From mage factions to vengeful elves, The Witcher Season 3 takes us further into the adventures of Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer.
Many fans are still reeling from the events of The Witcher Season 2, but Netflix is already on the move and has begun pre-production for the next season. There have also been reports that The Witcher will be filming in Wales for this season, adding Wales as the tenth country the series filmed in.
So mount your horses and ready your coin as we take a closer look into what the third season has to offer, who we can expect to see, and when we can start binging The Witcher Season 3.
The Witcher Season 3 Release Date
Previous seasons of The Witcher took around seven months in production and seven months in post-production. Recent reports show that The Witcher Season 3 officially started shooting on April 4 and, using the estimated production time as a reference, we estimate that The Witcher Season 3 will be released early in 2023.
With the release of The Witcher on Netflix in December 2019 and The Witcher Season 2 in December 2021, many Witcher fans and followers expected another release of the Witcher series in late 2022.
However, with the announcement of The Witcher prequel, The Witcher: Blood Origin, that confirms its release in 2022, we can expect that Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer will return for The Witcher Season 3 in 2023.
The Witcher Season 3 Release Window
The release window for The Witcher season 3 was part of the show's presentation during the annual Tudum event.
The Witcher Season 3 Production
The total production and post-production time for The Witcher was 14 months. The Witcher Season 2 would have had a similar timeframe if it had not been for the accident that The Witcher lead actor Henry Cavill suffered filming and the sudden outbreak of CoVid-19. These events led to interruptions in the production which eventually led to delays in the release of the season. Despite the odds, after 159 days of filming and approximately eight months in post-production, The Witcher Season 2 was finally released. Though there is no official release date yet, these data can help us predict that it will take around the same time, at least 14 months, for the cast and crew to produce The Witcher Season 3.
The Witcher Season 3 Delays in Production
Netflix put the production for The Witcher Season 3 on hold on the last week of July 2022 due to COVID. To pass the time and while waiting for production to start again, The Witcher star Henry Cavill redirected his focus to upgrading his PC for gaming.
The Witcher Season 3 Completes Filming
The Redanian Intelligence reported that the series had completed filming after five months of principal photography. The Witcher executive producer Steve Gaub posted on his Instagram to celebrate the end of shooting.
Henry Cavill also thanked the cast and crew of The Witcher Season 3 through a heartfelt message, as reported by The Redanian. He wrote:
What a season this has been! I just want to thank you all for your determination and dedication through a tough shoot. Hopefully you can all get some well-deserved rest.
Sincerely,
Henry Canvill
The Witcher Early Renewal for Season 4 and 5
On September, Redanian Intelligence reported that streaming giant Netflix was allegedly eyeing renewing The Witcher early for season 4 and season 5. The Intelligence reported that season 4 was supposed to be written while season 3 was filming, with the same things happening for season 5. This was supposed to make the wait time between seasons shorter.
The Witcher Season 3 Trailer
The trailers for the first two seasons of The Witcher were released five months before the official launch of each series, which was in July. As for the trailer for The Witcher Season 3, we can expect to view the trailer between 4 to 6 months before the official release date once the release date has been confirmed.
In the meantime, you may enjoy the recently released behind-the-scenes clip of Ciri's witcher training.
The Witcher Season 3 in Tudum 2022
The official Twitter account of The Witcher shared a post indicating that the show will be a part of the 2022 Tudum online event, with Henry Cavill presenting for the show. Netflix announced that the event will feature “news, never-before-seen footage, trailers, and first looks, as well as interviews with Netflix’s biggest stars and creators."
Henry Cavill will be announcing news and updates about The Witcher during the show’s panel.
As a part of the annual Netflix event, the cast of The Witcher took us behind the scenes of the production of season 3. Watch the presentation of The Witcher:
The Witcher Season 3 Cast
In The Witcher Season 3, we will be continuing on the journey with The Witcher family - Henry Cavill as the cunning and taciturn Geralt of Rivia, Freya Allan as the brave Ciri, and Anya Chalotra as the legendary beauty and sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg. Photos of the Witcher family shooting fight scenes emerged early in July through Redanian Intelligence.
The third season will also include the return of our other favorite characters from Nilfgaard, with Mimi Ndiweni as Fringilla and Eamon Farren as Cahir. MyAnna Buring as Tissaia, Anna Shaffer as Triss, Mahesh Jadu as Vilgefortz, Lars Mikkelsen as Stregobor, and Royce Pierreson as Istredd will carry on with the politics and the drama that inevitably come with power in Aretuza.
Mecia Simson as Francesca, along with Tom Canton as Filavandrel, and Wilson Mbomio as Dara, will also come back as significant Elven characters in the series.
And, of course, it will not be The Witcher without the bard we all love, Jaskier, played by Joey Batey. Netflix released a short clip showcasing Jaskier and Geralt's unique relationship.
