It took me a second to get the timeline on this news straight. Henry Cavill is the lead in the Netflix limited series, The Witcher, which is based on a book series. It’s a supernatural story and he plays a monster hunter. The first season aired in 2019, the second in 2021, and the third will air sometime in 2023. However, they’ve already announced a casting shakeup for the fourth (2025, then?) season. Liam Hemsworth will replace Henry Cavill in the lead role. Hm.
Netflix has renewed The Witcher for a fourth season with a twist.
Liam Hemsworth will replace Henry Cavill in the epic drama series, taking the reins as Geralt of Rivia.
The move comes ahead of the third season of the series, which will return in summer 2023. A four-part prequel series, The Witcher: Blood Origin launches December 25, 2022.
Cavill, who revealed earlier this week he will return in the role of Superman, played the grim Geralt of Rivia, the bane of supernatural beasties in the first three seasons of the drama series.
Hemsworth, who is best known for starring in the Hunger Games franchise, recently starred in Quibi drama Most Dangerous Game. He will take over as Geralt of Rivia in what is believed to be a rich deal.
According to sources, Cavill had made a short-term deal for The Witcher and felt it was time to move on after three seasons on the show, which films overseas and has a demanding production schedule. He already has film and TV projects lined up, including the just announced The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare, in addition to the Superman return. Cavill’s Witcher co-stars renegotiated their contracts heading into Season 4, sources said.
Cavill said, “My journey as Geralt of Rivia has been filled with both monsters and adventures, and alas, I will be laying down my medallion and my swords for season 4. In my stead, the fantastic Mr Liam Hemsworth will be taking up the mantle of the White Wolf. As with the greatest of literary characters, I pass the torch with reverence for the time spent embodying Geralt and enthusiasm to see Liam’s take on this 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.”
Hemsworth added, “As a Witcher fan I’m over the moon about the opportunity to play Geralt of Rivia. Henry Cavill has been an incredible Geralt, and I’m honoured that he’s handing me the reins and allowing me to take up the White Wolf’s blades for the next chapter of his adventure. Henry, I’ve been a fan of yours for years and was inspired by what you brought to this beloved character. I may have some big boots to fill, but I’m truly excited to be stepping into The Witcher world.”
So sources are blaming the switch on Henry’s schedule. They say production on The Witcher is demanding, he had a short-term deal, and he is super busy and felt it was time to move on. And the latter is at least partially true, since Henry recently confirmed he’s returning as Superman. Because of all that, I was honestly surprised that he was in a Netflix series (not a movie, a series) to begin with, but it turns out he lobbied for the role because he loved the source material. Henry was so into the source material that it became a source of conflict between him and the showrunners because he wanted to stick to it and they did not. Apparently, he wanted more dialogue to keep his character consistent with the books/games and they had a different vision for the character. Like, perhaps a vision of a strong, but silent hottie who doesn’t make waves? Liam Hemsworth definitely fits the bill; he’s probably just happy to have a job. Henry had previously said he was committed to the series’ seven-season plan so something must have happened to push him out and it probably wasn’t just Superman. (And it’s not the House of the Dragon wishful thinking casting either.)
photos credit: Jay Maidment and Susie Allnutt for Netflix and via Instagram
I’m actually sad about this – Cavill is great as Geralt
Same! I think this, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., and Enola Holmes are him at his best. Superman is a huge role with lots of $$$ but doesn’t showcase his talents.
That said, I’ll definitely give Liam a chance. Henry did a lot with just glances and expressions and grunts – I hope Liam can pull that off! But TBH it’s the two core female characters that I’m really invested in on the show in any case.
Yes to all of that, including support for Liam.
Same!
No-o-o-o! Cavill IS the Witcher. No one can replace him!
Same! I do wish they had used more of the excellent dry humor of the books, so I can see how that might be frustrating for a fan of the source material to play Geralt as a grunting warrior.
Same. Loved him in the show. Husband played the whole Witcher Trilogy games and loved them also. We bought the books!
