Los Angeles: Swiss actor Basil Eidenbenz, best known for his roles in the UK series “Victoria” and “The Athena”, is stepping in to play Eskel in the second season of the Netflix series “The Witcher after Thue Ersted Rasmussen left the show. Danish actor Rasmussen had been originally cast in the role ahead of season two and even filmed scenes in late February and early March before production was shut down due to the escalating coronavirus pandemic.
He announced this week that he had to leave the show “due to the rescheduling because of COVID-19”. According to Deadline, Rasmussen was one of seven new cast members announced by Netflix on February 21. Fronted by Henry Cavill, fantasy drama “The Witcher”, filmed at UK’s Arborfield Studios, resumed production on August 17 with Eidenbenz taking over the role of Eskel, a Witcher of the school of the Wolf with strong magic powers.
Rasmussen shared his news of departure in an Instagram post on Wednesday, calling the decision to leave the show “heartbreaking”. “But I mostly feel happy and grateful for the days I got to spend on the set earlier this year… Best of luck with the rest of the production. I’m sure Season 2 will be absolutely amazing, and now I get to watch it as a fan boy instead of as a Witch,” he added.
Created by Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, “The Witcher” is based on the books and stories of Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski. The series follows the intertwined destinies of three individuals in the vast world of The Continent, where different creatures battle to survive and thrive, and where good and evil is not easily identified. Cavill leads the cast as Geralt alongside Anya Chalotra as Yennefer and Freya Allan as Ciri.
