Season four of Netflix’s The Witcher hasn’t seen the easiest of times as production moved at a tar-like pace, but now, in a bid to keep the series flowing as steadily as the Pontar River, the TV adaptation has reportedly cast an actress to play one of Geralt’s former love interests from the video game and book who fans didn’t expect to see since she didn’t appear in season 2.
The fantasy adaptation has already seen a slew of characters having to be recast, like the beloved Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, and also Kim Bodina, who played Geralt’s mentor and fellow witcher Vesemir in season two, but to make up for that, The Witcher season four has revealed a host of new cast faces that are joining the show. Gary Oliver, who was in Game of Thrones, will take on the role of Marshal Vissegerd, Rowan Polonski jumps into the shoes of the assassin Nazarian, who worked with Schirrú and Millet, and Laurence Fishburne as the powerful vampire Regis. Following the dramatic events left over from season three, The Witcher season four will focus primarily on Geralt and his newfound family, with Yennefer and Ciri dealing with their own struggles.
The Witcher Season 5 Has Cast an Actor To Play Shani
According to Redanian Intelligence, Netflix’s The Witcher season 5 has cast Emily-Jo Young as the Oxenfurt Academy medic and love interest to Geralt, Shani, for its final season, which is set to adapt Lady of the Lake, a novel by Andrzej Sapkowski in which she makes an appearance. During the development of CD Projekt RED’s The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, Shani was considered for an appearance in the game, but ultimately didn’t make the cut. However, Shani did then appear in The Witcher 3‘s DLC, Hearts of Stone, which made her a fan-favorite character and a popular romance choice for Geralt of Rivia.
The Witcher Finally Casts Shani for its Final Seasonhttps://t.co/WYC172kxCY
— Redanian Intelligence (@RedanianIntel) July 12, 2025
Although there isn’t any more information about what Shani’s role will exactly be in The Witcher‘s final season, she could very well play a part in coming between Geralt and Yennefer’s all ready strained relationship. In Sapkowski’s books, Shani is a 17-year-old student of Oxenfurt Academy when she meets Geralt, who is roughly around 57 years old, and since there was quite a big difference in their ages, some readers found the gap a little worrisome when it came to their romance. Since the TV series is meant to be building upon the books and not the video games, it’s hard to assume at this stage what the showrunner, Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, has in store for her and if it will cause some kind of controversy.
For those looking forward to knowing how season 5 is actually coming along, production on the final season of The Witcher is already over halfway done, even before anyone has laid eyes on season 4 yet. Shooting began in March in South Africa and Longcross Studios in London, as well as locations in Surrey and Wales. The first two episodes of season 5 will be directed by Jeremy Webb, who filmed the final two episodes of Season 4, and some of the other episodes will be helmed by Christopher Clark Cowan, who directed The Acolyte, Miguel Wants to Fight, and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
