The Huntsman: Winter’s War

After the release of the kick-ass character posters on Monday, the upcoming and highly-anticipated spinoff of Kristen Stewart’s “Snow White and the Huntsman” titled, “The Huntsman: Winter’s War” has definitely grabbed every movie enthusiast’s attention. Now, the much-talked about fantasy franchise has got excited after it released its first trailer.

While “The Huntsman: Winter’s War” won’t feature former “Twilight” star Kristen Stewart, it offers a more interesting list of female leads that are all extraordinarily beautiful but delectably wicked, making the upcoming film more fantastical compared to its dark-and-muddy predecessor.

Since “The Huntsman: Winter’s War” won’t hit the theaters until next year, here are 5 reasons why fans should watch Chris Hemsworth’s much-anticipated female-centric action fantasy movie.

1. “The Huntsman: Winter’s War” Cast

Even though Kristen Stewart have been kicked out of the franchise, the Snow White-less sequel has a great ensemble cast including Chris Hemsworth as Eric aka The Huntsman, Jessica Chastain as Sara aka The Warrior and Eric’s love interest, Charlize Theron as Ravenna aka The Evil Queen and last but not the least Emily Blunt as Freya aka The Ice Queen and Ravenna’s sister, MTV noted.

2. “The Huntsman: Winter’s War” is part prequel/part sequel?

It’s quite ironic that Hemsworth’s upcoming film appears to be part prequel and part sequel film, according to Forbes. And it might also end up as one of the more female-centric action fantasy films of 2016 since this new installment is layered with not just one or two, but three kickass female leads.

3. Badassery is doubled in “The Huntsman: Winter’s War”

It seems to be that one evil villain is not enough in the upcoming “Snow White” franchise as Ice Queen Freya (Blunt) resurrected her Evil Queen sister, Ravenna. While this gritty fairy tale has boost the badassery in the film, it remains uncertain if the sisters will unite to battle humanity or will face off against each other after some kind of conflict over the powerful magic mirror, Wired revealed.

4. “The Huntsman: Winter’s War” Synopsis

“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,” the official synopsis read, as per Screen Rant. “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,” it added. “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.”

5. “The Huntsman: Winter’s War” Release Date

The second film was originally planned with director Rupert Sander, who helmed the first film with Stewart and Hemsworth. But due to the cheating scandal, the sequel was shelved and a spinoff film focusing on the Huntsman was planned instead. The film is directed by Cedric Nicolas-Troyan and opens in theaters on April 22, 2016.