This Is Who Fans Of The Witcher Want To See Play Regis
Let's talk about Emiel Regis Rohellec Terzieff-Godefroy. Best known simply as Regis, he's a character from the "Witcher" novels written by Andrzej Sapkowski, who has, so far, not appeared in the Netflix series. But he should! And he might! For non-readers, there's a chance that Regis is familiar because he's played a not insignificant role in the "Witcher" videogames, especially in "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt" DLC "Blood And Wine." If that title and his name weren't enough hints to go on ... good ol' Regis is a vampire.
More specifically, Regis is a higher vampire. In certain lore, vampires are differentiated by how well they retain their humanity after gaining powers. Higher vampires retain most of their human qualities while also possessing incredible intelligence, unique power sets (something that "Twilight" did not, in fact, come up with), and true immortality. Also, drinking blood is less a need and more akin to alcohol addiction. In contrast, though hardly relevant, lower vampires are more common, more feral, and more likely to succumb to their urges, like goblins or politicians.
With that frame in place, Regis is a cool dude. In the games, he often works alongside Geralt (Henry Cavill in the Netflix series) to better the Continent (the in-universe name for their world). He's a great companion character for Geralt and usually comes bundled with thrilling storylines. Obviously, fans want to see him make an appearance in the Netflix series, perhaps as early as in the upcoming third season, and some have even taken to a bit of harmless fan casting.
Some fans would love to see Peter Calpadi portray the higher vampire
In a subreddit dedicated to the Netflix series, a since-deleted account posted a picture of Peter Capaldi (best known for his stint on "Doctor Who" as the titular Doctor) side by side with a picture of Regis, with the caption, "I don't usually like fan casting ideas, but Peter Capaldi as Regis. I'd toss a coin for that!"
The mysterious poster is on to something here because Capaldi works for Regis on approximately every level, the easiest of which to note is how the Scottish actor looks exactly like the character model from the video game. Sure, he would need to grow some mutton chops, but Hugh Jackman's done that, like, forty times now — this is not an undefeatable barrier for entry. On the other hand, u/ThePilgore reminded everyone in the comments that, should they go with the books for more inspiration, Regis will be a bit younger with darker hair "like Claes Bang in Dracula."
Ignoring that potential hurdle, it should also be known that Capaldi is well suited for the role of Regis. The higher vampire can flip between intelligent gentleman and fearful deity in the blink of an eye. Where does that particular spectrum of descriptors sound familiar from? That's right, that's literally the Doctor in a nutshell, dear reader.
Currently, there's no word as to whether Regis will appear in the next season of "The Witcher," which is already underway. It's possible that he will be a surprise reveal because, as shared on sites like Deadline, Milva, a huntress who is friends with both Geralt and Regis, has been cast to be portrayed by Meng'er Zhang (known for starring in "Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings").