Netflix has announced four new cast members who will be joining The Witcher season 3, and this may come as a surprise (or maybe not) but none of them promise to make the Northern Kingdoms a safer and more stable place.
In no particular order, here are the newcomers:
Gallatin, the head of a Scoia'tael army fighting on the side of Nilfgaard in its war against the kingdoms of the North. The Scoia'tael, known colloquially as the Squirrels, are a rebel army of non-humans (mainly elves) fighting for their own homeland. Robbie Amell, cousin to Arrow star Stephen Amell, also recently portrayed Chris Redfield in Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City.
Milva, portrayed by Meng'er Zhang, is a human archer from Upper Sodden who crossed paths with the dryads while poaching in Brokilon Forest. Instead of killing her, they took her in, and she aided them in their efforts to lure and kill dryad hunters. Her part in the ruse was eventually discovered, however, forcing her to flee.
Hugh Skinner's Prince Radovid, younger brother to King Vizimir, seems like the party-boy of the family, but is at least as sharp and dangerous as his elder sibling. Expect shenanigans.
Last but not least, Mistle, played by Christelle Elwin, is a member of a violent gang called the Rats who develops a complicated relationship of her own with Ciri.
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It seems that Netflix is going to continue to lean into the political intrigues that began to flourish in The Witcher season 2: Radovid's presence in particular points to some ugly back-room politicking in the north that could have a serious impact on the Nilfgaardian invasion, while the arrivals of the Scoia'tael as a significant force will presumably shine a brighter light on the extreme prejudice and violence faced by the world's non-humans.
For a closer look at these new characters, with fair warning of major spoilers, you can hit up the unofficial Witcher Wiki for details on Milva, Radovid, and Mistle—Gallatin is excluded, leading me to assume that he's an original creation for the Netflix series. If what you really want is a deeper dive into season 3 as a whole, read Time of Contempt, the second Witcher novel from author Andrzej Sapkowski and the basis for the upcoming season.
The Witcher season 3 officially went into production earlier in April. There's still no word of a debut date, but personally I'm not expecting it to show up until sometime in 2023.
