Though Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is naturally stealing headlines left, right, and center, there’s another geek-friendly December release that’s almost upon us. Its name? The Witcher, an eight-part fantasy series inspired by Andrzej Sapkowski’s novel saga of the same name.
Featuring the Man of Steel himself, Henry Cavill, as Geralt of Rivia, The Witcher looks set to fill the void left by Game of Thrones what with its brutal fight scenes and fantasy trappings. It’s all packed to the rafters with A-list stars, as today’s newly-released featurette attests.
It is, in essence, a brief introduction to all the show’s key players (Geralt included), as we’re given a little backstory for Princess Ciri (Freya Allan), Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra), Queen Calanthe (Jodhi May), and much more. Even if you’ve dabbled with CD Projekt Red’s Witcher video game series, this is perhaps the perfect primer for Netflix’s hotly-anticipated original series.
And so, we’re introduced to Geralt and his monster-hunting abilities. He’s a mutant, essentially, and from previous intel, we know that series showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich plans to lean into horror more than fantasy. That’s not to say that the end product will be devoid of humor; as Henry Cavill himself reveals, there is still dry humor to be found within The Witcher, as Geralt roams the Continent in search of money and monsters.
All eight episodes of The Witcher will be available to stream from December 20th. And yes, Netflix has wasted no time in announcing a second season of the fantasy drama (talk about a strong vote of confidence), bringing us that little bit closer to Lauren S. Hissrich’s dream of a seven-season epic.
