While there were parts of Snow White and the Huntsman that I could have done without, there’s no doubt that I loved every minute Charlize Theron was on screen. Theron’s Ravenna was, for me, so amazing to watch because Theron was 100% committed. A lesser actress could have slid into camp, but Charlize held on and made Ravenna a villainess I not only felt for but wanted to see more of.
Well, I’m in luck because they’ve announced the sequel. The Huntsman: Winter’s War looks more like a badass ladies story than I imagined, considering Chris Hemsworth is only 25% of the main cast. Casting powerhouse actresses like Emily Blunt and Jessica Chastain along side Charlize Theron feels like a gift.
Amusingly, I’ve seen a few people looking askance at the poster of Jessica Chastain’s poster as The Warrior. Personally, I dig it. She looks like she’s ready to fight. Leather-clad (save for those gauntlets, which I am IN LOVE with), Chastain wields antler daggers, which make sense as the weapon of someone raised to fight in the forested world we saw in the last film.
Don’t even get me started on Emily Blunt as Freya. That’s a level of flawless I can’t even handle.
Basically, this is me being 100% yes about every part of this plan. Check out the character posters and official synopsis after the break.
The fantastical world of Snow White and the Huntsman expands to reveal how the fates of The Huntsman Eric and Queen Ravenna are deeply and dangerously intertwined. Chris Hemsworth and Oscar® winner Charlize Theron return to their roles in The Huntsman Winter’s War, an epic action-adventure in which they are joined by Emily Blunt and Jessica Chastain, as well as director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan. Producer Joe Roth (Maleficent, Alice in Wonderland) once again leads the team in a breathtaking new tale nested in the legendary saga.
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.
When Freya learns of her sister’s demise, she summons her remaining soldiers to bring the Magic Mirror home to the only sorceress left who can harness its power. But once she discovers Ravenna can be resurrected from its golden depths, the wicked sisters threaten this enchanted land with twice the darkest force it’s ever seen. Now, their amassing army shall prove undefeatable…unless the banished huntsmen who broke their queen’s cardinal rule can fight their way back to one another.
If you want to keep up with the announcements, you can check them out on Facebook & Twitter. Also, there are some fun pics on their Instagram.
The Huntsman: Winter’s War is in theaters April 22, 2016.