The Witcher season 3 details we already know

Almost immediately after The witcher season 2 arrived, the next phase of the Witcher release cycle began: eagerly awaiting The witcher season 3. Most importantly, we finally know when season 3 will be released. Part one of the season is slated to release on June 29, while part two is slated for July 27.

Season 2 ended on more than a few serious cliffhangers, with family ties finally established between Geralt (Henry Cavill), Yen (Anya Chalotra), and Ciri (Freya Allan), all three working together to control Ciri’s powers. Given the number of people trying to control or kill her – including, but not limited to, the elves, Nilfgaard’s White Flame, and the council of mages – Season 3 leaves them with a lot of ground to cover.

Since the second season, Netflix has released a number of spin-offs for the Witcher series, including last year’s The Witcher: Blood Originstarring Everything Everywhere Everything at once star Michelle Yeoh. Previously, Netflix also released the animated film Nightmare of the wolf.

Hanging About Season 3 of The witcher will also be some bigger metatextual facts, like the fact that Henry Cavill will be leaving the series after this season – and will be replaced by Liam Hemsworth. Perhaps one of the biggest questions season 3 will have to answer is why this switch is happening (at least in the show’s universe) and why Geralt will soon look very different than he once did.

And in addition to Netflix’s newly released synopsis for the upcoming season, creator Lauren Schmidt-Hissrich has already confirmed a number of elements that will be part of Season 3. The season will be largely based on her favorite book of the Witcher saga, The time of contempt. Here’s everything else we know about what The witcher season 3 brings:

Geralt and Yen will be… co-parenting?

Photo: Susie Allnut/Netflix

According to the brief plot synopsis released by Netflix in early April, Geralt Ciri will go into hiding in the new season, determined to protect her from the “princes, mages, and beasts of the continent” who are vying to capture her.

After kidnapping and bringing back Ciri, Yennefer did her best to support the fight and redeem herself in Geralt’s eyes. Geralt doesn’t go so far as to forgive her for nearly killing herself to save Ciri from Voleth Meir, but he does acknowledge that Yen seems to be the only one who can help raise Ciri. And so in season 3 she brings them to the protected fortress of Aretuza, where “she hopes to discover more about the girl’s untapped powers.”

“It’s a pretty extreme set of circumstances to come back from,” Cavill said Netflix’s Geeked channel after the premiere, “it’s hard to forgive, it’s going to take real work.” But it’s something the pair will definitely have to work on in Season 3; as Geralt himself points out, Ciri is perhaps the missing element in his and Yen’s relationship. “The real development of Geralt this season,” Cavill said, “is being able to recognize that he can’t do this on his own.”

Yen will almost certainly have new things to learn as well, as life with Ciri and Geralt is a far cry from her usual intrigue. “It’s a habit, isn’t it? She’s hooded and she’s lived the kind of life she’s lived with all the rules she lives by, and that’s Yen and she doesn’t trust anyone,” Chalotra told Netflix about her next steps. character. “Maybe she’s learned to think more […] and it’s going to be very difficult just to immerse yourself in a new way of being.

Of course, that awakening is complicated by the effort to pursue Ciri. According to Netflix’s plot summary:

[The trio] discover they have landed on a battlefield of political corruption, dark magic and betrayal. They must fight back, risk everything – otherwise they risk losing each other forever.

No doubt everyone’s favorite bard Jaskier (Joey Batey) will get involved at some point, though we can’t say exactly how just yet. But as Batey points out about his character, “I think we have to assume he’s going to get into trouble pretty constantly – no matter what, whoever he hangs out with.”

More Elves and Warfare in Season 3

Photo: Susie Allnut/Netflix

Although season 2 is based on the Blood of Elves book from Andrzej Sapkowski’s Witcher books, showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich notes that the season’s focus on elves was actually a departure from the book’s template.

“I know that in Season 3 we’re introducing the Scoia’tael, the army of elves fighting on Nilfgaard’s behalf. And they don’t come across as great; it’s a pretty harsh, dark storyline,” Schmidt Hissrich told Polygon in December. “So I want to make sure we understood and humanize their part of the struggle…even if they get lost along the way.”

Speaking of the Scoia’tael, one Netflix Geeked tweet gave us a taste of one of the army chiefs, Gallatin. Gallatin leads “an army of guerrilla Scoia’tael fighting on Nilfgaard’s behalf.” This character is a special creation for the show and is played by Robbie Amell (upload).

The wild hunt is coming

Image: Netflix

Although only introduced in the book series The time of contemptthe Wild Hunt begins to take shape in Season 2, drives up to Ciri and claims she is theirs.

Schmidt Hissrich acknowledges that they laid the groundwork for the Wraiths of Mörhogg to finally appear, building them up from mere “ghosts in the sky” believed by only some to spectral villains.

“When they [The Wild Hunt] teasing that Ciri belongs to them, which we hopefully lead viewers to believe is a lot more history of Ciri herself,” says Schmidt Hissrich. “Her lineage, her bloodline, things we know now that Calanthe has been hiding from her, maybe some connections to Lara Dorren that we also teased this season. So that will all come out in the wash next season.”

The big reveal about Nilfgaard’s White Flame

Image: Netflix

In the closing moments of Season 2, we saw that Ehmyr, the White Flame of Nilfgaard, better known to viewers as Duny, is Ciri’s long-lost (and presumed deceased) father. It’s a revelation that Schmidt Hissrich says divided the writers’ room, but ultimately the decision to reveal his dual identity was “more logistical than anything else.”

‘I do not think so [Nilfgaard thinks] of himself as bad; they think they are doing the right thing,” Schmidt Hissrich told Netflix Geeked in December. “We really wanted to come to understand the Nilfgaardian realm and there’s no way to understand it without digging a bit more into Ehmyr.”

Plus, as Batey put it on Netflix’s Geeked channel, “That’s revealed in the books right at the end. And we could never have kept that a secret for more than two seasons.”

Now introducing the character’s full backstory gives key players a chance to comment on it, unlike in the books. That could open up new story possibilities for Ehmyr’s motives, and revelations about what he’s been up to between leaving Cintra and ruling Nilfgaard. “Pavetta died, Duny didn’t,” notes Schmidt Hissrich, “and Duny had to come up with a new plan, with a new partner.” More on that in Season 3.

Season 3 brings a host of new characters

Netflix has also announced one few new characters and cast members, about whom we don’t know much yet. First there is Milva (Meng’er Zhang), who is described as a “fierce and talented huntress; those who cross her do so at their own peril. Milva is a character from the books who plays an important role in Time for contemptbut Netflix is ​​keeping the details hidden from the show’s fans for now.

The series will also introduce Radovid (Hugh Skinner) this season, who is a “royal playboy and the younger brother of King Vizimir.” This marks a slight change from the books, where Radovid is the son of the King of Redania, rather than his brother. The series has finally found its niche Mistletoe (Christelle Elwin), who is a member of a gang called The Rats. The Rats are a gang of teenagers who steal from the rich for their own personal gain… mostly.

Will Henry Cavill be back after Season 3?

No. Apparently Season 3 will be the last season Henry Cavill will appear as Geralt. He is replaced by Liam Hemsworth. It’s not clear exactly when the swap will take place – whether it’s midway through Season 3 or just at the beginning of Season 4 – but we do know it’s time to say goodbye to the Geralt everyone loves.

How will The Witcher season 3 be distributed?

The witcher Season 3 will be split into two parts, as Netflix’s biggest shows so often are. Both parts will be five episodes and they will be released about a month apart.

When does The Witcher season 3 come out?

The first part will premiere on Netflix on June 29, while part 2 will be released on July 27.