Ever since Netflixofficially announcedThe Witcherwould be shooting Seasons 4 and 5 back to back (with five being the series finale) fans have been speculating on what the new Liam Hemsworth-led seasons will have in store.
The conclusion of thethird season marked the departure of former Geralt of Rivia actor, Henry Cavill, and the actor passed the torch to Hemsworth amicably.The fifth and final season is set to finish off the adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski’s books, and the latest character announcement for the finale will have The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt DLC fans happy to see a familiar face.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s Hearts of Stone DLC involved Geralt traveling into the wilds of No Man’s Landand through the streets of Oxenfurt to defeat a ruthless bandit captain, Olgierd Von Everec. After an initial confrontation, Geralt was tasked with uncovering the mystery behind the captain’s immortality, which brings us to a fan-favourite character.
Emily-Jo Young is The Witcher’s Live Action Shani
One of the better bridges built between the books and the games came from one of the characters introduced in the DLC, a former love interest of Geralt, Shani.According to Redanian Intelligence, Netflix’s The Witcher will cast Emily-Jo Young as the Oxenfurt medic Shani in The Witcher’s final season, which is set to loosely adapt Lady of the Lake, a novel in which the medic Shani makes an appearance.
Emily-Jo Young is a relatively new actress with one credit in the TV series Sexy Beasts, so reportedly landing the Shani role is a big deal. In the grand scheme of things, the character Shani being portrayed by a new actress adds something a bit more original to the story, since no extra household names are being stapled to the narrative.
In Andrzej Sapkowski’s books, Shani was a medical student in the Oxenfurt Academy and participated in an adventure with Geralt, Dandelion (Jaskier for Netflix) and Philippa in Blood of Elves. In Book 5, Lady of the Lake, she was one of the field medics in the Battle of Brenna.
Whether Netflix’s final season will adapt the Battle of Brenna still remains a question, but who’s playing Shani is now one that is answered. Netflix’s The Witcher’s final season is scheduled to launch sometime in 2026.
