It's nearly time to return to the Continent, and Netflix is making sure we're all prepared for the trip. Just one day after releasing a new poster featuring Geralt (Henry Cavill), Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) and Ciri (Freya Allan) locked in a tight embrace, the streamer has released a brand-new trailer for The Witcher Season 3, which hints at big things to come for our favorite trio and beyond.
In typical first trailer fashion, the short peek at Season 3 didn't reveal much. It did however tease a new, mysterious threat on the horizon for the trio. Most disconcerting of all, beyond the flames and the weapons, and the growing darkness, is the fact that for the first time, Geralt admits to feeling real fear. What that might be, hoever, audiences will have to wait and see.
Though it's been a while since fans spent time with Geralt, Yennefer and Ciri — Season 2 premiered all the way back in December 2021 — that was not the last time we got to experience the world of The Witcher. December 2022 saw the release of prequel series Witcher: Blood Origin, which was set over a thousand years prior to the events of the flagship series, and starred Michelle Yeoh, Sophia Brown, Laurence O'Fuarain and Minnie Driver. It also featured Joey Batey, who plays Jaskier in The Witcher, and who reprised the role for the prequel.
A Final Outing for Cavill's Geralt of Rivia
Exciting as the new trailer is, Season 3 is going to feel bittersweet for fans of Cavill's take on the gruff monster-hunter. Last October, it was announced that the series would be returning for a Season 4, but without Cavill in the lead role. At the time, it was expected that he would be returning to play Superman in the DCU, though that wound up not playing out as expected either. Instead, it was announced that Geralt's sturdy boots and barely-closed shirt would be filled by Liam Hemsworth from Season 4 onward, with Season 3 serving as the "heroic send-off" for Cavill's incarnation of the character.
That's not to say that fans need to bid Cavill's Geralt a firm farewell just yet. Back in December, showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich told Collider's Steve Weintraub that she "wouldn't rule out" splitting Season 3 into two parts, given the new practice of streamers splitting up their seasons to draw in an audience. It seems she ultimately decided to go with that approach as it was announced that the season would release in two batches, with the first five episodes hitting Netflix on June 29, followed by episodes six through eight on July 27.
While a change of actor might be jarring for fans, they can rest easy knowing that the showrunner knows where all this is headed. During the same interview, Schmidt Hissrich told Weintraub that while she's considering other spin-offs that expand the world, she has a "definite endpoint" for The Witcher in mind.
The Witcher Season 3 Volume 1 arrives on Netflix on June 29. Check out the new trailer below: