Yesterday's tease was true: Netflix has dropped the first official trailer for The Witcher season 3, and even better, announced the release dates. And yes, it's dates, because the new season is coming in two parts.
Season 3 volume 1 will debut on June 29, according to the trailer, while volume 2 will land a month later, on July 27. Netflix clarified that the first volume will include five episodes while the second will have the last three, which is kind of a weird split—why not four and four?—but as someone who blazed through the first two seasons at maximum speed, I appreciate being given a mandatory break in the middle.
The new season of The Witcher on Netflix will follow Geralt, Yennfer, and Ciri as they attempt to escape "monarchs, mages, and beasts of the Continent" who are attempting to capture Ciri and turn her power to their own ends. Yennefer leads them to the fortress of Aretuza, where they hope to learn more about her abilities, but once there they find they're not as protected as they'd hoped: "Instead, they discover they’ve landed in a battlefield of political corruption, dark magic, and treachery." The Wild Hunt looks like it's going to play a significant role, too. Ooooh, I am excited!
The overall plot will reportedly be connected to Time of Contempt, the second novel in The Witcher series, and if so that suggests we'll see an even darker and more violent story than was told over the first two seasons. The good news is that it should also produce a shorter and more ordered chronology, making it easier to follow than the first season.
Of course, the really big news is that this will be the final season for Henry Cavill as Geralt. Cavill announced in 2022 that he was departing the show to take up the big red cape of Superman, and was being replaced by Liam Hemsworth, best known for his roles in The Hunger Games films and Independence Day: Resurgence. Cavill's Superman dream was dashed just a couple months later, but the deal is done and, despite some fans hoping for Cavill's return, Hemsworth will remain in the role.
The good news is that he was apparently pretty good as Geralt in auditions—good enough that he was almost cast in the role—and season 3 will provide an appropriately heroic sendoff for Henry.
Have a look at some "first look" images from the new season below:
