Completing the de-facto marketing stint that sees the release of a slew of character posters, a diminutive teaser and, ultimately, a full-length sizzle reel, Universal has lifted the curtain on the riveting and über-stylish first trailer for The Huntsman: Winter’s War – and it’s a doozy.
Pitched as a prequel, Cedric Nicolas-Troyan’s film has its roots in Rupert Sanders’ relatively successful Snow White and the Huntsman that was released back in 2012 – not to mention the returning Charlize Theron and Chris Hemsworth – though today’s all-new trailer showcases a very different adventure.
[zerg]Situated once again in the fantastical Kingdom of Tabor, The Huntsman: Winter’s War revolves around the all-power mirror on the wall. Using its supernatural powers, Emily Blunt’s Ice Queen Freya is able to resurrect her fallen sibling, Queen Ravenna (Theron), and it’s at this point that Winter’s War switches gears into a quasi-sequel.
Centering on the dynamic between the two delightfully evil queens, it’s then left to Hemsworth and Jessica Chastain’s newcomer Sara to put the two manic sisters to the sword. Though doing so won’t be easy, what with an entire army of soldiers (read: cannon fodder) at their disposal. Sam Claflin, Sheridan Smith, Nick Frost, Colin Morgan, Sam Hazeldine and Sophie Cookson are also set to star in Universal’s prequel.
The Huntsman: Winter’s War roars into theaters on April 22, 2016.
Long before the evil Queen Ravenna (Theron) was thought vanquished by Snow White’s blade, she watched silently as her sister, Freya (Blunt), suffered a heartbreaking betrayal and fled their kingdom. With Freya’s ability to freeze any enemy, the young ice queen has spent decades in a remote wintry palace raising a legion of deadly huntsmen—including Eric (Hemsworth) and warrior Sara (Chastain)—only to find that her prized two defied her one demand: Forever harden your hearts to love.