Witcher losing Henry Cavill is bigger for Netflix than simple recasting

Henry Cavill seemed to care more about getting Geralt of Rivia “right” during his tenure on The WitcherUnlike most actors portraying real people in prestige biopics. 2019 was the year before its premiere. The WitcherCavill’s journey to the role in season 1 I asked Cavill. The actor said it was personal.

“I really feel a connection to Geralt and who he is and his nature, especially from the books,” Cavill said with a sense of conviction that is pretty much unlike any other actor I’ve ever talked to. “And having played the game for many, many, many hours, it was something that I had a connection with. It was about just bringing in a different version of myself, which is Geralt. [showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich’s] show.”

The Witcher season 3 will arrive on Netflix in 2023, and with it, Cavill’s final bow. Netflix made the announcement on Saturday just days after Cavill had revealed that Superman would be making a comeback to DC movies in any form or another. The WitcherSeason 4 would see Geralt return, but with a different main actor. Liam Hemsworth would play Geralt, who is most well-known for his role in The Hunger Games movies.

“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,” Cavill wrote on Instagram. “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.”

“As a Witcher fan I’m over the moon about the opportunity to play Geralt of Rivia,” Hemsworth posted in a timed response. “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.”

I’d give Hemsworth the benefit of the doubt and say he’d make a solid Geralt if I could remember literally anything he did in The Hunger Games movies as Katniss’ stud bud Gale. The murkiness of Hemsworth’s IMDb page combined with Cavill’s ascendence as Geralt leaves the announcement feeling uninspired. It is clear that in IP games, ending a story or ending a series of shows imprinted upon by an actor does not make sense. The WitcherIt’s okay to keep on going. But at this point, getting a new Geralt is like getting a new Jon Snow or Don Draper — it’s unthinkable, and downright strange.

Photo: Susie Allnutt/Netflix

Maybe Hemsworth’s Geralt is the “younger” version of Geralt (though the actor is only seven years Cavill’s junior) or the product of some transformative magic? I didn’t expect to find myself thinking about this. The Imaginarium of Doctor ParnassusIn the year 2022. How Terry Gilliam cast Heath Ledger alongside Jude Law, Johnny Depp and Colin Farrell, after his lead actor died mid-filming. But here we are. Whatever explanation. The Witcher season 4 provides, there’s little precedence for such a switch; yes, Game of ThronesMid-series casting is not uncommon. For example, Ed Skrein famously called in Michiel Huisman to play the role of Daario. Doctor WhoThe ultimate hand-wave regeneration transforms Doctors each season. Notably, Ruby Rose left The CW’s Batwoman after season 1 due to injuries and claims of on-set abuse, but instead of recasting the character, producers opted to reframe the show around a new character, Javicia Leslie’s Ryan Wilder. This decision is more in line with the way major studios treat comic book casting over recent years. In a world in which four actors play different Peter Parker Spider-Mans over a decade or multiple Batmans fight crime via the multiverse, it makes sense to just let one Geralt go and welcome the next. Give them The Witcher.

The messaging around Cavill’s departure does glow with the aura of a mutual decision. His Instagram account states that he will pass the torch to someone else. This is despite the fact that he loves The Witcher and has openly shared his memories of wearing it over the years. Why now? There are obvious reasons: The Witcher is an enormous time-consuming television show and Cavill is a busy movie star, having dabbled in Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible series, played the grown-up lead in Enola Holmes, and stepped up to give us the multiple UNCLE = Man sequels we deserve in the form of Matthew Vaughn and Apple’s upcoming spy thriller/franchise-starter Argylle. Soon he’ll be back wearing the cape for DC. It’s easy to see why that was the choice over more time as Geralt: Returning as Superman is a hurrah-worthy comeback story, and whatever Man of Steel 2The film he is in, “ish” will receive a worldwide push that’s unlike any other movie release. The Witcher season 4 is part of Netflix’s dutiful churn.

Worse, rumors suggest that Cavill might not be very happy with the work he did. The WitcherThis was because there was conflict over how serious to treat the source material. In a recent Instagram Stories Q&A, former The Witcher staff writer Beau DeMayo admitted that, during his time on the show, that he was surprised to learn many involved with the making the series didn’t really care much for The Witcher.

“I’ve been on show[s[ — namely Witcher — where some of the writers were not [into] or actively disliked the books and games (even actively mocking the source material),” DeMayo explained (via TheDirect). “It’s a recipe for disaster and bad morale. Fans are a way to test egos and make all the hard work worthwhile. You have to respect the work before you’re allowed to add to its legacy.”

