‘The Witcher’ Season 3: News, Details, and Speculation

In the first three days after The Witcher Season 2 release, fans racked up 142.4 million hours of view time. So it’s no wonder that viewers can’t wait for The Witcher Season 3 to hit Netflix.

So when will the next season of The Witcher show up on the streaming giant? Where did the cast get the chance to film? Has production wrapped yet? Will this season add new characters to the narrative? Which book will Season 3 draw material from?

Let’s talk about everything you need to know about The Witcher Season 3. 

The Witcher Season 3 Production

To fans’ delight, production on The Witcher Season 3 began on March 31, 2022. And to the actors’ delight, they shot in some of the most picturesque places imaginable. They began in Laghi di Fusine, a frigid lake in Italy. After finishing up in Italy, the cast and crew went to Predjama castle, a fixture in Slovenia.

They also shot along the sea in Croatia, and then went to England. Next, they arrived in Wales to film critical scenes with Geralt and Vilgefortz. Then they went to Morocco and the Sahara Desert.

During this time, production hit a major snag when Henry Cavill tested positive for COVID-19. The crew rearranged the shooting schedule to capture scenes that didn’t involve him. Once he recovered, they continued filming as usual. 

After about five months, production for The Witcher Season 3 concluded. And the reins were passed on to the post production crew. 

This season was directed by some talented creators. Loni Peristere of American Horror Story, Bola Ogun of Lucifer, Stephen Surjik of The Umbrella Academy, and Gandja Monterio of Brand New Cherry Flavour all had a hand in directing.

Once the filming wrapped, Henry Cavill crafted a thoughtful note for the cast and crew. He said, “What a season this has been! I just wanted to thank you all for your determination and dedication through a tough shoot. Hopefully you can all get some well deserved rest. Sincerely, and with respect, Henry Cavill.”

The Witcher Season 3 Storyline

Now that production’s wrapped, fans want to know what to expect for the plot of The Witcher Season 3.

The official plot summary reads as follows: “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 in a battlefield of political corruption, dark magic, and treachery. They must fight back, put everything on the line—or risk losing each other forever.”

We’ll return to the problems presented by the Season 2 finale. Nilfgaard, Redania, and the Northern kings are looking to capture or kill Ciri. Yennefer and Geralt will need to band together to protect her. 

This season will be adapted from Andrzej Sapkowski’s book Time of Contempt. The past seasons have strayed from their inspiration books (The Last Wish, A Grain of Truth, and A Blood of Elves). So we know Season 3 won’t be a direct interpretation of Time of Contempt. 

Henry Cavill said that we can expect “to explore the Nenneke relationship a little further. Of course, I would love to work with the Witchers some more… But it’s about making sure that story happens without too much in the way of diversions [from the books].”

He also added that overcoming Geralt’s complicated relationship with Yennefer is “going to take some real work and nuance and complexity” to weather the storm.

The Witcher Cast 

Who will join The Witcher Season 3 cast and which favorites will return from past seasons? We’ll of course have the Witcher himself, Henry Cavill as Geralt. Additionally, Anya Chalotra will return as Yennefer and Freya Allan will continue to play Ciri.

Considering what happened in the Season 2 finale, we expect Kim Bodnia as Vesemir, Paul Bullion as Lambert, and Yasen Atour as Coen to return. We also expect to see Joey Batey as Jaskier, Mimi Ndiweni as Fringilla, Eamon Farren as Cahir, and Mecia Simson as Francensca.

Tom Canton (Filavandrel), Anna Shaffer (Triss), MyAnna Buring (Tissaia), Wilson Mbomio (Dara), Royce Pierreson (Istredd), Mahesh Jadu (Vilgefortz), and Lars Mikkelsen (Stregobor) will likely also return.

Lauren Hissrich said that Simon Callow will return as Codringher and Lizz Carr will return as Fenn. If all goes as expected, we’ll see comebacks from Graham McTavish (Dijkstra), Cassie Clare (Phillipa), Aisha Fabienne Ross (Lydia), and Bart Edwards as Nilfgaardian Emperor Emhyr.

Interestingly, one of the major players from The Witcher Season 2 underwent a major change. Chris Fulton, the original Rience, left the show. According to photos taken on set, the role has now been taken over by Sam Woolf. 

So who will join the cast in a new role? We have Meng’er Zhang playing Milva, a huntress and archer. Then Robbie Amell will play Gallatin, an elf guerrilla leader. Hugh Skinner will play Radovid, a regal prince. Christelle Elwin will play Mistle, one of the members of The Rats, a gang from the books. 

The Witcher: Blood Origin Spinoff

It’s an exciting time to be a fan of The Witcher. In addition to Season 3, there’s a prequel series in the works. 

The poster for The Witcher: Blood Origin features two opposing arms holding weapons, crossing each other to form an X. The arms are uniquely tattooed. The ax holder has a wolf tattoo, and the person holding the blade has a tattoo of a bird. Interestingly enough, the wolf and a bird were also featured prominently on the poster for The Witcher Season 3. Even though they take place many years apart, perhaps the stories deeply intertwine. 

Blood Origin takes place 1,200 years before The Witcher. It follows the tale of the first Witcher prototype and the Conjunction of the Spheres. This refers to the moment in Witcher lore when the worlds of men, monsters, and elves merged into one. The series will star Michelle Yeoh, Sophia Brown, and Laurence O’Fuarian.

The best part? You won’t have to wait as long for this show as you will The Witcher Season 3. The Witcher: Blood Origin flies to Netflix on Christmas Day 2022.  Check out the The Witcher: Blood Origin trailer below.

The Witcher Season 3 Release Date News & Speculation

So when will The Witcher Season 3 get released on Netflix? Will we have to wait a long time?

Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait until next year. The official timeline for release is summer 2023. We don’t have an official release date. But at least we aren’t holding out hope for an unrealistic deadline. 

But will The Witcher Season 3 be the final installment?

Considering the current success of the franchise and the creation of spin-off TV shows, we’re sure more seasons will follow. Until next summer, enjoy the anime and play the video games!