Netflix has debuted the trailer for The Witcher Season 3. The new season will be released in two parts, a strategy that previously served Netflix well with its other blockbuster shows like Stranger Things and You. Season 3 also marks the final time that star Henry Cavill will appear as the heroic monster hunter Geralt of Rivia, before the role is taken over by Liam Hemsworth.
The trailer teases the further adventures of Geralt, Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra) and Princess Ciri (Freya Allan), the latter of whom has become so powerful that she is now a hot target among multiple factions in The Continent. In addition to the customary magic and action that the show has become known for, the trailer also suggests that this time, fans will get to see the softer side of Geralt. Season 3 is inspired by the second installment in Sapkowski’s Witcher book series, Time of Contempt.
“For years, Geralt has claimed neutrality, shunned politics and publicly asserted that witchers don’t have emotions — all to make his life as a killer easier to navigate. We’ve seen him battle monsters and monstrous humans; we’ve watched as he’s hardened himself in order to survive. This season, he can no longer do that,” series creator Lauren Schmidt Hissrich told Netflix Tudum.
Henry Cavill left legions of Witcher fans disappointed after he announced last year that he would not be returning for future seasons. The announcement came around the same time that Cavill said that he would reprise his role as Superman in the DC Extended Universe, but that didn’t pan out either, with the franchise being taken in a new direction under the stewardship of James Gunn and Peter Safran. This left Cavill suddenly without his two biggest fan-favourite characters.
But the show must go on. The five-episode first volume of The Witcher Season 3 will premiere on June 29, with the remaining three episodes being released on July 27. A spinoff series, The Witcher: Blood Origin, was released in December.
