The Huntsman: Winter's War

In 2016, Universal Pictures released a sequel-prequel hybrid that nobody quite asked for. The Huntsman: Winter's War picks up after the events of Snow White and the Huntsman while also jumping back decades to show the origin of Queen Freya. Snow White herself is absent, Kristen Stewart was written out after her affair with director Rupert Sanders caused studio headaches. Instead, the film centers on Eric the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) and introduces Sara (Jessica Chastain), a warrior woman trained in the same brutal school as Eric.

Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, who served as visual effects supervisor on the first film, made his directorial debut here. The production carried a $115 million budget and earned roughly $165 million worldwide, a modest return that kept its franchise future uncertain. James Newton Howard returned to compose the score, building on themes from the original. The cast includes Emily Blunt as Freya and Charlize Theron as Ravenna, reprising her role from the first movie.[edit]

Years before Snow White's rise, Queen Freya (Emily Blunt) rules a frozen kingdom in the north. After her newborn daughter dies in a fire, a tragedy orchestrated by a deceitful lover, Freya discovers her ice magic and forbids love among her subjects. She raises an army of child soldiers, training them as ruthless Huntsmen. Among them are Eric (Chris Hemsworth) and Sara (Jessica Chastain), two of her finest warriors. Despite Freya's decree, they fall in love and marry in secret. When Freya learns of their betrayal, she orders them killed. Eric is thrown off a cliff, and Sara is seemingly executed, but both survive separately, each believing the other dead.

Seven years later, after helping Snow White defeat Ravenna, Eric lives alone in the woods. Snow White summons him to retrieve the Mirror of Truth, a powerful artifact stolen from Ravenna's vault. Freya wants the mirror to expand her empire. Eric joins a group of dwarves, Nion (Nick Frost), Gryff (Rob Brydon), Mrs. Bromwyn (Sheridan Smith), and Doreena (Alexandra Roach), on the quest. Along the way, he discovers Sara is alive, having survived her execution and become a mercenary. Their reunion is strained by years of bitterness, but they must work together to stop Freya. The central conflict pits them against Freya's army, while Ravenna's spirit lingers, manipulating events from beyond the grave.[edit]