately after the end of Season 3.
Besides Allan, all the other Rats were present for this filming: Ben Radcliffe who portrays Giselher, Christelle Elwin who portrays Mistle, Aggy K. Adams who portrays Iskra, Fabian McCallum who portrays Kayleigh, Juliette Alexandra who portrays Reef and Connor Crawford who portrays Asse.
We don’t have much information on the story covered in this sequence. This may be the scene in which the Rats formally invite Falka to join their ranks and take her to camp, considering her costume suggests it is immediately after Season 3. Another possibility speculated is that the Rats are dividing the goods plundered in one of their raids.
Our First Look at Freya Allan’s Falka Look
Freya Allan‘s exiled princess Ciri will undergo a disturbing transformation in The Witcher Season 4. After joining the Rats, a group of outlaws scarred by the Nilfgaardian wars, she loses sight of her moral compass. Her fellow Rats will being out Ciri’s dark and violent side, and we will see her stealing, killing , and breaking the law for her own benefit as she fully becomes Falka.
This shift in her character will also include a new costume. In our recent report from the set, we get a pretty good look at the Falka costume.
As we previously reported, this costume is actually quite similar to Ciri’s outfit in The Witcher III: The Wild Hunt, albeit with the added yellow jacket. These pictures were taken at Hankley Common on June 6, and another unidentified actress was present in addition to Freya Allan.
Based on the brooch Falka is wearing in these photos, and the woman of nobility from which she appears to have stolen it, it’s all but confirmed that this scene is taken directly from the novels. In the books, Ciri and the Rats attack a caravan holding the daughter of the Baron of Cassadei and steal a brooch from her. This attack convinces the Baron to hire a mercenary to hunt down the Rats, and specifically Falka (Ciri). The mercenary he hires is none other than Leo Bonhart, who will be portrayed in Season 4 by Sharlto Copley.
There is one more interesting detail we heard from our photographer on location. Apparently, Falka either slaps the Baron’s daughter or slits her throat. In one of the pictures, we can see her holding a dagger, which may point to the former. Read more about the Rats scenes and see the full picture gallery in our full report.
The Witcher Season 4 completes its first major milestone
On June 7, the cast and crew continued filming on location in the same couple of areas. Our sources tell us that the crew celebrated the “Block 1 Wrap” on location, indicating that filming is now completed on the first two episodes of Season 4.
As in previous seasons, The Witcher‘s production has split the filming schedule into blocks of two episodes, with each block led by a different director. The first block of Season 4 is helmed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan, an experienced director who has most recently directed for shows such as For All Mankind, Raised By Wolves, and The Terror among many others.
Block 2 will be helmed by Tricia Brock, known for directing episodes of Bridgerton, The Walking Dead, and Person of Interest. Brock will direct episodes 3 and 4 of Season 4 of The Witcher, and has already started. In the past week, she has begun to film scenes focused mostly on Freya Allan’s Ciri and her fellow Rats. The Rats have also been training for stunts, possibly the stunt involving Sharlto Copley.
That’ll be all for this recap of The Witcher‘s Season 4 filming. We will continue to follow the production closely to uncover more cast and hopefully some more behind-the-scenes pictures.
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