The Witcher is getting ready for its big summer premier of Season 3. There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the new season, from Henry Cavill leaving the show to rumors and claims about the writer's room dislike of the source material. Yet, despite all that, the show seems to be gearing up to finally start the main conflict of the show. From the Scoia'tael to the escalation between the North and Nilfgard, it all begins with the Thanedd Coup, an event that Season 3 will be bringing to the screen.
Season 1 of The Witcher was fairly dedicated to the books and explored many of the stories from The Last Wish and The Sword of Destiny. These short stories helped set the stage for the story of Geralt and Ciri and introduced newcomers to the world of the Continent. The second season went almost completely off book, which upset a lot of fans. The Witcher Season 3 is promises to be a one-to-one adaptation of the books, which means that the Thanedd Coup will show the devastation of the mages and the beginning of Geralt's true story in the show.
The Witcher's Thanedd Coup Will Create War
Thanedd Island is a part of the Sorceress Academy of Aretuza, and it is during a conclave of sorceresses and mages that death strikes from the shadows. In the books, The Emperor of Nilfgard is furious after the losses he suffered at Sodden Hill against the Northern mages. He employs a secret agent within the inner circle of the mages to weaken them and draw them all into a trap. The agent tricks everyone into coming to Thanedd for a banquet and that is where the trap is set. At this meeting there was a mixture of Northern and Nilfgardian supporters.
Unknown to the Northern supporters, the Scoia'tael and Elven warriors were ready to ambush the Northerners and Geralt. When the Northerners attempted to arrest the Nilfgardian supporters, Francesca Findabair and her Scoia'tael launched their attacks while the Nilfgardian mages dropped the magical defenses of the tower and began their own attack. This Coup caused all confidence to be lost in Mages. They were no longer trusted in royal courts, and they were hunted in many kingdoms. The power shifted in the Continent and Nilfgard's hunt for Ciri became more important and more intense.
Geralt of Rivia Is in More Danger After the Thanedd Coup
Nilfgard wants Ciri, and they took Cintra in order to try and get at her. Geralt is the only person standing in the way of Nilfgard and Ciri. While he has the help of a few mages, he is ultimately her lone protector. Now that Nilfgard has broken the mages, their power grows stronger. The Elves are working for them, some mages, which allows them to spread their power and influence even farther. The main conflict of the show takes place between the mage that betrayed all other mages and the hunt for Ciri. Without the Thanedd Coup, Nilfgard wouldn't have been able to gain the upper hand in the Northern War.
The Thanedd Coup is one of the most pivotal events in the entire Witcher saga. It kicks off the creation of many alliances, and events that lead Geralt and Ciri down their paths. With Season 3 finally bringing this huge moment to the screen, it's entirely possible that the show is getting back on track. Yet, the opinion of many fans is that it may be too little to late as some consider The Witcher Season 3 to be the last without Cavill in the lead role.
The Witcher Season 3 Part 1 airs on June 29, 2023 on Netflix.
Magic is a core element of The Witcher franchise, and when it was revealed in Season 2 of the Netflix series that Yennefer lost her power during the Battle of Sodden Hill, it was a devastating blow as fans wondered if she'd lost her magic forever. For a sorceress like Yennefer of Vengerberg, magic empowered her in ways she couldn't have imagined before Tissaia de Vries brought her to Aretuza. Her magic was chaotic, however, fueled by an overwhelming amount of emotion that Tissaia encouraged her to set aside. When she finally came into her power, Yennefer was nigh unstoppable.
She took the world by storm for centuries, taking whatever she wanted and making it her own, but in time she realized that wasn't enough. In order to achieve the power she craved, she made great sacrifices, including her womb and fertility. At the time, she didn't care about the cost, but as she moved through the epic life she designed for herself, she realized something important was still missing. Yennefer had never known real, unconditional love, and more than anything, she wanted a child. She wanted someone to love her with no strings attached. Destiny doesn't always answer in the way one might expect, but it had plans to give her a daughter that she nearly sacrificed to regain her lost power.
A key figure in the disastrous Battle at Sodden Hill, Yennefer's frustration and emotion grew as she watched her friends and colleagues suffer at the hands of Nilfgaardian forces led by former Aretuza alum and sorceress Fringilla Vigo. When it seemed all would be lost and their efforts would fail, Tissaia rescinded her advice to set her emotions aside and told Yennefer to give in to Chaos. Allowing Chaos to pour through her, she channeled one of the most forbidden elements of magic: fire.
