The Witcher has been forced to drop a key actor for its second season due to pandemic-related scheduling issues.

Actor Thrue Ersted Rasmussen was set to star opposite Henry Cavill in the hit Netflix show as Eskel, a fellow Witcher who will play a large part in the forthcoming second series.  

Rasmussen had already begun filming as Eskel when lockdown measures and filming restrictions were enforced, leading to an amended shooting schedule.

He announced the “heartbreaking” news in an Instagram post shared on Wednesday (23 September).

The Fast and Furious star wrote to his followers: “Sadly, due to the rescheduling because of Covid-19, I will not be portraying Eskel in The Witcher. It’s heartbreaking, of course, but I mostly feel happy and grateful for the days I got to spend on set earlier this year.

“Everyone was extremely engaged and passionate about the project and it was a truly inspiring experience.”

The Danish actor went on to thank his fans for their “lovely, encouraging messages” and wished The Witcher team the “best of luck with the rest of production”.

Rasmussen concluded: “I’m sure season two will be absolutely amazing. And now I get to watch it as a fanboy instead of as a Witcher.”

The news comes shortly after the fantasy show resumed filming in the UK last month.

In June earlier this year, the series’ showrunner also announced that the pandemic will impact the story for the forthcoming second season.