Netflix’s The Witcher has faced a shocking change in its lead role in season 4. Henry Cavill, who won over fans and critics with his portrayal of the magic-enhanced beast slayer Geralt of Rivia, will not return after season 3.
Liam Hemsworth will take his place in season 4, a casting decision that has sparked controversy among viewers. Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, the show’s creator, stands by her choice and explains why Hemsworth is the right fit for the role. She also addresses the rumors that Cavill quit the show because he was unhappy with how it deviated from the original books by Andrzej Sapkowski.
Hissrich reveals the reason behind Cavill’s departure and the show’s future in an interview with Total Film (via Slash Film).
She says they have much more to explore about the world and that everyone involved in the show is still passionate about fructifying it. The director further explains why they chose to recast Geralt rather than end the show after The Witcher season 3. Here’s what she said in full:
We had the choice to have Geralt exit and to end the show. [But] that’s not something that we were willing to do. There’s just too many stories left to tell. If we replaced Geralt with another Witcher, we would be going fully away from the books, and I don’t think that’s what anyone wanted either. […] We’re all excited about Liam coming in. He’s got enormous shoes to fill, but also has a lot of energy and a lot of excitement for it. It’s obviously a brand-new chapter for us. And there’s a lot of feelings involved. But at the end of the day, we love what we’re doing. So we’re gonna keep going.
Hissrich makes a strong case for why they had to replace Cavill as Geralt and keep the show going.
The Witcher is based on the books by Sapkowski, and it still has a lot of material to cover after season 3. The show has only adapted two books so far, The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, and season 3 will adapt Time of Contempt.
There are still several books left in the series that the show wants to bring to life, such as Baptism of Fire, The Tower of the Swallow, The Lady of the Lake, and Season of Storms.
The showrunner also explains why they couldn’t just swap Geralt with another Witcher since he is the heart of the story.
In today’s world of franchises and existing IPs, it’s quite common for different actors to play the same character. Geralt is a character who has his own life in Sapkowski’s books and is voiced by Doug Cockle in video games.
Hemsworth is the new actor who will play Geralt from season 4 onwards, and if he delivers the role with as much dedication as Cavill, the show should still be successful despite its unhappy fan base.
About The Witcher
The Witcher is a fantasy drama streaming television series created by Lauren Schmidt Hissrich for Netflix. It is based on the book series of the same name by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski.
Set on a fictional, medieval-inspired landmass known as the Continent, The Witcher explores the legend of Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer of Vengerberg, and Princess Ciri.
The show stars Henry Cavill, Anya Chalotra, and Freya Allan. The show has been renewed for seasons 3 and 4.
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