In the end, fire magic may have won the Battle of Sodden of Hill for the Sorcerers, but Yennefer paid a heavy toll for giving in to Chaos. As fans discovered at the beginning of Season 2, Yennefer was not only captured by Fringilla, but she lost her magic as well. Because she believed magic was the only thing she could truly count on in life, she would go to disastrous lengths to get it back -- even making a deal with a dark entity to sacrifice a young girl.
When Fringilla's party was captured by elves, they were brought before elven sorceress Francesca Findabair. Together, the three sorceresses encountered a powerful demon known as Voleth Meir, the Deathless Mother, who presented herself differently to each woman. In exchange for their heart's desire, they would each have to do her bidding. The deal she struck with Yennefer promised the return of her power if she captured Ciri and delivered her to a black door outside Cintra. In the past, Yennefer had rarely thought about the consequences of her actions, so long as they served her desires, but her affection for Geralt and Ciri made her waver. Even if it meant never regaining her power, she changed her mind and stopped Ciri before she got too close to the door, but not without potentially damaging her relationship with Geralt forever.
When the party returned to Kaer Morhen, Yennefer followed, and it was a good thing she did. Ciri was possessed by Voleth Meir, and the demon went on a rampage that killed several witchers. Yennefer did everything she could to help during the fight, but without her magic, she felt useless. She offered her body to Voleth Meir to free Ciri, and after traveling through a portal to the demon's home, they released it. Voleth Meir joined the Wild Hunt, and upon returning to Kaer Morhen, Yennefer discovered her power had returned.
Does Yennefer Lose Her Powers In the Books?
Andrez Sapkowski's Witcher books tell a much different tale than the Netflix adaptation when it comes to Yennefer. During the Battle of Sodden Hill, she didn't lose her magic but was instead blinded by Fringilla Vigo. Her vision was restored later, but she suffered nightmares and anxiety about the incident for the rest of her days. Yennefer also didn't happen upon Geralt and Ciri by coincidence at the Temple of Melitele in the books but instead was (begrudgingly) invited by him to help Ciri learn to control her abilities after Triss Merigold's efforts at Kaer Morhen failed. Voleth Meir did not even appear in the books, but Yennefer would go on to prove herself to both Geralt and Ciri before all was said and done, becoming a mother figure to the girl and finally recognizing her destiny.
What Happens to Yennefer's Powers In the Game?
In CD Projekt Red's trilogy of Witcher games, Yennefer almost seems like an afterthought until the third game: The Wild Hunt. She is occasionally mentioned, but for most of the first two games, Geralt suffers from memory loss. In the second game, Assassins of Kings, there are brief vignettes of memory when he remembers the pair of them running with the Wild Hunt, but they aren't actually reunited until The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt. During the game, Yennefer's powers are at their peak, and there is no mention of her having lost them at all, which makes perfect sense considering the game was released more than three years before the Netflix series.
The Witcher Season 3 debuts Part 1 on Netflix on June 29, with the rest of the season debuting on July 27.
The first teaser for The Witcher season 3 has been released, but the response to it might not be good news for the already announced season 4. The universe of The Witcher continues expanding over at Netflix, and after the failure of the prequel series The Witcher: Blood Origin, this universe is going back to its main series with its highly-awaited third season. The Witcher season 3 will introduce new and exciting characters and will hopefully answer the biggest questions left by season 2, but most importantly, it will be Henry Cavill’s final season as Geralt of Rivia, the title witcher.
After coming across a bunch of obstacles, The Witcher season 2 finally brought together Geralt, Ciri (Freya Allan), and Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) in its final episode, but as Ciri is now being hunted by half the Continent, they will have to stick together in season 3 in order to be safe. In addition to that, The Witcher season 2 revealed that The White Flame is Ciri’s supposedly dead father, so there’s a lot season 3 and season 4 have to cover, but after the reaction to the trailer, this season might be The Witcher’s last.
The Witcher Season 3's Trailer Response Highlights A Season 4 Problem
The first trailer for The Witcher season 3 doesn’t reveal much in terms of its plot but it does give the audience a good taste of the action and drama they can expect this season, as well as a look at old and new characters, most notably the Wild Hunt.