I read the books, and it was a struggle. They go back and forth in time, so a younger Witcher could make sense.
That being said, someone on here years ago called Liam “Budget Hemsworth” and it’s the first thing I have thought of every time I have seen his name since.
Hahaha I read that as Liam Neeson. I’m gonna go get a second cup of coffee…
I had a brief moment of ‘ooh!’ then realised he’s not the Hemsworth I was hoping for. So yes, budget Hemsworth is bang on!
How mean.
For anyone else who wants to read the books, Google the reading order. The series was written and published out of order (I don’t think it was initially supposed to be a serious but the author kept coming back to add more story). It’ll be easier to keep track of. Also, if you have an NYPL card, they’re available in ebook and audio to borrow.
Crew who worked on The Witcher openly talk about Henry’s on-set disdain for the Showrunners deviating so vastly from the source material. It’s no secret how he feels in that regard. That said, I’m definitely going to miss him and I have serious doubts about casting Liam Hemsworth
I loved Henry as the Witcher but I honestly did not think he could act before seeing The Witcher. It was such a pleasant surprise to see him pull it off so brilliantly. So maybe Liam will surprise us as well. But season 2 was not good so the writers need to right the ship.
Agreed-he’s great in it. I thought before he was some stiff, posh, good looking guy-but he surprised me. I am going to hope the same for Liam.
I don’t think they can right this ship. They lost a brilliant writer after the first season, and it showed in the second season. Apparently tptb who are running the show hate the source material and are trying to change the type of character Geralt is. Fans are not happy, and that includes Henry.
As for Liam, he’s too young looking, hopefully something can be done about that, but I don’t think he has the presence either. This is a bummer to me, I really don’t like when people allow their egos to take over and disrespect an entire fan base. I don’t blame Henry, I blame the show runners.
I’m really sad, I think he was the perfect Geralt. I also seriously doubt Liam is going to be able to bring that same swagger and chemistry with co stars that Henry had but I would love for him to prove me wrong since I enjoy the show. If you have only seen HC is Superman I suggest watching the Tudors or The man from UNCLE.
yeah I was going to bring up the Tudors, he’s really good as Charles Brandon.
Love that Cavill is such a nerd. So sad his view didn’t prevail. What is so special about the story of the Witcher is the nuance in everything – seeing the good in the ghouls. And the “amateur philosophy” as he put it.
Me too! I never imagined saying that. About Cavill! But his nerdiness and stint as Gerard gave me pause. Liam???
He talked a lot about keeping in true to the source/the book during the last promotion tour iirc. that is why I started to read the books, cause I want to know how accurate they are. But I know that the witcher fans didnt like season 1 that much and season 2 is better. I think this is his passion project if I can say it like that so it must be something major for him to drop it after only the 3 seasons.
I am looking forward to hearing Liam Hemsworth grunt like Cavill did. I can’t believe we have to wait until 2023 though.
Haha that grunt! It is Henry doing his best acting.
2025! We’ve still got one more season left of Cavill.
Something happened because he was so into playing Witcher at the beginning. I guess that Cavill had high expectations on how the series should look like and as much as I like it, it is underwhelming. If there was also an open conflict then it’s not a surprise. And Hemswort? Third season will be my last.
I’m seeing people on Twitter mocking Liam acting capabilities and I’m like do people really think Henry is that much better ? I only saw him in the Superman movie and the first Enola he was fine but nothing more. Acting wise he’s the same as Liam for me, he’s just slightly more charismatic.
I’m so confused by this too. They’re on the same level in terms of acting. If Henry was a good actor he’d be a much bigger star by now.
There are lots of great/good actors who aren’t as big of stars as they should be. Those two things aren’t mutually exclusive.
Yes. The reason he is good as Geralt is that it flatters his wooden acting style. He basically grunts his way through the role. I think Liam will do fine. They will just have to ugly him up a bit.
