Deadline reports that Thue Ersted Rasmussen (from Sunday, The Way to Mandalay, and the upcoming Fast & Furious 9), previously cast in the role of Eskel in the second season of The Witcher, has had to step down. Rasmussen explained on Instagram that this was because of rescheduling the series has undergone due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and said, "I'm sure season 2 will be absolutely amazing and now I get to watch it as a fanboy instead of as a Witcher."
Rasmussen has been replaced by Swiss actor Basil Eidenbenz, who has previously worked on TV shows like period drama Victoria and WWII spy series X Company. Netflix's Witcher series resumed production on August 17 after being grounded in March, shortly before Kristofer Hivju (Tormund Giantsbane from Game of Thrones) tested positive. Hivju had been cast as Nivellen, a cursed analogue of the fairytale Beast, and has now fully recovered.
Eskel is the scarred witcher who trained alongside Geralt. Players of The Witcher 3 will remember him from the quest where the witchers get drunk and wear dresses—he's the one with the "hourglass figure".
If you're just getting into it now, here's our beginner's guide to The Witcher.
