Overview
With Game of Thrones ending its run this year, there's currently a huge fantasy-shaped hole in the TV and streaming landscape. Of course, the beloved show will go on thanks to its own prequel; however plenty of networks and platforms are trying their hands at the genre in the interim — and giving television buffs plenty to watch.
Amazon is hoping to fill the gap with its forthcoming Lord of the Rings series, although it isn't due until 2021. HBO's next contender will arrive sooner, courtesy of its adaptation of His Dark Materials. And, while Netflix already has its Dark Crystal prequel launching in August, it'll soon drop new series The Witcher as well. An exact date for the latter hasn't been announced, but the Henry Cavill-starring show has just unveiled its first trailer at San Diego Comic-Con.
The witcher of the title is Geralt of Rivia (Cavill, sporting long blonde locks), a monster hunter who prefers to work — aka slay beasts — alone. But life has other plans for the lone wolf, forcing him to cross paths with powerful sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra, Netflix's Wanderlust) and young princess Ciri (newcomer Freya Allan). The latter harbours a secret, because of course she does, with the series blending plenty of fantasy staples such as magic, royalty, fighting factions, battling hordes, fearsome creatures, a heap of sword-swinging and many a scenic location.
After stepping into Superman's shoes and facing off against Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible — Fallout, The Witcher marks Cavill's return to TV a decade after starring in regal period drama The Tudors. Behind-the-scenes, the show's eight-part first season is created, executive produced and co-scripted by Lauren Schmidt, who has everything from The West Wing, Parenthood and Power to Daredevil, The Defenders and The Umbrella Academy to her name.
If the series' name sounds familiar, that's because The Witcher is based on the short stories and novels of writer Andrzej Sapkowski — and, as well as being turned into comics, it was adapted the video game series of the same name. A Polish film and TV show also reached screens back in the early 2000s, although they were poorly received.
Check out the trailer for Netflix's The Witcher below:
The Witcher will hit Netflix sometime later this year. We'll keep you updated with a release date when we have one.