Many of the characters introduced in the second season are also poised to return for season 3. These include Graham McTavish as Dijkstra, Cassie Clare as Phillipa, and Aisha Fabienne Ross as Lydia. We will also see the return of Duny, who is now known as Emhyr, Emperor of Nilfgaard, as played by Bart Edwards.
The official twitter account The Witcher posted new casting announcements for other characters to appear in The Witcher Season 3. The post revealed Robbie Amell as Gallatin, Meng'er Zhang as Milva, Hugh Skinner as Prince Radovid, and Christelle Elwin as Mistle.
News about six additional cast members joining The Witcher Season 3 came out sometime in early July.
Ryan Hayes will play Artaud Terranova, a mage who joined the Thanedd coup and went after Ciri. Hayes will not be the only one playing a mage- Michalina Olszanska, a Polish actress, will also be playing the role of a magic-user, though we still do not know who her character will be.
Aside from them, we will also see Kate Winter as Putney and Martyn Ellis as Barker. Harvey Quinn and Poppy Almond will also join the third season of The Witcher, though we have no information about their characters yet.
The Witcher Season 3 Writers, Directors, and Crew
Aside from the cast, the set of talented writers and directors who previously worked on bringing the thrilling world of Andrzej Sapkowski into life will also return to work on The Witcher Season 3. Lauren Hissrich will continue as the executive producer, and she will keep working with her team of writers who previously wrote episodes for The Witcher. This team includes Rae Benjamin, Matthew D'Ambrosio, Troy Dangerfield, Clare Higgins, Mike Ostrowski, Tania Lotia, and Javier Grillo-Marxuach.
Two directors are confirmed to be working on The Witcher Season 3 - Stephen Surjik and Loni Peristere. Stephen Surjik directed two episodes in the second season of The Witcher. Before this series, Surjik also directed episodes for the hit series The Umbrella Academy. Loni Peristere has not directed a Witcher episode before; however, he is not new in the action/horror genre. Peristere has directed for shows like The American Horror Story and A Series of Unfortunate Events.
The other team members who are behind the potions and oils that prepare The Witcher Season 3 for battle are casting director Sophie Holland, production designer Andrew Laws, and costume designer Lucinda Wright.
The Witcher Season 3 Behind the Scenes
The official The Witcher Twitter account shared some behind-the-scenes footage featuring an interview while the cast and crew were busy filming the new season of the series.
The Witcher Season 3 Plot, The Book, and New Characters
Netflix released the official plot summary for the upcoming season of The Witcher franchise. It read:
"As monarchs, mages, and beasts of the Continent compete to capture her, Geralt takes Ciri of Cintra into hiding, determined to protect his newly reunited family against those who threaten to destroy it.
Entrusted with Ciri's magical training, Yennefer leads them to the protected fortress of Aretuza, where she hopes to discover more about the girl's untapped powers; instead, they discover they've landed on a battlefield of political corruption, dark magic, and treachery. They must fight back, put everything on the line – or risk losing each other forever.
The Witcher Season 3 will adapt Andrzej Sapkowski's second novel in the series, Time of Contempt. The Witcher showrunner Lauren Hissrich said that the third season will adapt the source material more closely after acknowledging that the first two seasons diverted from the books. This could mean that the second season's ending may be the perfect set-up for future events.
The Witcher Season 2 ends with Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer (dubbed The Witcher Family) emerging victorious from their battle with Voleth Meir. This shared experience led Yennefer and Ciri down the path to building their relationship into one that mimics their relationship in the books better. We may also see Geralt and Yennefer being more affectionate while annoying each other more.
In another unforeseen twist, The Witcher Season 2 also shows the return of Duny, the father of the Ciri, The Lion Cub of Cintra. Duny was revealed to be Emhyr, the Emperor of Nilfgaard. We might see how Duny turned into the White Flame and why he wants to reconnect with Ciri.
Ciri may become the center of many conflicts as enemies from Nilfgaard, Redania, and the Northern Kings scramble to capture and potentially kill her. Geralt and Yennefer do everything they can to protect Ciri from the enemies, and it does not help that Francesca also wants to capture Ciri in the name of building a free Elven kingdom in Dol Balthana.
Francesca and her clan of elves are out for revenge after the betrayal they suffered from humans. If The Witcher Season 3 does stay true to the book, we might see the formation of the elven guerilla army called Scoia'tael (translated to Squirrels for us humans) that will unleash the rage of the elves upon the Northern Kingdoms.
The Witcher Season 3 may also be filled with betrayal and a battle of tactical intelligence because of the rift slowly forming amongst the mages of Aretuza. In this struggle for power and magic, we will see Tissaia and Vilgefortz going after Ciri, too.
Jaskier also pulls a classic Jaskier and gets captured by Dijkstra and is detained in Redania. In Redania, we will meet the sorceress Philippa who works with Dijkstra, the master spy, to see their own goal in fruition.
