Perhaps WB invoked the Law of Surprise?
The Witcher is one of the most interesting ongoing series on Netflix at the moment, bringing the exceptional Polish dark fantasy franchise to life. The show adapts the short stories and novels by author Andrzej Sapkowski depicting Geralt of Rivia, bound by destiny to Ciri of Cintra as he battles monsters and evil across The Continent. One of the biggest draws to The Witcher was the casting of Henry Cavill as Geralt, a fan’s dream come true as he brought the role to ferocious life, but recent news claims he is leaving the role, and being replaced.
Why Is Henry Cavill Leaving The Witcher?
Henry Cavill’s sudden departure from the role as Geralt is surprising only initially until you notice it was timed with his announcement that he was back as Superman. It wasn’t even a week apart: he announced the dawn of hope renewed as a joyful return to Superman on October 24, 2022, followed by his departure from the role as Geralt on October 29, 2022.
It seems as though a trade was made, of sorts, and while he loved both characters and embodying them as accurately as possible, he had a greater reverence for how Superman was to be portrayed. That being said, we will see his Geralt for one more season, as he will reprise the role once more for Season 3 of The Witcher before bowing out.
He has kept his fans in the loop on Instagram and it was likely a heartbreaking decision, but one he didn’t leave anyone in the dark about. This includes his announcement about his Superman role as well as his announcement of departing his role as Geralt. But perhaps what softened the blow for Cavill was that he likely would no longer have to struggle with the showrunners to bring Geralt to book-accurate life, as there were repeated claims that writers and crew of the show cared little for the source material. The announcements were sudden, but this decision could have been in the works for a while.
Who Replaced Cavill as Geralt?
In the same announcement on Instagram, Henry Cavill also spoke about passing the torch, to none other than Liam Hemsworth for Season 4 going forward in The Witcher on Netflix. It’s a puzzling choice, recasting a lead role in the middle of a series with alleged seven-season plans, but Hemsworth is certainly a fan of the series and is no stranger to the physicality demanded by the role. This hasn’t stopped the fan outrage about the sudden recasting, however.
It’s also important to remind fans that they reacted poorly when Cavill was announced as the star; they wanted somebody more like Mads Mikkelsen and were more than happy to take to social media about it. Ironically, it’s likely many of those same people who have been upset by this news, when people who were won over by Cavill just couldn’t resist the bait.
As always, it’s important to remember that while it’s important to the fans, the star’s input is equally important, especially when they are fans as well. It’s healthy to respect Cavill’s decision, and wish Hemsworth the best of luck.
The Witcher released on Netflix on December 20, 2019. It has aired 2 seasons, with Season 3 to air in mid-2023.
- This article was updated on October 30th, 2022
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