Back in October, Netflix officially announced that a fourth season of The Witcher is on the way ahead of the release of Season 3 next year, but it won't be the same Geralt that we're used to. The news of Henry Cavill's departure from the show, around the same time he announced his return to the role of Superman — which backfired somewhat — was followed by the news that Liam Hemsworth would be taking over his sword and medallion for the show going forward.
This news caused quite a stir, with devastated fans calling for the show to end without Cavill, who was seen as the perfect casting choice for the character given his obsessive love of video games and general nerd fandom to the series. His A-list status and passion for the role was a huge contributing factor to the success of the show, which became a huge hit for Netflix.
Now, in the wake of his departure, Head of U.S. and Canada scripted series Peter Friedlander has spoken to Variety about the actor's departure from the series, and while his answer doesn't provide much in the way of new information regarding Cavill directly, it does offer a smaller explanation as to why the show is continuing without its star, rather than wrapping up altogether.
In an interview with Variety, Friedlander assured audiences that at the end of the day, Geralt of Rivia will have been well-served by both actors who've taken on the role. He also cited similar casting shakeups, saying:
Henry is an extraordinary Geralt and I think Liam will continue and also be an extraordinary Geralt. There has been a legacy of amazing, iconic characters where the actors have changed and we’re hugely optimistic about this. We will continue to honor the IP, the fans, the storytelling, all the way through.
The debut season of The Witcher landed 541 million hours of viewing time from audiences, and season 2 earned more views than Netflix's crown jewel, Stranger Things. A spin-off of the series, entitled The Witcher: Blood Origin and starring Michelle Yeoh is currently streaming on Netflix.
Fans will still be able to see Cavill one more time in The Witcher Season 3 before he passes the torch to Hemsworth. The Witcher Season 3 is set to premiere in the Summer of 2023.