Earlier this week Netflix released the first full trailer for The Witcher, the television adaptation of the popular fantasy series from Andrzej Sapkowski which stars Henry Cavill (Mission: Impossible – Fallout). While there have not been any announcements yet as to the series’ future beyond this first season, showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissirsh revealed in an interview with SFX Magazine that she has planned seven seasons for the anticipated series.
“I’ve mapped out stories for seven seasons,” Hissrich said to SFX. “Right now it’s just about, ‘how do you set up stories that really capture audiences for years at a time?’ The worst thing we could do is put all of our energies just into season one, and not be thinking about where these characters can grow to. I can’t promise you that they’re very much alive.”
Cavill stars as Geralt of Rivia, a deadly monster hunter who roams the world. The Witcher novels span eight books, but the franchise also includes comics, tabletop games and very popular video games, the most recent being 2015’s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt that has shipped over 10 million copies and gone onto become one of the most awarded video games ever. It was also previously adapted as a live-action Polish-language TV series.
Based on the best-selling fantasy series of books, The Witcher is an epic tale of fate and family. Geralt of Rivia, a solitary monster hunter, struggles to find his place in a world where people often prove more wicked than beasts. But when destiny hurtles him toward a powerful sorceress, and a young princess with a dangerous secret, the three must learn to navigate the increasingly volatile Continent together.
The Witcher is set to be released later this year and stars Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, Anya Chalotra as Yennefer and Freya Allan as Ciri. Other cast members include Jodhi May, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, Adam Levy, MyAnna Buring, Mimi Ndiweni, Therica Wilson-Read, Emma Appleton, Eamon Farren, Joey Batey, Lars Mikkelsen, Royce Pierreson, Maciej Musiał, Wilson Radjou-Pujalte, and Anna Shaffer.