@ Woke All of this!! This is neither an upgrade nor a downgrade. It’s a lateral movement for me.
Henry Cavill and Liam “Not Thor” Hemsworth are both the same wooden, monotone actors so the next Witcher seasons will not vary much.
Henry Cavill did not even know the game was based on a book before he contacted the producers, but , to his credit, he read the source material afterwards and enjoyed it.
The showrunner did not want him to begin with becasue she reasoned he is a leading man in movies, Superman, and she wanted someone who would stick around…and now this.
Yeah, he probably was notn that excited about it anymore now that Superman returned into his life BUT I do think it is more about him re joining DC AND possibly starring in the Mass Effect project at Amazon Prime , witha very, very long shot being BOND, more than actually him beefing with the producers.
They’re blaming it on his schedule, but I would bet $$$ that they could easily have found time between now 2022 and the release date 2025 to film it.
The real reason is probably that he had an issue with the direction that they were taking the show and honestly, a lot of fans probably agree with him. There was huge online chatter about how they treated Yennefer’s character last season. I am concerned that we have another game of thrones situation where things start out strong and then the show runners make bad choices in character development that ruin it.
Henry said his father read the books to him as a child so that can’t be it.
Cavill is a large reason people are even watching the show and has a cult following. he is deep down a nerd and likes to game and is very dedicated to the source material of the witcher. this move just means there won’t be a season 5…people won’t watch after season 3 and the show won’t get renewed after they air Liam’s Geralt.
Yeah I’m feeling the same way. I might give Liam’s season a chance but I just don’t think I can watch three full seasons of this show that I highly enjoy and then boom, THE main character is swapped and we are supposed to just go with it? Nah. Any show I’ve watched where they swap a main character after several seasons where you are totally invested I’ve never been able to continue and enjoy. I still remember when they swapped Carly’s in General Hospital and I was so upset and just couldn’t after that.
yep I agree. Give me Caville!!!!😍
Or Thor, not the not thor brother, lol🤣😅😂
Nope. Nope. Nope. Cavil’s Geralt is what sold me on the series to begin with. Lesser Hemsworth is just … less.
Oh no! He was fantastic! Not sure Liam can pull it off as he is a wooden actor with limited talent I think. Henry’s facial expressions were just fantastic in this role… how it’s Liam going to do it? He has the same face on everything he does !
To be fair, Henry was wooden in a lot of things before this.
I liked Liam in the Dressmaker.
Let’s see what he can do? If he’s terrible, then oh well. But I’m not going to judge him before I see it.
Besides, for me the appeal of the show is the female characters.
After the Superman announcement, I wondered if he was going to continue or even if the series would continue. He’s perfect as Geralt but I could understand that it’s a lot; he does a lot of training for the stunts. Liam seems too young but I’ll wait and see how he does. I’m just glad the show is continuing.
I said to me husband when I heard about Superman, this better not mess with the Witcher and here we are. I’m really sad and I also agree that Liam seems to young on top of all of my other doubts about him taking over.
The second season was really terrible, which was a désappointement, the first was so good.
And having read the book, the most of the time watching the second series, it was a big WTF. Making changes is fine, denaturing some caracter (like what they did to Yennifer) is wrong (and somehow killing all the other Witchers).
I can understand an actor feeling the story is getting terrible and just wanting out.
I agree. First season great. Second season underwhelming.
Also, I liked the first two books. They were short stories that turned fairy tales on their ears. Then book three starts on this massive multi book arc and I just didn’t care anymore. Couldn’t finish it. Maybe the show runners agreed. If Henry liked the way the books were and the show runners were changing the story, he probably thought it would all Game of Thrones, and wanted out. Superman was a great out for him.
Agreed.
We won’t bother with season 3.
Such a disappointment after a fantastic S1.
I love love love Cavill as Geralt. But I’m happy that Liam finally got a meaty role. He’s been c listed for a few years and this is his chance to shine. Remember how angry we were when tom cruise was cast as Lestat? And he was amazing!
