Can Netflix's The Witcher fill the void left by Game of Thrones? It definitely has potential.
On Friday, the streaming giant released the first trailer for the much-anticipated fantasy series starring Henry Cavill. The preview was screened during a Comic Con panel discussion featuring the cast and showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich. The Witcher is set in a land called The Continent, in which mythical creatures like gnomes, elves, and monsters battle for survival. Cavill plays the main protagonist Geralt of Rivia, a "witcher" who is equipped with the powers and skills to defeat evil beings. The series is based on the popular novels by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski.
"What’s great about The Witcher is that it’s so much more than a fantasy," Hissrich told the crowd, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "Really, it's a story about a family [...] I would call it an addition to the books. We honor the books but we got to give the characters a little more breathing room."
The Witcher was also adapted into a video game series by CD Projekt Red—a detail that drew Cavill to the series.
"I'm a big gamer. I've played the games a lot," the actor said. "There was something about Gerald that struck a chord with me. He's not your average hero. He's a hard exterior, real-world type person and at the same time, deep down, he's a real hero."
Cavill will star alongside Freya Allan as Ciri, Anya Chalotra as Yennefer, and Anna Shaffer as Triss. Netflix has yet to announce an official release date, but The Witcher is expected to premiere later this year.
Check out the trailer above.
