The Witcher season 3 trailer proves the Netflix show could survive without Geralt

The official trailer for The Witcher season 3 has been released online – and it hints at how the hit Netflix series could have survived without Geralt of Rivia sticking around.

Netflix released the latest teaser for its hit high fantasy series today (June 8). The two-and-a-half minute long trailer, which you can watch below, is packed with storylines and references that diehard fans of The Witcher will immediately recognize.

More importantly than that, though, The Witcher season 3‘s latest trailer proves that one of the best Netflix shows could have continued without Geralt – portrayed by Henry Cavill or otherwise – as its star attraction. Before we explain why, check out the new trailer first:

As the teaser, well, teases, Freya Allan’s Princess Ciri of Cintra appears to be taking on a bigger role in the popular TV show’s story. 

That won’t come as a surprise to fans of Andrzej Sapkowski’s fantasy book series, which Netflix’s Witcher franchise is based on, or the videogame series of the same name. In both Sapkowski’s source material and the games, Ciri’s role in helping decide the fate of The Continent is well-known. After all, you don’t get labeled the Child of Destiny if you’re not key to your universe’s survival.

As The Witcher‘s third season’s trailer suggests, Ciri will continue to grow her sword-wielding skills, increase the power of her abilities (as shown by her being tutored by Anya Chalotra’s Yennefer of Vengerburg), and assume a leadership role in the surrogate family she shares with Yennefer and Henry Cavill’s Geralt.

Ciri‘s role in Netflix’s Witcher-Verse will only continue to grow more important. (Image credit: Netflix)

And that’s vital for the future of the hit Netflix series. As viewers already know, Henry Cavill won’t be back for The Witcher season 4, or any future installments in the franchise. He’s departing the Netflix show once its third season – which is being released in two parts in late June and late July – airs. No reason has been given for Cavill’s departure yet but, rest assured, we’ll learn more once the dust settles on the series’ next outing.

For her part, showrunner Lauren Hissrich exclusively told TechRadar that she “fully understands” why fans were left concerned and angry by the announcement over Cavill’s impending departure. Cavill has been a leading light in the show and, while his replacement – Liam Hemsworth – might end up being as good a Geralt as his predecessor, fans are still upset to see Cavill (a big Witcher fan in his own right) walk away from the role that seems tailormade for him.

Still, The Witcher season 3’s latest trailer suggests that the series could’ve managed without Cavill’s Geralt in the picture, especially if it starts leaning more heavily in the direction of Allan’s Ciri becoming its main star.

Hissrich previously told Total Film (via GamesRadar) that, without Cavill, the show’s creative team considered ending after three seasons, but opted against doing that. Hisrrich also told Entertainment Weekly that Cavill’s Geralt will get a deservedly heroic send-off before he rides off into the sunset.

So, the possibility of The Witcher moving forward without Geralt must have been proposed at some stage. If it was – and with Ciri’s increasingly central role, at least based on the latest footage – then The Witcher‘s TV adaptation may have been fine with Hemsworth assuming the mantle of Geralt. 

We’ll never know if that was possible – two more seasons of The Witcher are in production, with Hemsworth’s Geralt likely to feature heavily in both. Still, the newest trailer seems to prove that, with or without Geralt, Netflix’s The Witcher would have been in safe hands with Ciri (and potentially Yennefer) leading it into a bright new future. It wouldn’t even need a name change, either – Ciri saying that she considers herself to be a Witcher in the latest teaser. Anyway, we guess Netflix is leaving it up to Polaris, the next Witcher game from developer CD Projekt Red, to show if that is ultimately possible.

For more Witcher-based coverage, read our review of prequel series The Witcher: Blood Origin. Alternatively, check out these six new Netflix Originals, including The Witcher, that are worth streaming in June 2023.