The first full trailer for The Witcher, starring the bewigged Henry Cavill, begins with shots of an eyeball and the leading man’s posterior. That conscious choice leads to Cavill’s loner monster hunter, Geralt of Rivia, launching into a display of swordmanship punctuated with what appears to be sarcastic one-liners when confronted with the tangled reputation that precedes him. This trailer builds upon the SDCC version, which showed Cavill fighting a giant spider, and this isn’t the first time that Geralt’s rear has been used as a marketing point for this TV show. Will all of this appeal to gamers and fans of the book series? Showrunner Melissa Hissrich also previously promised that this will be “a very adult show” with sex scenes, and during one moment here, Cavill lounges in a hot bath, so yep, it looks like at least those promises shall be kept.
Cavill, who beat out over 200 other Geralt candidates, didn’t use a stunt double for this role and constantly practiced with swords for months before filming, and that shows in this trailer. Production values and choreography also look highly polished, but we’ll have to wait and see whether the story’s epic tale of fate, family, intertwined destinies, and a loner-leading man will translate in a way that’s faithful to the subject matter. As if to ask for patience on that note, the trailer shows Geralt telling his horse, Roach, “Don’t judge me.” This sounds like a fair request. The Witcher gets a release date (December 20), too, so the target audience should enjoy some very happy holidays this year.
The Witcher also stars Anya Chalotra, Freya Allan, 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. Please enjoy these intense photo stills as well.