The Witcher Season 3 will also introduce a band of new characters, as the Illuminerdi article and the Redanian Intelligence reports forecast. Here are the potential characters we might meet this coming season.
- Parsons - Parsons is a Fake Ciri character from the novel. Hissrich teased the possibility of the Fake Ciri in some reports.
- Marylebone - Meng'er Zhang earned the role of Milva for Season 3. The codename Marylebone was originally attributed for either Milva or Mistle. In the book series, Milva appears in the third novel as an archer who has a penchant for cursing. Various reports have confirmed that Milva will appear in Season 3, but it is still unclear if Marylebone refers to Milva or may point to a different character altogether.
- Mistle. Mistle is a part of the group of bandits called The Rats, which Hissrich hinted will join the next season. As of April 14, 2022, actress Christelle Elwin was confirmed to take the role of Mistle in Season 3.
- Picadilly - Picadilly is the brother of the King. Some reports have shown that Netflix is looking to cast an LGBTQ+ actor for this role.
- Aplegatt - Codenamed "Angel" in The Witcher teasers, Aplegatt is a messenger for the different Northern Kingdoms in the book series.
- Giselher - Dubbed the codename "Greenwich," Giselher is an original character who may work with the Rats.
- Hedwig of Malleore - Hedwig may be the Queen of Redania and the wife of King Vizimir.
Fans of the book series know that a significant event was missing in Season 1 - Beltane.
Beltane, also called Belletayn, is a real-life Pagan festivity held on the first of May. In the books, while Geralt was hallucinating as he traveled at the back of a cart, he remembers the last time he met Yennefer before she fought in the Battle of Soden. Geralt and Yennefer attended Beltane separately but left together, spending 'one last night' together (we've heard that one before).
Geralt and Yennefer talk about a lot of things, including Villentretenmerth. He told them that destiny was not enough and they needed something more. In The Witcher Season 2, Geralt and Yennefer shared a similar conversation.
There have been reports that Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer participate in Beltane in Season 3. We can assume that this event will help The Witcher family get closer, especially since Ciri and Yennefer both have birthdays on Beltane.
Sam Woolf as Rience
Chris Fulton played a fierce Rience in the second season of The Witcher, but it seems he won't be joining the cast for season 3.
To take Fulton's stead, the role of the villain Rience was recast to Sam Woolf. Redanian Intelligence reported about the cast change after Woolf was photographed while filming for the series in Wales.
New Mages Joining the Story
The crew of The Witcher has been very tight-lipped about details for the new season, but we finally learned about new mages being thrown into the mix of season 3 in a report by Redanian Intelligence.
- Philip Philmar As Gerhart of Aelle
- Rochelle Rose as Margarita Laux-Antille
- Safiyya Ingar as Keira Metz
- Ryan Hayes as Artaud Terranva
- Michalina Olszanska as Marti Sodergren
- Eric Nolan as Dorregaray
- Poppy Almond as Bianca d'Este
- Harvey Quinn as Radcliffe of Oxerfurt
The Rats
The Witcher season 3 adds new cast members who will play members of the group of teenage bandits known as the Rats. This was not a particularly pleasant chapter in Ciri's journeys in The Witcher novels, so it may be an interesting plot line for season 3.
Redanian Intelligence reported the following cast additions:
- Juliette Alexandra as Reef
- Nicholas Karimi as Trapper Skomlik
- Aggy K. Adams
- Andrew Lee Potts
- Ash Rizi
- Ben Radcliffe
The Witcher Emmy Nominations
The 2022 Emmy nominees were announced on July 12, 2022, a Tuesday. Out of the many categories included in the award, members of the crew from The Witcher were nominated in the different categories: Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes, Outstanding Visual Effects In A Season Or A Movie, and Outstanding Stunt Coordination.
Lucinda Wright and Jessica Jempson, who worked on the costumes for the The Witcher season 2, were nominated for Under the Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes category.
The Visual and Special Effects team for The Witcher Season 2 were nominated for the category Outstanding Special Visual Effects In A Season Or A Movie. Meanwhile, Adam Horton was nominated under the Outstanding Stunt Coordination category.
The Witcher Prequel - The Witcher: Blood Origin
The Witcher Season 2 also introduced the Wild Hunt through a surprise post-credit teaser. This upcoming prequel takes place around 1200 years before Geralt's time and will tell the origins of the first Witcher and the Conjunction of the Spheres that led to monsters occupying the continent.
The Witcher: Blood Origin cast is star-studded with the likes of Michelle Yeoh, Mirren Mack, and Jacob Collins-Levy.
The Witcher Season 3 will show a clearer view of the bigger picture. Though it may be a while before we can view The Witcher Season 3, it proves to be worth the wait and worth the coin.