Why was Vesemir recast in The Witcher season 4? Kim Bodnia exit explained

As fans of The Witcher brace themselves for a brand new leading man – The Hunger Games’ star Liam Hemsworth, stepping into the White Wolf’s shoes following Henry Cavill’s shock departure – Geralt isn’t the only Witcher getting a makeover of sorts.

Killing Eve star Kim Bodnia previously played Vesemir, Geralt's endearing father figure and mentor, but won't be returning for season 4 of Netflix's flagship fantasy drama.

The show is set to welcome a new Vesemir to the fold, alongside other new faces including Laurence Fishburne as Regis.

Here's everything we know about Vesemir's recasting.

Why was Vesemir recast in The Witcher season 4?

Bodnia didn't return as the veteran monster hunter due to his commitments to Apple TV+ original film F1, the Joseph Kosinski-directed Formula 1 blockbuster.

A spokesperson for Bodnia explained to RadioTimes.com: "Kim will not return as Vesemir as his current shooting diary didn’t fit in with Netflix’s shooting schedule of The Witcher season 4."

Bodnia played Kaspar Smolinski in F1, the team principal and former engineer for the fictional Formula 1 racing team APXGP, which retired driver Sonny Hayes (played by star Brad Pitt) was racing for.

The scheduling issue arose when filming on the F1 movie was paused due to the 2023's Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild strikes, with the cast and production crew joining the industrial action.

As filming took place during actual F1 Grand Prix weekends to capture footage of real races amongst the iconic tracks, the subsequent delay prevented Bodnia's return as the Kaer Morhen leader and veteran.

Who is playing Vesemir in The Witcher season 4?

With Bodnia out of the Netflix series due to scheduling conflicts, Scottish actor and Trainspotting star Peter Mullan was recently revealed to be stepping up as the grizzled monster slayer.

Fantasy fans will best know Mullan as the fateful Dwarf King Durin III in Prime Video’s big budget Lord of the Rings adaptation, The Rings of Power (that epic Balrog moment!).

He also stars in the Outlander prequel spin-off, Blood of My Blood, as Red Jacob MacKenzie, laird of Clan MacKenzie and father to Ellen (Harriet Slater).

With a fine fantasy pedigree and plenty of experience, there’s no doubting Mullan’s calibre. It’s just a shame that fans will be losing the previously established chemistry between Cavill and Bodnia, as their bond is such an important element to both Geralt and Ciri (Freya Allan).

When did we last see Vesemir in The Witcher?

We last saw the leader of the remaining ragtag band of monster hunters back in season 2 at the ancient stronghold of Kaer Morhen, the remote fortress high in the Blue mountains of Kaedwen.

Geralt had taken Ciri back to the fortress so she could be trained in the ways of the Witchers by his former mentor and the brotherhood. Vesemir taught Ciri about the Conjunction of Spheres, the power of her Elder Blood and the plight of the Witchers – with her blood potentially proving key to creating more Witchers.

However, following Ciri’s possession by demon Voleth Meir and a subsequent attack by a basilisk, Vesemir was almost killed, while others didn't survive. With even more of their numbers dwindling, Vesemir and the remaining Witchers (Lambert, Eskel, and Coen) were left to rebuild Kaer Morhen.

But what's next for the leader of the remaining Witchers? Fans of the book and game will certainly be surprised at the characters’ return, giving his brief appearance in the early chapters of the final book, The Lady of the Lake, following his time training Ciri in the third book, Blood of Elves.

Therefore, does this signify even more significant departures from the source material? According to showrunner Lauren Hissrich, it certainly does.

“Honestly, we didn't think we would see him again after that season," the showrunner told Entertainment Weekly. "Then in the writers' room, it's like, 'Well, wait, what if we start to bring the Witchers back in because there's some future events that we know we want Vesemir for in the series?'”

The specific role Vesemir will play in the upcoming fourth instalment is yet to be revealed, but the leader of the Witches will certainly be in a safe pair of hands with Mullan. Only time will tell whether the changes to certain character arcs and events pays off, though.

The Witcher season 4 will be released on 30th October on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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