The big reveals made at the end of The Witcher season 2 add to the anticipation for season 3, but also the fact that this will be the last time the audience will see Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, and that could end up dictating the future of the series. The most common reactions to the trailer were all about season 3 being Cavill’s last, with many viewers stating they will stop watching the series when Cavill leaves, even though a fourth season is already confirmed and Cavill’s replacement has already been announced.
Liam Hemsworth has been cast as the new Geralt of Rivia, and reactions to this were mostly negative. The feeling continued now that the trailer for The Witcher season 3 is out, which isn’t good news for season 4 as the series is risking a big drop in popularity.
In addition to Cavill leaving after season 3, season 2 was heavily criticized for making too many changes to the source material and for how certain storylines were handled, particularly that of Yennefer,
so The Witcher doesn’t have the same popularity and success as it did with its first season, and Cavill’s departure and the response to season 3’s trailer are only bringing more trouble for season 4.
Why The Witcher Season 3 Might Be The Show's Final Season
Unfortunately, The Witcher season 4 already has too many things against it, which could lead to season 3 being the series’ last. As mentioned above, the many changes to the source material in season 2 drew a lot of criticism, the prequel series Blood Origin failed to expand this universe in an exciting way, leaving even more questions, and Cavill’s departure after season 3 has led to a lack of interest in season 4, no matter what season 3 sets up. It wouldn’t be surprising, then, if Netflix decides to cancel season 4 and The Witcher ends with season 3, so the series would have started and ended with Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, thus not having to deal with a drop in viewership and popularity that would only hurt the legacy of The Witcher.
Reports from the set of Season 3 of Netflix's The Witcher suggest the show will bring the cast of the popular fantasy show to a location that featured prominently in the streaming service's recent hit show, The Sandman.
According to Redanian Intelligence, filming is currently taking place at Guildford Cathedral. Production will continue to take place there until Sept. 9. The scenes filmed there are intended for Episodes 7 or 8, which are being directed by Bola Ogun. The cathedral appeared in Netflix's The Sandman, dressed in CGI, as a part of Lucien's library. Filming for the Neil Gaiman project took place in 2021. It's currently uncertain which particular characters are involved in the scenes filmed in the cathedral and if those shots involve any of the show's central three protagonists.
Earlier this summer, filming for The Witcher was briefly interrupted after star Henry Cavill tested positive for COVID-19. Production continued without the star, though scenes featuring his character, Geralt of Rivia, was only able to proceed a couple of weeks later.
Season 3 of The Witcher is set to adapt the events and characters of Andrzej Sapkowski's Time of Contempt, though showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich previously explained there are elements from Blood of Elves and Sword of Destiny that will appear in the upcoming show. She explained, "We approximately do a book a season, but we also make sure that the stories from that book are best in that season of our television show. So sometimes we move those chess pieces around a little bit."
But the third season is not the only Witcher project Netflix is currently producing. In fact, the streaming service offered audiences a glimpse at what it is calling The World of The Witcher, through artwork featuring characters from the live-action series, as well as the anime spinoff, The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf.
On top of another anime project, currently titled The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep, Netflix is producing a second live-action show, The Witcher: Blood Origin-- a limited series exploring the Continent's distant past and the elves that once ruled the landscape. At Netflix's TUDUM event, Hissrich also announced a family-friendly Witcher project being developed alongside the main series' third season and the new anime film.
The Witcher Season 3 does not yet have a release date.
Photos from the set of Netflix's The Witcher show one of the major antagonists for Season 3 of the hit-fantasy show has been recast.
Redanian Intelligence reported the fiery sorcerer, Rience, played by actor Chris Fulton in Season 2, will now be played by Sam Woolf. The reason for the switch is currently unknown but it is speculated the recast was necessary due to a scheduling conflict.
Rience made his live-action debut in the fifth episode of Season 2, "Turn Your Back." He is freed from prison and sent to hunt Ciri for a mysterious figure. Much like his novel counterpart in Andrzej Sapkowski's Witcher saga, the fire mage's face was horrifically scarred during his encounter with the sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg, who battled Rience to save the bard Jaskier.
