Late last week, the second trailer for The Huntsman Winter’s War pitted queen against queen, though today’s behind-the-scenes featurette is much more relaxed, instead shining a light on the core characters anchoring Cedric Nicolas-Troyan’s fantasy prequel.
Chief among them is Charlize Theron, Emily Blunt, Jessica Chastain and the God of Thunder himself, Chris Hemsworth, who all appeared on Today to talk costumes, practical effects and how Winter’s War breaks away from the Snow White of 2012.
[zerg]Set long before the events of Rupert Sanders’ mystical adventure, Kristen Stewart’s battle-ready heroine is nowhere to be found here. In her steed, Theron’s malevolent Queen Ravenna is left dealing with her powerful, capricious sister, Freya (Emily Blunt). Imbued with ice powers, the power-hungry queen rules over the Kingdom of Tabor, commanding a regiment of huntsman that includes Eric (Chris Hemsworth) and Sara (Jessica Chastain).
Speaking about the nature of her character, Blunt stopped short of describing Freya as pure evil, before teasing a tragic backstory that will be explored in Winter’s War. Today’s clip largely features interviews with the ensemble, but there is some footage thrown in for good measure.
Having served as VFX supervisor on Snow White four years ago, Nicolas-Troyan is primed to make his directorial debut with The Hunstman: Winter’s War, which is on course to gallop into theaters on April 22.
Discover the story that came before Snow White in The Huntsman: Winter’s War. Chris Hemsworth and Oscar winner Charlize Theron return to their roles from Snow White and the Huntsman, joined by Emily Blunt and Jessica Chastain. Theron stars as evil Queen Ravenna, who betrays her good sister Freya (Blunt) with an unforgivable act, freezing Freya’s heart to love and unleashing in her an icy power she never knew she possessed. Retreating to a kingdom far to the north, Freya raises an army of Huntsmen as her protectors, with the only rule that no two of them should ever fall in love.
As a war for domination escalates between the two queens, the hero standing between them is Freya’s most elite Huntsman, Eric (Hemsworth). Alongside fellow warrior Sara (Chastain)—the only woman who has ever captured his heart—Eric must help Freya vanquish her sister…or Ravenna’s wickedness will rule for eternity.