Go Liam. Prove us all wrong and re-start your career.
I’ve always hated Cruise as Lestat – for me the under rated star of that movie was Antonio Banderas as Armand. He blew everyone else off the screen.
Rice wrote the character with Rutger Hauer in mind – he would have been PERFECT but was too old when they made the movie. One of the Skarsgard brothers needs to be cast in a remake.
Gustaf please? IMO he’s the most talented Skarsgard after Stellan.
Agree that Cruise was an awful LeStat
I LOVED the first season, and found the second season just so-so. so I guess we’ll see how the third season goes, people may just not bother to tune into season 4 at all if they are losing interest by the end of Season 3 and there’s a new Geralt. Changing your lead in the midst of a series can be pretty tough on that series.
My guess is that Cavill wasn’t super happy with the direction of the show but Superman gave him an “easy” out for not returning that doesn’t criticize the show in the press, you know?
This is exactly what I think too.
I am actually quite gutted at this as he was great in the role and yeah the 2nd season wasn’t great.
Not the greatest fan of Hemsworth, he’s an ok actor but not good enough for this role (he won’t be able to convey emotions/dialogue with subtleness using his body and face) and I am looking forward to seeing more of Cavill in the role (next season at least). Am not sure its all about him returning to Superman (he could make things work schedule wise if he really wanted to), as the article says he was always up front about being in it for the long haul and maybe he felt he couldn’t continue with things as they were with the producers. Cavill had such great on screen chemistry with his co-stars esp Jasker and Yennifer. And yeah I agree the character needs more dialogue, in the books he is much more than just muscle/a killing machine.
This is not surprising. For actors film >>> TV.
Ugh, this is not good news. We started watching the show and enjoyed it far more than I thought I would. It’s really good, and Cavill is great in the role. I don’t know anything about LH’s acting skills but I am skeptical. Oh well. I love the other characters too, and the whole world they inhabit, so maybe it will be OK.
That said, I don’t fault Cavill for wanting to move on. If he hasn’t broken his contract (which he apparently has not), he hasn’t done anything wrong. Viewers will sometimes hate on actors for choosing to leave a show. They can be quite petty about it. Actors are people too and they have a right to make career choices according to their own ambitions, interests, and personal needs or goals. So long as they fulfill their contracts and work hard to turn in strong performances, that’s all they owe anyone, IMO.
I’m sad to see him go because I love him as Geralt. I have never read the books but a LOT of people have complained about how far from the source material the show has been venturing. Henry was a HUGE Witcher fan and I can see him having issues with that as well. I don’t dislike Liam but I’m also not excited to see him in the role. I am however excited to see Henry back as Superman!
I remember him saying that the filming was incredibly taxing physically and he ended up with an awful hamstring tear. That combined with him getting into his 40’s I can imagine the studio didn’t want their Superman incapacitated as any delay in these things costs hundreds of thousands.
This is disappointing. This is my favorite Cavill role and Liam can’t act his way out of a paper bag.
HC was great as The Witcher. S1 was terrific and I watched it several times. S2 was disappointing overall. Not certain if I’ll watch S3, but not at all planning to watch S4 or onward.
#1. Can’t see Hemsworth being good. #2. 2025? No. Part of the enjoyment is the flow, and 2-3 years between seasons just brings it all to a halt for me.
#3. Netflix has very few shows we watch anymore, looks likely I will be cancelling sooner vs. later.
HC, I’ve not seen his Superman. He has been saying for years that he wants to do more Superman movies, still fits into the suit, etc. He really seems driven to be Superman.
Give Cavill credit, he does a ton of publicity for his projects, and The Witcher was a big success primarily due to Cavill.
I hate the time lag of all these streaming shows. I need a rewatch, which I won’t do, before the start of a new season. I’m happiest when I discover a show late and can watch a few seasons at a time. I’m looking forward to the new Dead to Me which airs in a few weeks. I’ll give that long time between seasons a pass because Christina Applegate was ill.
