The Witcher: Carmel Laniado joins season 2 of Netflix series

After appearing in the BBC/FX mini-series A Christmas Carol and Dolittle, Carmel Laniado will appear in The Witcher in a supporting role.

Carmel Laniado will play Violet, a character who’s apparently not present in Andrzej Sapkowski’s original books. While the film Dolittle fell short at the box office, The Witcher stands as the biggest “season one TV series ever” for Netflix, according to the company itself (as quoted by Deadline). It was watched by 76 million people (and counting.)  Obviously, that’s close to a billion viewers, which is by no means bad for business.

How will this new character impact The Witcher?

The Witcher is undoubtedly a successful show. In fact, Netflix was so confident that it ordered a second season before the first even premiered (though that may have been the plan all along).  Still, the presence of an original character may not sit well with some fans.   However, it shouldn’t damage things, especially with the original author, Andrzej Sapkowski, as a creative consultant. In fact, Sapkowski had kind words to say about the series:

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"“I was more than happy with Henry Cavill’s appearance as The Witcher. He’s a real professional. Just as Viggo Mortensen gave his face to Aragorn (in The Lord of the Rings), so Henry gave his to Geralt — and it shall be forever so.”"

Also, other series have been big hits regardless of added characters. In fact, HBO’s Chernobyl famously added a composite, fictional character named Ulana (Emily Watson), yet that miniseries was a smash hit.  Carmel Laniado’s character also sounds interesting, as Deadline describes her:

"“[Her] playful and whimsical [demeanor] is a front for a smarter and more sadistic character.”"

In The Witcher, Geralt of Rivia is a monster slayer, but he also must navigate a world full of shifty humans, hostile elves and magic prophecies. While The Witcher has been burdened with comparisons to Game of Thrones, Geralt and company are actually older than George R. R. Martin’s characters (at least in terms of publishing dates), as noted here.

Other stars of The Witcher include Freya Allan as Princess Ciri, Anya Chalotra as Yennefer of Vengerberg, Jodhi May as Queen Calanthe, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson as King Eist Tuirseach, Adam Levy as Mousesack, MyAnna Buring as Tissaia de Vries, Mimi Ndiweni as Fringilla Vigo, Therica Wilson-Read as Sabrina Glevissig and Emma Appleton as Princess Renfri.

What are your thoughts on The Witcher? Let us know in the comments!