Recasting is not new for The Witcher. Season 2 saw one of the monster slayers of Kaer Morhen recast, requiring a significant reshoot. Eskel was originally played by actor Thue Ersted Rasmussen. However, due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the subsequent industry shut down, he was forced to step away from the project. Eskel was replaced by Basil Eidenbenz.
The Witcher in 2022
Filming for The Witcher Season 3 is currently back in full swing after a brief delay brought on by COVID-19 and star Henry Cavill's temporary departure. The star returned to set and it is unknown how the delay will impact the show's release date, if at all. Reports suggest the Netflix series is scheduled to complete production in September, in time for release sometime in 2023.
Before that, it is believed Netflix intends to release the live-action prequel series, The Witcher: Blood Origin, which is currently in post-production after several weeks of reshoots. While it was originally announced as a six-part limited series, the episode count has been cut down to four following the reshoots. It's uncertain why this change was made.
The Witcher: Blood Origin is set 1,200 years before the events of the main series, in the ancient days of the Continent, when the land was ruled predominately by elves and magic was still a new force, introduced to the land by the cataclysmic events known as the Conjunction of the Spheres. The series introduces a number of elven figures unique to the show, including Éile, played by Sophia Brown; Fjall, played by Laurence O'Fuarain, and Scian played by Michelle Yeoh.
The Witcher Season 3 does not yet have a release date. No official release date has yet been announced for The Witcher: Blood Origin.
The world of Netflix's The Witcher is growing slowly but surely and the streaming giant seems to want audiences to know that.
On social media, Netflix announced changes to the franchise's page on the streaming service and unveiled brand new artwork for what it is calling The World of The Witcher. The illustration features Henry Cavill's Geralt of Rivia, Freya Allan's Ciri, and Anya Chalotra's Yennefer of Vengerberg, along with other key characters across The Witcher's two seasons and the anime, Nightmare of the Wolf.
The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf premiered one year ago today! 🎉 To celebrate, we’ve added some surprises to The Witcher’s official Netflix page, including this stunning new artwork https://t.co/RxaZZW8gEe … pic.twitter.com/RoF2sJeftP
Season 3 of The Witcher is currently filming and is set to primarily adapt the events of Andrzej Sapkowski's Time of Contempt. That isn't all Netflix has in store for fans. Last year at the TUDUM event, showrunner Lauren S. Hissirch announced several projects are in development. Along with the upcoming prequel series, The Witcher: Blood Origin, the creatives are developing a family-friendly Witcher show and a brand-new anime project.
The World of the Witcher on the Path
At the time of writing, Netflix has not released any details concerning the latter two. However, reports from earlier this year suggest the anime film's title will be The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep. This has not been officially confirmed by Netflix. It's also worth noting that the title may be subject to change over the course of the project's development. It is being produced by Studio Mir, the same South Korea-based studio behind The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf and other iconic anime projects such as The Legend of Korra.
The prequel series, The Witcher: Blood Origin is speculated to be headed for a release date in December, though Netflix has not yet made any official announcements regarding its premiere. The show is undergoing significant reshoots and the project recently had its episode count cut down from six to four episodes. The reason for this change is not yet known.
Blood Origin is set 1,200 years before the events of the main Witcher saga and draws inspiration from the bits and pieces of the Continent's ancient history mentioned throughout the novels. It will introduce a number of new characters, unique to Netflix's Witcher universe, such as Voleth Meir, who made her debut in Season 2 of The Witcher; as well as the series' core cast. While many of these will be entirely original characters, audiences can expect at least a few familiar faces from the novels, including King of the Wild Hunt, Eredin Bréacc Glas.
Despite Henry Cavill coming down with COVID-19, production on The Witcher Season 3 apparently remains underway.
The Witcher-themed website Redanian Intelligence revealed that actors Cassie Clare, Mecia Simson and Harvey Quinn shared Instagram photos of them on set. These photos range from jokes about the heat or poking fun at the Neflix label on a restroom, but they also indicate that The Witcher has resumed filming its adaptation of the Thanedd Coup from Andrzej Sapkowski's fourth Witcher book Time of Contempt, which led to the Brotherhood of Sorcerers' disbandment.
News of Cavill's positive COVID test coincided with the reveal that Netflix halted filming on a battle scene related to the Thanedd Coup. This comes shortly after a leaked image revealed Cavill's Geralt and Vilgefortz actor Mahesh Jadu shooting an action scene reminiscent of events from Time of Contempt. The star was also reportedly expected to appear at San Diego Comic-Con's Hall H DC panel alongside Black Adam's Dwayne Johnson and Shazam!'s Zachary Levi, but the rumor did not come true.