This is suspicious imo.
Cavill hasn’t signed a contract to do a Superman movie – he’s just “back” in the form of a couple of Superman cameos. So leaving what appeared to be a lucrative franchise doesn’t make sense to me unless Netflix wanted him out? Maybe he was demanding too much money during contract negotiations?
Isn’t he also signed to do the long-delayed remake of Highlander directed by Chad Stahelski?
Oh this is real? I was briefly on Twitter yesterday (probably not going to stick around there for long) and I saw all this fuss about Liam Hemsworth and his face superimposed on The Witcher character and didn’t pay much attention lol. I’m not sure I’ll watch with Liam, he’s never impressed me with any of the roles I’ve seen him. Henry’s a huge nerd and he is a huge fan of the source material, I’ve seen his interviews where he talks so passionately about that universe and what an honor it was to play Geralt. I think there’s more to the story than just his busy schedule (though for sure, he is very much in demand and does seem to have a crazy filming schedule) but we may not find out what real drama went on behind the scenes. At least Henry and Liam are being civil to each other on social media and I doubt Henry has a vendetta against Liam–maybe he even lobbied to get Liam cast as The Witcher when he realized things wouldn’t work out? It’s too bad, The Witcher isn’t necessarily the most amazing show but I feel like Henry Cavill makes that show and not sure I will want to watch it without him.
Are the PTB at Netflix so dumb that they’d let Cavill walk over money? If so, idiots.
The Witcher is huge internationally.
Cavill has a net worth $40M. He can pick and choose his projects I’d think.
He was right. The second season was all over the place and lacked the first season’s tone. I’ll still watch it, but Hemsworth? Not so sure.
This is a big disappointment—both that Cavill is leaving the role of Geralt, and that they have cast Liam Hemsworth to replace him. They should have recast him with Mads Mikkelsson. (Plus, the man who plays stregobor is his brother)
No way, I didn’t know that. They really look nothing alike but I love them both now.
No.
Literally LOL when I read that. Why waste time say lot word when few word do trick?
Nooooooo
I never paid any attention to Henry Cavill. In Superman he was a little too perfect. Then my son was all excited about Season 2 of the Witcher coming to Netflix with Henry Cavill. We went back and started watching from the beginning in Season 1. About half-way through the first episode, I was like, who again is playing Geralt??? He is beyond gorgeous! The famous grunt! I find his face to be very expressive when perhaps dialogue fails. I will definitely watch Season 3, and probably will at least begin watching with Liam. I have read all the books as well.
Netflix are being fools. Didn’t care for Superman!Cavill, MI!Cavill was OK, but in a good in good films sense. Got snowed in and Twitter pals were raving about Witcher. Loved it! Saw Cavill in a new light. Saw Enola Holmes and really enjoyed his Sherlock, when I thought I was going to hate it.
I truly hate the “bad screenwriters” theories for why a show is now bad. But when the best thing about a show is disagreeing with the creative decisions being made, some attention should be paid. I suspect the showrunners made sure their contracts were iron clad before bringing on a star as big as Cavill, so now the show will go on with a much smaller star. Will be very curious to see if the budgets remain as high.
ETA realizing Netflix may be thinking it’s better to pay for a flop Hemsworth series than buy out the showrunners and/or keep them happy so they stick with moving the series onto other characters and timelines.
brilliant id watch mads
oooh, Mads! I enjoy his work. But sadly, I think he’s too old for The Witcher.
I wonder is Netflix going to kill off Geralt? Liam will be a younger Geralt?
Will Geralt save Ciri? Will Yennifer and Geralt go on to a happy ending?
Jaskier, what about Jaskier?
What happens to the Black Knight?
I do agree that as Henry Cavill gets closer to 40, Geralt must be taking a toll on him.
He is in most scenes, constantly running, fighting, horse back riding. It’s a very physical role.
I bet Liam is heading to the gym and his personal trainer right away. lol