After a brief tease in the second season, the upcoming third season run of Netflix’s “The Witcher” TV series is set to show off more of a minor threat of the novel, which became the major antagonists of the beloved “The Witcher 3” game – the Wild Hunt.
They are a group of seven spectral hunters on skeletal horses who can ride across the sky. Also known as the Wraiths of Mörhogg, they are a portent of doom, and in the second season finale, they revealed that they have their sights set on Ciri, who they want to join their ‘hunt’.
The showrunners have followed author Andrzej] Sapkowski’s approach by only teasing the Wild Hunt thus far with mentions and their brief appearances last season. With “The Witcher: Blood Origin” prequel having now aired, attention turns towards the third season and how much more that antagonist will come into play.
Speaking with EW, showrunner Lauren Hissrich says they will have a presence next season even though they are more of “an ever-looming threat” in the background as opposed to major antagonists:
“We set up the Wild Hunt for Ciri in the middle of season 2 as her thinking, ‘I don’t quite understand what this is. I don’t understand why they’re in this dreamscape that I’m having.’ And then, obviously, at the very end, she visits the dark elves’ sphere and she realizes these people are after her.
When we were talking about the pressure on Ciri and what she is experiencing from all of these people that seem to want her, what’s great is she has a run-in with the Wild Hunt so it becomes much more palpable to her and much scarier.
We all know that, eventually, Geralt is going to learn a little bit more about the Wild Hunt, as will Ciri, but right now it stays this ever-looming threat to her. It sort of goes between her fingers. She can’t quite catch it and figure it out yet.”
The recent “The Witcher: Blood Origin” also plays a part in setting up the Wild Hunt as Eredin (Jacob Collins-Levy), a key character in that prequel, begins his dark journey in the mini-series that will see him end up as the commander of the Wild Hunt.
“The Witcher: Blood Origin” is now available on Netflix. The third season of “The Witcher” will air sometime next year.
