Henry Cavill is heading back to television. Yes indeed, Superman himself is making the move to Netflix, but it’s an exciting marriage of material and performer: The Witcher saga. Fan art has been making the rounds for weeks of Cavill as part of The Witcher, which is a best-selling fantasy series, and Cavill himself seemed to endorse it on his Instagram. It’s unclear if that was the impetus for this casting or if this deal has been in the works for months, but either way fans will be thrilled to learn that Henry Cavill will be playing Geralt of Rivia in Netflix’s TV series adaptation of the best-selling book series.
The official logline for The Witcher TV series is as follows:
Based on the best-selling fantasy series, The Witcher is an epic tale of fate and family. Geralt of Rivia, a solitary monster hunter, struggles to find his place in a world where people often prove more wicked than beasts. But when destiny hurtles him toward a powerful sorceress, and a young princess with a dangerous secret, the three must learn to navigate the increasingly volatile Continent together.
Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, whose credits range from The West Wing to Marvel’s Daredevil, is serving as the showrunner of The Witcher, and the first season of the series will consist of eight episodes in total. Alik Sakharov, who’s directed multiple episodes of Game of Thrones, Black Sails, and House of Cards, will be the directing producer on The Witcher, helming four of the first season’s episodes. Alex Garcia Lopez (Luke Cage) will direct two, and Charlotte Brändström (Outlander) will direct the other two.
Cavill first broke out with his role on the Showtime series The Tudors before his casting in Man of Steel made him a movie star. He shined in the criminally underseen The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and his terrific turn in this summer’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout further showcased his range and versatility (he still hasn’t been used to his full potential in the DCEU), so he’s a swell choice to lead a TV series all his own.
No doubt fans will wonder what this means for Cavill’s future in the DCEU, but I’d remind you that Dwayne Johnson is a series regular on an HBO series and still has time to lead blockbuster after blockbuster. No doubt Cavill’s commitment to The Witcher will be a bit more involved since it's a big-budget fantasy series, so Man of Steel 2 may not be in the immediate future, but if The Witcher TV series shoots for, say, six months beginning this winter, Cavill’s schedule would clear up next summer or fall to make another movie. All this being said, what's Cavill supposed to do, wait around until Warner Bros. decides to make a new Superman movie? Good on him for forging his own path.
What say you, folks? Are you happy about Cavill’s The Witcher casting? Sound off in the comments below.