Photo: Susie Allnutt/Netflix

All accounts considered, I also include mine. The WitcherLauren Schmidt Hissrich as showrunner is not one among these people. Our first look at The Witcher season 1, Hissrich delved into her own love for author Andrzej Sapkowski’s work, and how carefully she wanted to piece together not only Geralt’s story, but what it meant to expand on Ciri and Yennefer. Hissrich demonstrated a dedication to the source material, and her partnership with Cavill when discussing season 2, (and season 3,). And Netflix clearly loves what she’s done with the world, asking her to oversee the upcoming Blood Origin: The WitcherShe will be directing miniseries for the company and expanding her involvement on Witcher shows and non-Witcher ones.

Cavill expressed frustration with Geralt’s direction in the two first seasons. In the lead up to season 1, he explained to me how the literary quality of Sapkowski’s books became particularly difficult to adapt, and made pinning down Geralt’s human qualities a greater challenge. He agonized over exactly which voice to use, and eventually departed from Doug Cockle’s American accent in the games to a gravely British take.

“For me it was about boiling it down to the very essence of who Geralt is,” he said at the time. “In the books, there are complexities and nuance in long-held conversations, and if I were to use my own natural accent, that would have worked for me. But due to the nature of there being a selection of storylines, and those storylines being slightly adjusted and there being less of an opportunity to be extraordinary, verbose, and nuanced in long conversations, I had to boil it down to Geralt’s stony exterior and directness.”

The actor went on to detail how he turned moments of expression found in the books and games (e.g., “I can smell this,” “I can hear this”) into physical mannerisms. He was concerned about the potential for it to go beyond the boundaries of the show’s scope. “It was important for me to have the audience understand that he has abilities far beyond a human being and that he uses them all the time,” Cavill explained, “whether it be me breathing in and trying to see if there’s any scent on the wind, or just hearing something slightly different. It’s all small stuff. Whether they made the cut or not is another part of the storytelling, but they’re all in there, and on the day [of shooting], that was absolutely something I focused on enormously.”

Cavill’s personal connection to Geralt runs deep. As he has said many times, before becoming an actor, Cavill was nearly ready to join the British army, and his family’s connection to the military became pivotal to understanding Geralt’s service and commitment to brotherhood. Cavill saw himself in The Witcher books, and when he arrived on set to play Geralt, Sapkowski’s words were seared into his memory. So much so that during the filming of Roach’s death in season 2, Cavill pushed back against a scripted moment and rewrote the scene by himself. On the page, the death of Geralt’s horse was written with a bit of a wink to fans who knew that a “new Roach” scene was inevitable. Cavill showed great Horse Guy bravery and wanted to be straight.

“Henry was so unhappy with the line,” Hissrich told me before the premiere of The Witcher Season 2. “Finally I said, ‘You know what, you come up with something. I trust you, you know this material so well, you know the book so well, you don’t even have to pitch it to me.’ And he came back the next day with a beautiful speech that’s at the end of Sword of Destiny when Geralt is facing death and it’s such a pitch-perfect moment.”

Photo: Susie Allnutt/Netflix

Cavill didn’t directly comment on the rumors regarding his frustration or departure. But, Cavill fans have made use of moments in recent times that help to make sense. Cavill spoke on the Today Show following the broadcast’s recasting announcement. Joyful and Sad Confusion podcast in which he described how he invests in roles — and when he knows to walk away.

“It’s just about belief,” the actor said. “If you believe what you’re doing is the right thing then you’ll be able to keep on doing it. If you realize you’re doing the wrong thing, that’s when you stop doing the wrong thing. You don’t just keep on going, because that leads down a dark path.”

However The Witcher may have been Netflix’s blockbuster-sized play to rival Game of Thrones, it’s anything but a clone. It’s grungy and sensitive. The series has its fair share of dumb, fantasy-based monsters. There is also a few moments of fairytale sweetness. It’s easy to see how it could be more generic; the Witcher games became classics thanks to a fusion of story and gameplay — narratively deeper than Skyrim, more realistic than Zelda — but the Witcher show didn’t have the advantage of full immersion. Hissrich needed a heartbeat to retell a live-action story. Cavill was that person. Not only does Geralt slay, but he also wrestles with demons. He even struggles to become the surrogate father of an up-and coming ass-kicker. Cavill is deep within each episode, amid the demon carnage. What show would be complete without Cavill?

Beyond Geralt, there is another world for The Witcher: Blood OriginWe will get a gnarly glimpse of it in December thanks to the clans from the Continent that we have only briefly seen. There are animated, kid-friendly Witcher projects in the works that could take this fantasy story in unexpected directions. It’s not hard to imagine Ciri actor Freya Allan one day leading her own Witcher story. There’s more to this world than the familiar. I am excited about them all.

But in an unexpected move, Netflix remains dedicated to putting Geralt on screen, first with 2023’s The WitcherThe third season featured a brand new Liam Hemsworth playing the role. It was many years later. I’m not sure the show just needs a warm body to keep its fictional character alive. Yes, the company has tossed a coin to its Witcher — just not the one that made the show the underestimated triumph it is today.