A pack of fans at San Diego Comic-Con were treated to the first trailer for Netflix's The Witcher series on Friday. We'd already seen shots of Henry Cavill as hero Geralt of Rivia and of his trusty steed, Roach, but this is our first footage from the adaptation of the Polish book that spawned a series of video games.
The new trailer was shown to the audience attending The Witcher panel at SDCC on Friday. And the reactions hitting social media have been positive.
They premiered a very action-packed clip showcasing Geralt’s skill set and it’s revealed that Henry Cavill is doing all of his stunts. #TheWitcher #SDCC
— Nathaniel Brail @SDCC (@NateBrail) July 19, 2019
Scenes on a beach with Yennefer talking to a baby girl, apologising she hasn't had much of a life. "We're still just vessels for them to take and take until we're empty and alone... so count yourself lucky - you've cheated the game and won without even knowing it" she tells her.
— SFX magazine (@SFXmagazine) July 19, 2019
Next clip shows Ciri in a wintry forest and comes across a band of female warriors. #SDCC #thewitcher
— JoBlo.com (@joblocom) July 19, 2019
The Witcher is based on Andrzej Sapkowski's book series, which kicked off with 1993's The Last Wish, and CD Projekt Red's three-game series, which started in 2007. Each follows traveling monster slayer Geralt as he rights some of the world's wrongs (as long as the price is right).
The TV series has been in production since 2017, with Daredevil and The Defenders producer Lauren Schmidt Hissrich acting as showrunner.
Cavill was revealed to be playing Geralt in 2018, and told Men's Health earlier this year that training for the role got him into the best shape of his life. Impressive when you consider the guy played Superman. Cavill is a huge fan of the property, having read all the books and played all the games, and Hissrich told CNET's Richard Nieva the actor was a "great resource" during production.
"Having a fan be at the center of the show, he understands what fans are looking for," Hissrich said during a Friday press roundtable.
The rather excellent Witcher 3 is also coming to Nintendo Switch later this year.
Netflix is no doubt hopeful this adaptation will take off like Stranger Things' third season, which gave the streaming service a boost after it saw US subscriptions drop for the first time in eight years.
First published July 19 at 3:10 p.m. PT.
Updated July 22 at 3:35 a.m. PT: Adds quote from CNET interview.
