Just before Christmas, reports circulated that The Witcher star Henry Cavill (Man of Steel) sustained hamstring injury during production on the show’s second season. An Instagram post shared by the actor today confirmed the rumors and provided promising update on his recovery. This marked the first occasion of any member of Netflix’s The Witcher’s production “confirming and discussing the injury […] since the news came out” (Screen Rant).
According to Screen Rant, the rumored injury occurred while Cavill was wearing safety harness on an assault course for a stunt. Cavill refers to the conditions of the injury very briefly on Instagram, but insinuates there might be more of a story there. “There could be more to the story than what was previously reported,” Screen Rant speculates “though in all likelihood Cavill is simply referencing the overall bizarre conditions The Witcher has been filming under.”
Cavill’s injury stands as just one in a series of setbacks the season two production of The Witcher has faced this past year. The initial outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic meant a production shutdown for the show, but also saw a high-profile case in newly added cast member Kristofer Hivju (Game of Thrones).When the production resumed on socially distance set in August, more COVID-19 cases cropped up on set and caused halts in production once more.
The COVID-19 conditions, compounded with Cavill’s injury, have led Screen Rant to dub The Witcher’s second season “a cursed production”. Lauren S. Hissrich (The Umbrella Academy, Defenders), the showrunner who brought Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski’s world to life in Netflix’s The Witcher, has had to adapt to many new circumstances on set this past year. “It’s going to impact story,” Hissrich told The Wrap about the conditions on set “it will have to. But one of the best things about being a writer on set is that I’m there to make those changes as we need them.”
Fortunately for Cavill, ComicBook reports that “typically, hamstring injuries aren’t very serious and won’t keep you sidelined for very long.” This recent Instagram update from Cavill is promising for fans of The Witcher, who are hoping to see the next chapter in Geralt of Rivia sometime this year.
Image Credit: Raymond Flotat