The Witcher star confirms recasting and explains why he won't return
Henry Cavill won't be the only notable absence in season 4.
The Witcher star Kim Bodnia will not appear in the upcoming fourth season, with the role of Vesemir to be recast instead.
Netflix's fantasy drama has gone through a tumultuous period as of late, with main star Henry Cavill controversially dropping out of the show and The Hunger Games alum Liam Hemsworth drafted in as his replacement.
Earlier this week, reports suggested that co-star Bodnia, who plays Geralt's mentor and father figure Vesemir, would also not be returning to the show – and RadioTimes.com can now confirm this.
A spokesperson for Bodnia explained: "Kim will not return as Vesemir as his current shooting diary didn’t fit in with Netflix’s shooting schedule of The Witcher season 4."
Specifically, the project that caused a clash is Apple TV+ original film F1, which is directed by Top Gun: Maverick's Joseph Kosinski and stars Brad Pitt as a retired driver who returns to the grid to compete against the "titans of the sport".
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Killing Eve star Bodnia will appear as a character named Kaspar, joining a star-studded cast that also includes Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin), Javier Bardem (Monsters), Tobias Menzies (The Crown) and Sarah Niles (Ted Lasso).
F1 and The Witcher season 4 were originally set to commence filming at different times, but the disruption of 2023's Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild strikes caused the schedules to change drastically.
The schedule for Apple's project was particularly delicate, as it needed to film during real F1 Grand Prix weekends, in order for the production to incorporate footage of real races into the film.
There's no word yet on who will step up to replace Bodnia, but the role is expected to be recast – with the chosen actor certainly having some big shoes to fill, as does Hemsworth.
Following backlash towards the latter's casting in the show, The Witcher co-star Freya Allan told Collider: "I don’t want to speak for him, but from what I’ve understood, I feel like he’s really wanting to try and bring the heart. He’s been training.
"I feel sorry for him, honestly, because, number one, that fan base can be very attack-y, and it’s not an ideal situation to be in taking up someone else’s role. But I’m really excited to see what he does. And he’s such a lovely guy."
She added: "I just hope that people give him the time of day."
The Witcher season 4 is coming soon to Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
