Netflix’s six-part, live-action Witcher prequel already cast British actress Jodie Turner-Smith as the lead. But now, someone new has come to join her in the fight.
Irish actor Laurence O’Fuarain has been cast in the role of Fjall, the second lead character for the series. Here’s how Deadline describes the character: “Born into a clan of warriors sworn to protect a King, Fjall carries a deep scar within, the death of a loved one who fell in battle trying to save him. A scar that won’t let him settle, or make peace with himself or the world around him. In his quest for redemption, Fjall will find himself fighting beside the most unlikely of allies as he carves a path of vengeance across a continent in turmoil.”
The Witcher: Blood Origin has cast Laurence O’Fuarain as Fjall. Born into a clan of warriors sworn to protect a King, Fjall carries a deep scar within, the death of a loved one who fell in battle trying to save him… pic.twitter.com/nGv1dPk5ny
— The Witcher (@witchernetflix) March 26, 2021
You may know O’Fuarain from his appearances in Game of Thrones and Vikings, but, uh… probably not?
It’s no knock against O’Fuarain, it’s just that Blood Origin seems like it will be his most high-profile role ever. He played Simpson in a single episode of Game of Thrones, one of Roose Bolton’s men who briefly appeared onscreen to kill a major character in the episode “Mother’s Mercy.” He was also one of two unrelated characters named Hakon in Vikings, appearing in one episode as a terrible, loathsome ship captain. (Don’t look him up.) So playing Fjall could be what catapults the actor to stardom.
His character description sounds extremely Witcher-y to me. One assumes if the “most unlikely of allies” is Turner-Smith’s Éile, a former Queensguard-turned-bard (also, since this prequel is set 1,200 years before The Witcher and chronicles the creation of the Witchers themselves) that Fjall is likely to be heavily involved in the process.
Seeing as casting for the show hasn’t even finished, there’s no word when it will come to Netflix. Don’t forget the steamer is also working on a Witcher anime film. We’ll keep you posted on both of those, plus any updates on the original series, as we find out more.