Production on fantasy epic The Witcher Season 2 has commenced in the U.K., with a planned launch in 2021, Netflix announced.

The show also announced seven new cast members joining The Witcher for S2, including Kristofer Hivju, the Norwegian actor who played the red-bearded wilding leader Tormund Giantsbane on Game of Thrones.

Netflix last month claimed The Witcher Season 1 was tracking to be its biggest original TV series debut to date. However, that's according to a new metric invented by the company that found 76 million member households watched at least 2 minutes of the show in the first four weeks after its Dec. 20 release.

The streamer renewed The Witcher for Season 2 last fall with an eight-episode order, more than a month before the freshman season hit the streaming service. The show represents a massive new franchise that we'll develop season after season, Netflix chairman/CEO Reed Hastings said on the company's Q4 2019 earnings interview Jan. 21.

Returning for Season 2 are Henry Cavill (Mission Impossible - Fallout, Man of Steel) who leads the cast of The Witcher saga in the role of Geralt of Rivia; Anya Chalotra (The ABC Murders, Wanderlust) as the sorceress Yennefer; Freya Allan (Third Day, Gunpowder Milkshake) as the princess Ciri; and Joey Batey (Knightfall, Strike) as the bard Jaskier who sings the signature ballad Toss a Coin to Your Witcher from the series.

New cast members for S2 include Kristofer Hivju (Game of Thrones) as Nivellen, Yasen Atour (Young Wallender) as Coen, Agnes Bjorn as Vereena, Paul Bullion (Peaky Blinders) as Lambert, Thue Ersted Rasmussen (Fast and Furious 9) as Eskel, Aisha Fabienne Ross (The Danish Girl) as Lydia, and newcomer Mecia Simson as Francesca.

Other returning cast include MyAnna Buring (Kill List) as Tissaia, Tom Canton (Good Karma Hospital) as Filavandrel, Lilly Cooper (Peterloo) as Murta, Jeremy Crawford (Titans) as Yarpin Zigrin, Eamon Farren (Twin Peaks) as Cahir, Mahesh Jadu (Marco Polo) as Vilgefortz, Terence Maynard (Cursed) as Artorius, Lars Mikkelson (House of Cards) as Stregobor, Mimi Ndiweni (Black Earth Rising) as Fringilla Vigo, Royce Pierreson (Judy) as Istredd, Wilson Radjou-Pujalte (Hunter Street) as Dara, Anna Shaffer (Harry Potter films) as Triss Merigold, and Therica Wilson Read (Young Wallender) as Sabrina.