“And just when it seemed all was lost, Geralt rose again.”
So says a character in the Season 4 premiere episode of “The Witcher” – and that comment could apply to the on-screen as well as off-screen drama related to the Netflix fantasy series.
After the show’s star Henry Cavill, 42, announced in 2022 that he would not be returning for the fourth season, fans wondered how “Witcher” could evolve its titular stoic hero, Geralt. Cavill’s exit announcement also included the news that “Hunger Games” actor Liam Hemsworth, 35, would take over the role; ever since, there has been rampant speculation and debate among fans about how the show will continue and why, exactly, Cavill decided to depart.
Season 4 of the series has debuted on Netflix with Hemsworth making a worthy effort to step into Cavill’s medieval boots, but viewers may still be wondering what exactly happened, both on-screen and behind-the-scenes, that led us to this version of the show and the character. Here’s everything you need to know about Geralt of Rivia, new and old.
Why did Henry Cavill leave ‘The Witcher’ after Season 3?
Henry Cavill was the biggest name and draw to Netflix’s “The Witcher” when the first season of the fantasy series, based on author Andrzej Sapkowski’s novels and video games of the same name, debuted in 2019 on the streaming service. The series quickly became a Netflix hit, generating fans, memes and even a breakaway pop hit (“Toss a Coin to Your Witcher”). Seasons 2 and 3, which debuted in 2021 and 2023, respectively, were less of a cultural sensation but still generated mostly positive reviews and pleased (some) fans.
However, between Seasons 2 and 3, Cavill announced on his Instagram that he would not be returning to the role after the upcoming third season. “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” he captioned an image from the series, “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.”
Fans were quick to speculate that Cavill’s exit was due to creative differences with the producers, particularly over changes from the source material and the depiction of his character. However, none of that has ever been verified by official sources, either from Cavill, Netflix or any others on the show’s creative team.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, executive producer Lauren Hissrich explained that the conversation about Cavill’s “Witcher” future had gone on for some time. “Cavill personally wanted to end his time as Geralt.”
“He had plans for other roles that he really wanted to commit himself to,” Hissrich told the outlet. “And for us, you don’t want to hold someone and force them to be doing something that they don’t want to do. I think that’s why it felt like a really symbiotic decision.”
Other than to promote the 2023 third season of the series, Cavill hasn’t spoken much about his departure since that 2022 Instagram post. Since he left the “Witcher” set, the actor has appeared in films such as “Argylle,” “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” and “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which all premiered in 2024.
What does Liam Hemsworth have to say about his new ‘Witcher’ role?
Hemsworth had his own concerns about stepping into a role with a fervent fanbase and a great deal of history with another celebrated actor.
“I was pretty reluctant at that point. (I had) a lot of concerns and questions about it all. I was a big fan of the video game and then I watched the series, and was a fan of the series, and I read the books,” Hemsworth told British news outlet RadioTimes.com. “Just the situation coming into a series that’s already established a really passionate fanbase. I appreciate these fans, and I appreciate the fact that they care so much about it.”
“I think if I wasn’t a fan myself, if I didn’t care about it, I wouldn’t have come on board. The reason I came on board was because I was a fan, and because I thought that I could do justice to this character. I thought that could bring an interesting interpretation to this part of the story.”
How does ‘The Witcher’ deal with the Geralt casting change in the story?
Spoiler alert! The next section contains spoilers for the first episode of the fourth season of Netflix’s “The Witcher.”
In a show as weird and wild as “The Witcher,” viewers might not be surprised to learn that transitioning from one lead actor to another was pretty seamless.
By way of introducing Hemsworth’s version of the character in the Season 4 premiere, the episode takes a trip down memory lane, recreating iconic moments from the series with the new actor going through the motions that Cavill did in the original episodes. We see Hemsworth’s Geralt fight the Kikimore monster from the series’ very first scene in Season 1, as well as more emotional moments from the show, including the original group hug between Geralt and his found family Ciri (Freya Allan) and Yennefer (Anya Chalotra).
The reason for all these photoshopped flashbacks? We meet older Nimue (Sha Dessi), who fans of the video game and books will be excited to see debut. She and some other little rascals are being told a story about the legendary witcher Geralt of Rivia … except Nimue has some edits to the narrative. She also thinks she has a destiny that will intertwine with Geralt’s. Viewers should certainly pay attention to her.
But after those flashbacks, the story just moves on. We meet up Geralt, Ciri and Yennefer on their separate quests and amidst the war and melodrama on the Continent.
With or without Cavill, the Witcher has monsters to kill and a family to save.
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