War is a family affair when it comes to The Witcher.
Netflix shared a sneak peek at the upcoming third season of the fan-favorite series, which sees Freya Allan’s Ciri showing off some new moves as she faces off against a familiar foe.
Rience (Chris Fulton) makes his return after his introduction in season 2 as a mage instructed to find Ciri after she disappeared during the slaughter of Cintra. Hired by Vilgefortz, the disfigured mage appears alongside a bevy of unruly characters to capture Ciri, who has now been reveals as being the most powerful being on the Continent. But she isn’t so easily captured; the young woman fights back against her captors right before her guardians swoop in to fight by her side.
Henry Cavill’s Geralt of Rivia is particularly bloodthirsty as he cuts through his enemies beside Anya Chalotra’s Yennefer of Vengerberg, who is wielding her magic once again.
Although Geralt and Yennefer manage to remind Rience why he shouldn’t come after their ward again, they’re soon caught by surprise when more enemies arrive to squirrel away Ciri. Even with the help of their friends, they’re quickly overwhelmed as Ciri goes missing.
Cavill, Chalotra, Allan and Joey Batey (Jaskier) introduced the clip during the streaming platform’s 2023 convention, Tudum: A Global Fan Event, which was broadcast live from São Paulo, Brazil.
Season 3 of the Netflix series follows Geralt as he traverses the Continent alongside his trusty bard and his on-again-off-again lover as monarchs, mages, and beasts of the Continent compete to capture Ciri. Despite their troubles, Geralt entrusts Yennefer to lead the foursome to the protected fortress of Aretuza, where they hope to uncover more about Ciri’s untapped powers; instead, they discover they’ve landed on a battlefield of political corruption, dark magic, and treachery. They must fight back, put everything on the line — or risk losing each other forever.
Premiering Volume 1 of its third season on June 29, The Witcher then returns with Volume 2 on July 27 and features Cavill’s final round as Geralt of Rivia.
As first reported last fall, The Witcher was renewed for a fourth season — but the news came with the addition that a new White Wolf would be at the helm of showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich’s ongoing adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski’s best-selling book series.
Cavill will hand over the reins to Liam Hemsworth for season 4.
“My journey as Geralt of Rivia has been filled with both monsters and adventures, and alas, I will be laying down my medallion and my swords for Season 4. In my stead, the fantastic Mr Liam Hemsworth will be taking up the mantle of the White Wolf,” Cavill wrote on Instagram at the time.
“As with the greatest of literary characters, I pass the torch with reverence for the time spent embodying Geralt and enthusiasm to see Liam’s take on this most fascinating and nuanced of men,” he continued.
Cavill ended his post with some advice for Hemsworth: “Liam, good sir, this character has such a wonderful depth to him, enjoy diving in and seeing what you can find.”
For his part, Hemsworth gushed over the acclaimed fantasy series, telling fans that he’s “over the moon” about having the opportunity to take over Cavill’s leading role.
“As a Witcher fan I’m over the moon about the opportunity to play Geralt of Rivia. Henry Cavill has been an incredible Geralt, and I’m honoured that he’s handing me the reins and allowing me to take up the White Wolf’s blades for the next chapter of his adventure,” Hemsworth, wrote before sharing his admiration for the actor, who recently reprised his role as Superman in Black Adam.
“Henry, I’ve been a fan of yours for years and was inspired by what you brought to this beloved character,” he continued. “I may have some big boots to fill, but I’m truly excited to be stepping into The Witcher world.”
Volume 1 of The Witcher season 3, with episodes 1 through 5, will premiere on June 29, while the second batch, with the final three episodes, will debut on Netflix on July 27.
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