'The Witcher' prequel 'Blood Origin' casts new actor for Eredin

Australian star Jacob Collins-Levy has joined the cast of "The Witcher" prequel "Blood Origin" as Eredin Bréacc Glas.

The actor, whose other credits include "Starz," "The White Princess" and Netflix's "Young Wallander," will play a lead role in the upcoming Netflix show. According to Redanian Intelligence, he has a more substantial part as the leader of the Red Riders compared to Sam Hazeldine, who portrays the same character in "The Witcher" season 2.

Hazeldine will reportedly only have cameo appearances in the installment, but Collins-Levy will likely play the main villain in "Blood Origin" and will have the monicker "Captain" in the series.

It is unclear why Netflix decided to cast two actors to play Eredin in the two series. Perhaps it has something to do with the events in "The Witcher" prequel, which take place 1,200 years before the original show. This means casting a younger Eredin, which would fit Collins-Levy who is 29 years old while Hazeldine is 49 years old.

"Blood Origin" will tell a story lost to time – the creation of the first prototype Witcher, and the events that lead to the pivotal 'conjunction of the spheres,' when the worlds of monsters, men, and elves merged to become one," reads a synopsis for the show.

Aside from Collins-Levy, Laurence O'Fuarain ("Game of Thrones," "Vikings," "Into the Badlands") is also in the series as Fjall Stoneheart. The character is described as someone "born into a clan of warriors sworn to protect a King."

Fjall "carries a deep scar within, the death of a loved one who fell in battle trying to save him. A scar that won't let him settle, or make peace with himself or the world around him." He is on a "quest for redemption" and there he "will find himself fighting beside the most unlikely of allies as he carves a path of vengeance across a continent in turmoil."

Filming for the series has yet to start late in July or early August. But O'Fuarain has already paid a visit to Arborfield Studios in the U.K. where production will take place.

News of Collins-Levy's addition as Eredin in "Blood Origins" comes after Jodie Turner-Smith left her role as Eile in "The Witcher" prequel because of scheduling conflicts.