Anticipation for the upcoming season of the Netflix Original series is at an all-time high thanks to the well-received first season with Henry Cavill’s charismatic take on Geralt of Rivia. The Witcher debuted in December 2019 to more than 76 million viewers for the streaming giant, surpassing its closest rival at the time, Disney+’s Star Wars: The Mandalorian. Check out the details from the new and final trailer before The Witcher Season 2 lands on Netflix.
Where Season 1 left off
The Witcher follows the adventures of Geralt of Rivia and his close associates. Geralt is a Witcher, a human that has been artificially turned into a mutant through alchemical and sorcerous means. The transformation allows a Witcher to withstand the rigors of training and the magical rituals required to enhance his abilities. Gaining enhanced physical abilities, martial skills, and magical aptitude, Witchers become monster hunters for hire, offering their services in exchange for “coin”. Geralt (Henry Cavill) is one of the greatest Witchers who has ever lived. But he has also seen much death and despair, at times even worse than the monsters he battles and often at the hands of the human civilization that he protects. Geralt’s experiences have left him with a cynical outlook, though keeping an ember of goodness and moral code while trying to find his own place in the world. Tied to Geralt’s own destiny are the fates of the powerful sorceress Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) and the youthful princess Ciri (Freya Allan). Along for the journey is the always boisterous bard Jaskier (Joey Batey), chronicling the adventures of the Witcher and telling his tales to whoever is willing to listen. At the end of the first season, Geralt and Ciri finally find each other, though Geralt is haunted by the loss of Yennefer in the Battle of Sodden. Unbenknownst to him, Yennefer lives and their paths will cross again. Due to the continued COVID-19 pandemic and the increased reports of the Delta variant of the virus, production for the second season of The Witcher suffered multiple delays. In fact, delays from the coronavirus pandemic led to an 8-month production for the second season. Thus, from a previous production wrap-up of August 2020, the second season filming stretched until February 2021, not including the post-production and VFX work.
— The Witcher (@witchernetflix) October 29, 2021
New monsters and modifications from the source
The Witcher Netflix Original series is inspired by the original novels by Andrzej Sapkowski and the massively successful computer roleplaying game series by CD Projekt Red. But it has also taken a few liberties with the source material. The new season will reportedly be based on the novels Blood of Elves and Time of Contempt, which has the overarching plot thread of Ciri’s training as a Witcher and magic-user in the confines of Kaer Morhen. However, these novels were light on the monster stomping action. However, the new season will again be applying differences and modifications, in order to provide a more cohesive story as well as meeting fan expectations. While hardcore fans might be disappointed by this development, the broader fan base of The Witcher have come to expect seeing Geralt and company facing off against the magical and supernatural monsters from both the books and the games. The new trailer particularly shows scenes of Geralt in battle with Vereena, the bruxa. This specific monstrosity comes from the short story A Grain of Truth, which is the third in the anthology The Last Wish. A bruxa is an extremely dangerous vampire, taking the form of a giant bat, fighting with its claws and horrifying scream, while also being one of the few kinds of vampires that is unaffected by sunlight. Aside from the books, Bruxa (plural Bruxae) have appeared in the games. The trailer has also shown hints of Princess Cirilla beginning her training. We see the Child of Surprise receiving her first weapon and having a more confident demeanor than the little lost girl depicted in the first season. We also get a glimpse of how Yennefer survived and the bard Jaskier making his presence felt.
Toss a Coin this December
Netflix has also released the official synopsis for The Witcher season 2: The new trailer has certainly provided a great setup for the events of the new season. But it has also kept a few major story elements under wraps. On that note, there were reactions from new fans who have only discovered the lore through the Netflix show that found the back and forth time jumps in the storytelling to be slightly confusing. Would the second season follow the same format, mixing flashbacks with current and future events? And would the series explore the game-changing events from the novels? Perhaps, but probably not this season, as a third season of The Witcher has been confirmed last September 2021. The Witcher Season 2 stars Henry Cavill (Geralt of Rivia), Anya Chalotra (Yennefer), Freya Allan (Ciri), Joey Batey (Jaskier), Yasen Atour (Coen), Agnes Bjorn (Vereena), Basil Eidenbenz (Eskel), Mecia Simson (Francesca), Kim Bodnia (Vesemir), Paul Bullion (Lambert), Aisha Fabienne Ross (Lydia), Adjoa Andoh (Nenneke), Graham McTavish (Dijkstra), Chris Fulton (Rience), Cassie Clare (Philippa Eilhart), Kevin Doyle (Ba’lian), Liz Carr (Fenn), and Simon Callow (Codringher). The Witcher Season 1 is currently streaming on Netflix. Season 2 will premiere on December 17, 2021.
