by That all changes when The Witcher returns for its third season later this year.
The third installment of Netflix’s popular TV adaptation of the popular video game and novel series of the same name has teased its arrival ahead of its early summer debut.
This time around, the action is split into two volumes which together will mark Henry Cavill’s last adventure as Geralt of Rivia before Liam Hemsworth takes on the same role for the show’s fourth outing.
If the early clips are anything to go by, it looks like we can expect to find Geralt in a dark place, surrounded by evil magic as he attempts to protect Freya Allan’s Crown Princess of Cintri from dark yet unseen forces.
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With the show’s return fast approaching, here’s everything we know about The Witcher season 3, including its dual release dates, plot, cast, trailers, and more.
The Witcher season 3 release date
The third batch of eight episodes of The Witcher will be divided into two volumes.
The first will debut on Thursday 29 June while the second will air a month later on Thursday 27 July.
Summary of The Witcher and plot of the third season
With an official synopsis released earlier this year, fans are eagerly awaiting The Witcher’s return, but what do you need to know to stay up to date? Attentive reader: Spoilers for The Witcher follow from here on out.
Released in 2019, the first season was loosely based on The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, two short story collections by fantasy writer and Witcher mastermind Andrzej Sapkowski, which preceded the main storyline of the Witcher saga.
Over the eight episodes, we meet Geralt of Rivia, a fearless monster hunter who, through a series of battles and betrayals, makes his way to Ciri (Allan), a queen with the mythical “old blood”.
Bound by fate, the two continue their journey through the show’s eight-episode second series, based on Sapkowski’s Book of Elves and released on Netflix in late 2021. Here we find Geralt protecting Ciri from a host of enemies determined to use its ancient powers for evil.
Fast forward to season three and according to the show’s official synopsis, we’ll find the pair at an equally precarious point in their journey as Geralt is forced to abandon his warrior identity for a moment to deal with some long-buried feelings.
“While monarchs, wizards and beasts of the continent compete to capture her, Geralt hides Ciri of Cintra, determined to protect her newly reunited family against those who threaten to destroy it,” reads the description of the new series.
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“Entrusted to Ciri’s magical training, Yennefer leads them to the protected fortress of Aretuza, where she hopes to discover more about her untapped powers; instead, they find they’ve landed on a battlefield of political corruption, dark magic, and betrayal. They have to fight back, put everything on the line or risk being lost forever.
Consisting of eight episodes divided into two separate volumes, the third season of The Witcher is again based on another novel by Sapkowski, this time taking its cue from Time of Contempt.
Series Producer Lauren Schmidt Hissrich has shed some light on what’s in store for White Wolf’s future.
“For years, Geralt has advocated neutrality, shunned politics, and publicly stated that witchers have no emotions, all to make his life as a killer easier. We’ve seen him battle monsters and monstrous humans; we saw how he toughened up to survive. This season, he just can’t do that anymore,” he said via a Netflix press release.
“You can’t pretend you don’t have feelings. He can’t pretend to be impenetrable,” he adds, “because despite last season’s ups and downs and trust to rebuild, he’s come to understand that Yennefer and Ciri are his destiny, his family and the loves of his life.
“That is the foundation of his journey for the rest of his life — and the rest of this show.”
The cast of the third season of The Witcher
Former Superman Cavill will return as Geralt in this new Witcher quest, but it will be the last time he dons his sleek silver wig with The Hunger Games star Liam Hemsworth due to the legacy of the role.
In October 2022, the Man of Steel star said he would hang up his sword and shield amid news that he would be returning to his Kal-El role for the first time since 2017’s two-part Justice League after a brief cameo appearance during the end credits of Black Adam.
Unfortunately, this news was squashed before it had time to kick off after a DCU shakeup saw Suicide Squad director James Gunn reboot the studio and Superman with his own take on the character.
As it stands, Cavill will no longer be playing the role, with Gunn recast as the Last Son of Krypton for his new origin story, Superman: Legacy, which is currently in pre-production. As a result, Hemsworth will become our new Geralt from Season 4 onwards.
However, we have a full season before that happens and Cavill is gone. Until then, he will be joined once again by Allan as Ciri and Anya Chalotra as the part-elven sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg.
Joey Batey’s Jaskier, Eamon Farren’s Black Knight, Mimi Ndiweni’s Fringilla Vigo, MyAnna Buring’s Tissaia de Vries, Tom Canton’s Filavandrel and Wilson Mbomio’s Dara are all set to return as well.
The Witcher season 3 trailer and poster
You are lucky. The official Witcher Twitter account unveiled both a poster and first trailer for the show’s third season at the end of April, once again inviting us into this dark world.
Shrouded in shadows, we find Geralt dealing with his own turmoil as he drinks a mysterious liquid that turns his eyes inky black and evil. “Now, for the first time, I understand real fear,” he says before we dive into the fantasy action.
Volume one of the third season of The Witcher begins Thursday, June 29 on Netflix. The second volume will air on Thursday 27 July.
