Nobody would say that The Witcher season two ended happily. After all, the season saw not only the death of Geralt’s beloved mare Roach, but also the revelation that the warlike Emperor Emhyr of Nilfgaard is in fact Duny, Ciri’s father. And yet, the season’s close found Yennefer’s magical abilities restored after expelling the demon Voleth Meir, and Ciri continuing her apprenticeship under the close eye of Geralt. The trio, separated over time, came together again to form something of a found family.
But to the surprise of no one, that family faces a terrible threat. With the announcement that production has begun on the third season of the Netflix series comes a synopsis describing the future for the White Wolf and his friends. Details were released via the show’s official Twitter account, indicating a future full of trouble. On the one hand, the new season promises more of the status quo. Since she escaped Cintra, Ciri has been pursued by all manner of soldiers and monsters. But with the season two revelation that she has Elder Blood, Ciri has become even a greater target than before, especially with Voleth Meir rejoining the Wild Hunt. Furthermore, the revelation of Emperor Emhyr’s identity suggests that he will only increase his search for Ciri, bringing the Black Knight Cahir Mawr Dyffryn aep Ceallach closer to Geralt.
But the most intriguing part of the plot synopsis involves Yennifer’s decision to bring Ciri to Aretuza. There, Ciri will surely encounter Yennifer’s old mentor Tissaia and her rival Fringilla. Both figures will tempt Ciri in ways that neither Geralt nor Yennifer imagines, promising even greater power than the young sorceress had anticipated. As Nilfgaard continues its plans for domination, Ciri’s blood and powers could be the turning point for the war.
With these high stakes in place, The Witcher season three is poised to continue building on the show’s popularity. Showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich has not indicated which of Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski’s works she plans to adapt for the next season, but the first two entries used material from The Last Wish, The Sword of Destiny, Blood of Elves, and Time of Contempt. Netflix has announced that directors for season three include Stephen Surjik, who has worked on Reacher and The Umbrella Academy, and Loni Peristere, who has helmed episodes of American Horror Story and A Series of Unfortunate Events.
However, Netflix has not yet made public the season’s premiere date. For those dying for more adventures in Sapkowski’s fantasy world, Netflix will be releasing the prequel series The Witcher: Blood Origin later this year. Set 1200 years before The Witcher, Blood Origin follows the creation and adventures of the first Witcher. It stars Sophia Brown as the warrior Eile, Michelle Yeoh as a sword-elf on a mission to retrieve a special blade, and Dylan Moran as a character called Uthrok One-Nut. No further explanation needed.
Hopefully, Blood Origin will keep fans satisfied until we can return to the adventures of Geralt, Ciri, and Yennifer.
