Over the weekend, Netflix delivered a double-edged sword of an announcement concerning The Witcher, the fantasy series that explores the legend of Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer of Vengerberg and Princess Ciri.
The good news? The Witcher has been confirmed for Season 4 — and considering that Season 3 hasn't even premiered yet, that's a fantastic sign about the future of the show, which is based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s best-selling book series.
But that renewal comes at a bittersweet cost as — from Season 4 onwards — fans will be tossing a coin to a new Witcher, with Netflix announcing Henry Cavill's departure and replacement.
A statement shared to the show's official Twitter account said, "Henry Cavill will be handing his swords to Liam Hemsworth as the new Geralt of Rivia after Season 3. Welcome to the Witcher family, @LiamHemsworth!"
It’s official: The Witcher is returning for Season 4, and Henry Cavill will be handing his swords to Liam Hemsworth as the new Geralt of Rivia after Season 3. Welcome to the Witcher family, @LiamHemsworth! Read more: https://t.co/ABQMdqkzXX
Now, you'll most likely recognise Australian actor Liam Hemsworth from The Hunger Games film series, where he played Gale Hawthorne.
On Instagram, Liam paid tribute to Henry's portrayal of Geralt, and noted that he was "honoured" to be handed the reins and allowed to "take up the White Wolf's blades for the next chapter of his adventure".
"I may have some big boots to fill, but I'm truly excited to be stepping into The Witcher world".
Meanwhile, Henry posted a sweet goodbye to Geralt, saying that he'll be "laying down my medallion and my swords" and "pass[ing] the torch with reverence for the time spent embodying Geralt and enthuasiasm to see Liam's take on the most fascinating and nuanced of men."
"Liam, good sir, this character has such a wonderful depth to him. Enjoy diving in and seeing what you can find."
While there seemed to be an air of finality with both of the actors' social media posts, fans were immediately left stunned after the announcement, with some calling for a cancellation of The Witcher.
@witchernetflix @LiamHemsworth
@witchernetflix @LiamHemsworth Just cancel this disaster of a show. Henry was the only good thing about it. Dude carried the joke thing alone.
@witchernetflix @LiamHemsworth No Henry?!
@witchernetflix @LiamHemsworth No offense to Liam Hemsworth, he is a great actor, but Henry Cavill IS Geralt of Rivia. He brought that character to life better than i thought anyone could. I think this change will kill @witchernetflix for me. #Witcher #HenryCavill
@witchernetflix @LiamHemsworth No hate to Liam but just cancel the show you literally removed the ONE good thing about the series
For those not involved in The Witcher fandom, this might seem like unnecessary hate towards Liam — especially since we've not even seen his take on the much-loved character.
Being the replacement actor in a series is never easy, but where this stings most for fans is that Henry was, in a way, perfectly cast as Geralt.
The actor not only loves the source material (including the video game adaptations), but he repeatedly badgered his agents to land him a meeting with showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich before the Netflix series was even green-lit, so that he could lobby for the role.
Plus, in multiple interviews, Henry has stated that he's intent on doing Geralt's character arc justice by staying as true to the books as he can.
That's clear as day when you hear stories of him acting as a sort of The Witcher bible for the crew and cast while on-set.
It's no wonder then that Andrzej Sapkowski — the author of The Witcher book series — has given Henry's performance his seal of approval.
So, why leave the series then? Fans initially theorised that it could be due to Henry's return to the DC Extended Universe as Superman, with the actor announcing that his recent cameo during the end credits of Black Adam was but a "small taste of things to come."
But looking back at Henry's passion and obvious love for The Witcher, it seems strange that he would not attempt to juggle both projects, right? Well, here's where things start to get a little bit messy and we lurk into uncharted waters.
Word on the internet is that some behind-the-scenes drama involving the writers of The Witcher and their "open disdain for the books, games and fans themselves", is what may have led to Henry leaving the series.
@dibsonsmth @witchernetflix @LiamHemsworth this isnt about Superman, he's said he'd do both. This is probably a decision based on the showrunners open disdain for the books, games, and the fans themselves, while Henry himself loves Geralt and the books, they obviously don't care about the world in the same way he does
@witchernetflix @LiamHemsworth So the only person that fought & kept the show somewhat lore accurate and similar to books and games isn't going to be there anymore & the news that the writers of Netflix witcher actually hate the books and games, this show is going to be a next level dumpster fire after henry.
@witchernetflix @LiamHemsworth Damn. I take it this is cause he was never happy with the writing for the show and it didn't seem like it was going to be more book accurate.
henry cavill a leaving the witcher after begging netflix for the role and being the biggest fan of the franchise is making the report that the writers hate the books seem more and more plausible. they chased that man away from the series. this is sick.
@cursedhat 100% agree This is the man saying in interviews that he'd take less money when trying out for the role Who slept in the costume, who gushed about the game in interviews He didn't quit for a lack of money or scheduling conflicts - it's the dislike for the source material
Henry Cavill knew too much about the source material for the Witcher so Netflix got rid of him
This seems to have been confirmed by Beau DeMayo, a former producer and writer on The Witcher, during a recent Instagram Q&A talking about the development of X-Men '97.
"I've been on shows — namely Witcher — where some of the writers were not or actively disliked the books and games (even actively mocking the source material). It's a recipe for disaster and bad morale. Fandom as a litmus test checks egos, and makes all the long nights worth it. You have to respect the work before you're allowed to add to its legacy."
Alongside Beau's comments, it's easy to see how Henry — a superfan of The Witcher — would have become increasingly disenfranchised with the direction that the series is headed in, eventually leading to his exit.
Whatever the truth is, it's a sad day for The Witcher fans. But at least we'll have Henry appear in Season 3, which will hopefully have a proper send-off for his portrayal of Geralt of Rivia.