Beginning as a collection of short stories, Sapkowski's Witcher series expanded to eight books following monster hunter Geralt of Rivia's exploits and fantasy adventures across the Continent. The books would later be adapted into a Polish film and TV series before gaming studio CD Projekt Red turned them into a trilogy of video games. Following 2007's The Witcher and 2011's The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt would be released in 2015 to universal acclaim, with critics widely considering it to be one of the best games ever made. The studio would follow up the game with the DLC storylines Heart and Stone and Blood and Wine, both of which received equally positive acclaim. Additionally, a fourth Witcher game is confirmed for development and will run on Epic Games' Unreal 5 Engine.
Filming on The Witcher Season 3 began in April, with Time of Contempt serving as a primary influence for the season's storyline. Notable additions to Season 3's cast include Meng'er Zhang as Milva, Robbie Amell as Gallatin and Hugh Skinner as Prince Radovid. In addition to the live-action series, Netflix released an animated prequel called Nightmare of the Wolf in 2021, which focused on the early years of Kaer Morhen Witcher Vessemir. The streaming service is also currently producing an anime film with the working title The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep, as well as the upcoming live-action prequel The Witcher: Blood Origin.
The Witcher Season 3 does not yet have a release date.
The Witcher Season 3 might have to hold off on tossing any coins to star Henry Cavill, who, according to a report, has contracted COVID-19.
Production on the third season of the hit Netflix series has paused, according to The Witcher fan site Redanian Intelligence, which claims that its sources confirm Cavill's positive test for the pervasive virus, thereby sidelining the main character Geralt of Rivia. The report details how filming scheduled for Monday, July 25 mysteriously did not take place, leading to initial rumors of a halted production. While there is obviously no good time for a major series to abruptly pause, this particular instance arrives during the filming for a fan-awaited, physically demanding battle sequence.
The production-halted sequence, called the Thanedd Coup, stems from author Andrzej Sapkowski's source material, specifically the novel Time of Contempt. The incident thrusts Geralt in the middle of a covert war between two mage factions. Indeed, when Geralt is given a consequential offer from the mage Vilgefortz (played by Mahesh Jadu on the show) to the cause of the forces of Nilfgaard against the Northern Kingdoms, his declaration of neutrality is not well-received. Consequently, a supposed conclave among the Brotherhood of Sorcerers escalates to disastrous proportions to a grand battle between Geralt and Vilgefortz; one that does not end well for the former.
Unfortunately, the reported COVID case is not the first piece of disappointing news regarding Henry Cavill in just the last week. That's because the former Superman star was expected to make an appearance at San Diego Comic-Con for Warner Bros.' Hall H panel for its DC Extended Universe lineup. Specifically, those expectations centered on the widely believed theory that Cavill was going to reprise his superhero role for a future DCEU offering. However, the panel came and went without Cavill's presence, disappointing fans who still retain high regard for his performances in 2013's Man of Steel, 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and 2017's Justice League.
Despite Cavill's Comic-Con absence, an imminently debuting DCEU star (and prospective onscreen rival) in Black Adam star Dwayne Johnson had nothing but praise for Cavill. "Henry is a buddy and he is a phenomenal Superman," he said. "He is a phenomenal Superman and Henry Cavill is the Superman of our generation with respect to the other Supermans of the past. Every time I see him, we have some tequila and I say 'This guy is Superman.' My longtime business partner Dany Garcia has been a passionate advocate for Henry Cavill and his career for a very, very, very long time."
While Cavill's last Superman appearance occurred in 2017's Joss Whedon-pinch-directed Justice League (not counting Zack Snyder's extended 2021 redux), The Witcher represented a major franchise transition. The fantasy series, which debuted on December 20, 2019, became a pop culture phenomenon and a prominent elevating platform for co-stars Anya Chalotra, Freya Allen and especially Joey Batey, whose role as traveling troubadour Jaskier led the song "Toss a Coin to Your Witcher" to inspire myriad memes. The show's second season hit Netflix on December 17, 2021.
The Witcher Season 3 does not have a release date, and it remains to be seen if it will be affected by this delay.
