How Geralt became a knight: the battle for the bridge over the Yaruga River is being filmed for the «The Witcher» series

In North Wales, preparations are underway for one of the most epic scenes of the Witcher saga. It’s about the Battle of the Bridge, when Geralt defended Queen Mewa.

The fourth season of «The Witcher» The Witcher is being filmed on the shores of Llyn Padarn Lake. Local residents have told us that the Netflix production will soon move from the lakeside to the Pen y Llyn bridge on the western shore of the lake. This indicates the beginning of filming one of the biggest battle scenes of Andrzej Sapkowski’s saga from the book «Baptism by Fire».

Also, the «The Witcher» crew started filming at Dolbadarn Castle (also on the lake) a few days ago, and is expected to stay in the area for up to two weeks. The Netflix team has built a large temporary harbor near Craig yr Undeba, also known as Union Rock, on the north side of Llyn Padarn and near the Pen y Llyn Bridge.

From this floating pier, the film crew continued to collect and construct large props that they would soon use. One of its items is a wooden raft ferry, which will be used by the characters of the series. A model of the castle tower has also been assembled. After the construction was completed, preparations for the filming process officially started on September 18, Liam Hemsworth has already been spotted on the set.

In the books, Geralt is joined by the bard Lyubistok (Joey Baty), the archer Milva portrayed by (Mengger Zhang), the barber and doctor Regis (Laurence Fishburne), and the former Nilfgaardian officer Kagir (Eamon Farren). Although they are not yet in the camera’s lens, they are supposed to be in this scene.

In addition to the ferry itself, motorboats and boats with equipment for filming from the water are seen. Local residents who watched the process from afar said that archers were shooting from the rocks on the neighboring bank. They also said that the rowers on the boats were laughing and that there was a large explosion.

The battle on the bridge takes place in the last chapter of the third Witcher novel, «Baptism of Fire», which was published after two collections of short stories and two full-length novels. Geralt and his friends hope to cross the Yaruga on a ferry during the Ciri’s search for. But they are traveling through a land devastated by the Second Nilfgaard War, and the Yaruga River is a strategic location that the armies are trying to control.

Instead of enjoying the journey along the Yaruga, the team must defend themselves against the soldiers. On one bank, Nilfgaardian troops shoot at the ferry, hoping to drive them away. On the other, the troops of Lyria and Rivia also shoot arrows at them. The crew of the raft decides to sail upstream and hope for the best, and the heroes approach a bridge where a great battle takes place. Geralt and Kagir eventually join the Lyrian army

After the heroic victory, the wounded Queen Meva comes out to meet Geralt, who changed the course of the battle and helped push back the Nilfgaardian forces. The queen decides to make him a knight and names him Sir Geralt of Rivia, making the nickname an official title.

The fourth season of «The Witcher» will be released in 2025. Release of Andrzej Sapkowski’s new book about the Witcher is scheduled for winter 2024/2025, anime «The Witcher: Sirens from the Deep» will be released in early 2025.

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