The first trailer for The Witcher Season 3 was revealed during today's Summer Game Fest, giving us our first proper look at Henry Cavill's final turn as the grumbling hero Geralt.
he trailer begins with an introduction from members of the cast, which hits a minor bump in the road when Anya Chalotra, who plays Yennefer, bobbles her line. But after that it's straight into the action, which I think looks pretty fine.
The new trailer doesn't tell us a whole lot more about the next season of The Witcher than we already know: It's based on the plot of Time of Contempt, and may also feature a big story from the Blood of Elves. We could see the introduction of the Scoia'tael, the non-human resistance fighters, and possibly Shani, the medic who appeared in the first Witcher game and the Witcher 3 DLC Hearts of Stone.
The trailer doesn't say anything about that but it does very strongly suggest that things are not right in the world, and getting worse: Ciri's training seems to be coming along well but the Wild Hunt and the Empire of Nilfgaard are both still very much in the picture and clearly aren't looking to make life easier for anyone.
Hopes are high for The Witcher Season 3. A lot of fans didn't care for the second season, criticizing its pacing, storytelling, action, and lack of faithfulness to the original material. Personally, I thought it was fine, but I'm also not overly committed to the details: It's a fun fantasy tale about a cool guy and his interesting friends, and that's good enough for me. Which isn't to say I'm not hoping for something bigger and better myself (and with more Jaskier, please) but as someone who quite enjoyed Season 2, I'm very much looking forward to the next one.
There's also a slight air of wistfulness to the whole thing, at least for me. This, as we know, will be Henry Cavill's last ride as Geralt: In Season 4 and beyond, the role will be filled by Liam Hemsworth, younger brother to that Thor guy. But showrunner Lauren Hissrich promised that the third season will be a "heroic sendoff" for Henry, so at least we have that to look forward to.
The first half of The Witcher Season 3 will debut on June 29, while the second will follow a month later, on July 27.
