Once again, the internet delivers. In the wake of Netflix’s The Witcher show - which, for the record, was very well received - everyone has tried to cast themselves as a character in the show. And while the rest of us can only daydream about swinging a silver sword or casting spells, there are some for whom the fantasy may be a little closer to reality. Mark Hamill is one of them: back in 2018, he said he had “no idea what this is or what it’s about” but that he agrees Vesemir should be played by him.
In early 2018, Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, the executive producer and showrunner of The Witcher, tweeted a description of many characters with keywords pertaining to them, as well as a short sentence about each. Vesemir is described as, “Fatherly. Wise. Sprightly (despite the fact that he’s…) Ancient.” She adds that he is a, “Historian-and-keeper-of-secrets-and-tales-and-trials-of-the-disappearing-caste-of-witchers-who-must-face-the-fact-that-the-world-is-changing-outside-Kaer-Morhen’s-walls-and-how-will-they-change-too?” In a reply to the character thread, a Twitter user pointed out that Mark Hamill could well play Vesemir, and Hamill himself noticed and wrote, “I have no idea what this is or what it’s about but agree it could/should be played by me.”
Well, it’s been close to two years, but the internet delivers - spectacularly. Australian artist Nikolai Baslajik, real name Kode, and also known as BossLogic on Twitter, tweeted his vision of Hamill as Vesemir, complete with a bushy beard, half his hair tied back, and a scar - because every witcher should have one or ten. People seem to like it, but Hamill remains silent. Maybe he hasn’t seen it yet, or maybe he’s gone to order his costume and check how many lines Netflix is giving him.
Vesemir, arguably one of the most important supporting characters, is the oldest and most experienced witcher at Kaer Morhen, acting as a father figure to Geralt and the others. After the attack on Kaer Morhen that destroyed the keep and killed the vast majority of witchers, he was the only one of his generation left alive, but due to his position as fencing teacher he did not possess the knowledge to create mutagens to turn boys into witchers, which is why the species is considered close to extinct. He has not appeared in the show yet, but there’s plenty of time until the second season starts filming for them to get Mark Hamill in on the fun.
As for BossLogic, Mark Hamill as Vesemir is definitely not the only character imagined by him. Further down in his replies, he showed his artwork of a slightly older Ciri as played by Natalie Dormer, and the princess looks a lot more like in The Witcher 3 - not that we’re complaining. Meanwhile, all we have to do now is wait for Netflix to reveal that the artist has convinced them that there is only one man for the role of Vesemir, and he lives in a galaxy far, far away.
