With Game of Thrones dead and buried, it’s time to find a new epic adventure to devour, and luckily for fans of such adventures, we’ve got both Netflix and Amazon working on shows that would compete directly against HBO’s top series. Amazon is currently in the middle of making its Lord of the Rings show.
Netflix, meanwhile, is exploring an equally fascinating universe from The Witcher books of Andrzej Sapkowski. And while news hit that Amazon’s Middle-earth series will start shooting in New Zealand, Netflix gave the world a first look at The Witcher.
Even if you’re not aware of the author Sapkowski, chances are you’ve played The Witcher games, the third of which was one of the biggest games of 2015. But if you’ve read the books, you’ve got a leg up.
The action takes place in a universe similar to what you expect from Tolkien’s books, with all sorts of races and beasts populating the Continent.
Unlike Game of Thrones, where it’s tough to find a favorite character, because so many of them die when you least expect it, The Witcher has a main character that will be at the center of everything. His name is Geralt of Rivia, and he’ll be played by Henry Cavill in the Netflix adaptation. Joining him are Anya Cholatra (Yennefer) and Freya Allan (Ciri), who are two of the other main characters from the books and game series.
Geralt is a witcher: A hunter of deadly beasts who developed supernatural powers to subdue them — all witchers have particular abilities to help them on their hunt. We’ve yet to see a trailer for The Witcher, but Netflix released a collection of images that give us a first look at the characters, as well as the first poster.
The studio said that The Witcher is headed to San Diego Comic-Con this year, with a panel set for July 19th in Hall H. Hopefully, we’ll have a trailer by then. The eight-part series is set to launch late this year, although Netflix has yet to reveal the actual release date. In the meantime, here’s the first poster for the show:
