Henry Cavill returns as Geralt in The Witcher season 3, but the season will be his last, and he'll be replaced by Liam Hemsworth. The Witcher is based on the book series of the same name by Andrzej Sapkowski, and it has become one of the most popular shows on Netflix. The series is led by Henry Cavill, who plays Geralt of Rivia, a brooding and enigmatic monster hunter with supernatural abilities, also known as a Witcher. Geralt protects the world from deadly creatures and supernatural entities. It has been well documented how much Cavill loves playing the character and how much of a fan he is of the novels and the beloved video game adaptation.
The actor has received tons of praise for his performance as Geralt, even in reviews where the series was criticized. Unfortunately, after three seasons of playing the character, Cavill will hang up the Geralt wig, as he is exiting the role and another actor, Liam Hemsworth, will replace him. There are still so many unanswered questions about why Cavill left the role and why he's being replaced in The Witcher. However, while it's mostly speculation, a lot have different camps, whether it's producers, cast members, or or other industry insiders, have voiced their side of The Witcher recasting.
Every Possible Reason For Henry Cavill Leaving The Witcher
Is Henry Cavill Quitting The Witcher Because It's Not Faithful To The Books?
Cavill has often expressed his adoration for the source material, and as he's an avid gamer (and even built his own gaming computer), he's a huge fan of the just-as-popular video game adaptations too. This led to rumors that Cavill quit The Witcher because the series isn't faithful to the books. There's no way to say for definite if this is true, but there have been several reports that point to this being the case (via SFF Gazette). Cavill made the character his own by even giving Geralt a distinct accent, and he was always adamant that the show should stay true to the source material.
The writers didn't respond well to this, and it caused conflict between the writing team and Cavill. According to writer Beau DeMayo, "some of the writers were not or actively disliked the books and games (even actively mocking the source material)." Showrunner Lauren D Hissrich is even on record for stating that she avoids hiring writers who are familiar with the source material, and this could have rubbed Cavill, and active fan of The Witcher, the wrong way.
Did Henry Cavill Leave The Witcher Due To His Superman Return?
Other speculation surrounding Cavill's departure from The Witcher revolves around his other iconic character, Superman. Cavill has played Superman in the DCU ever since 2013's Man of Steel, and following Cavill's Superman cameo in Black Adam, there was so much talk about Cavill returning to the DCU as Clark Kent, even from Cavill himself. As being part of a cinematic universe is a huge commitment, it was possible that Cavill exited The Witcher due to genuine scheduling conflicts.
However, even despite the Black Adam cameo, Cavill will not continue to be the DCU's Superman. James Gunn, director of the Guardians of the Galaxy series and the new head of DC Studios under Warner Bros., definitively and bluntly stated that his plan does not involve Cavill (via Variety). Gunn, who will direct Superman: Legacy, explained, “Among those on the slate is Superman. In the initial stages, our story will be focusing on an earlier part of Superman’s life, so the character will not be played by Henry Cavill." So his Superman return, or lack therof, is not why Cavill quit The Witcher.
Henry Cavill Could Have Left The Witcher Because Of Scheduling Conflicts
While it certainly wasn't scheduling conflicts with future DCU performances, there's a chance that Cavill quit The Witcher for other scheduling conflicts. Outside of rising tensions with the writers, this is the most plausible explanation. However, Cavill doesn't have any confirmed upcoming projects, at least none that have been disclosed. The actor has two upcoming movies scheduled for release; Argylle and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, but they're both in post-production, meaning that Cavill's work on the movie has been completed.
What Henry Cavill Has Actually Said About Leaving The Witcher
Henry Cavill hasn't actually said anything about leaving The Witcher, at least not yet, but he could be waiting until The Witcher season 3 has been released and fully consumed by the audience. However, Cavill's cast mates have spoken up about the recasting, and they noted that they were totally blindsided and didn't know that season 3 was Cavill's last when they were shooting the season (via Fandom Wire). Freya Allan added that they're trying to "move forward with that and focus on what’s ahead, and I think it will be exciting to see Liam’s interpretation."
What The Witcher's Showrunner Has Said About Henry Cavill's Exit
Among the others to discuss Cavill's exit was showrunner Lauren Hissrich, who explained that she was concerned about what to do with Geralt, not knowing whether to continue the show without the main character or recast the Witcher (via Total Film). Hissrich ended up going with the latter, and that seems to be what she's is focusing on. The showrunner explained, "I think we’ve all been mourning this in our own way," then added, "If we replaced Geralt with another Witcher, we would be going fully away from the books, and I don’t think that’s what anyone wanted either."
Why Liam Hemsworth Was Cast As Geralt Of Rivia
Netflix didn't just pick a random name out of a hat when recasting Cavill for The Witcher season 4, and they looked back at who was originally up for the role in 2018. Liam Hemsworth, who played Gale in the Hunger Games franchise, auditioned for the Geralt part before Cavill got the role. There was no audition process when it came to finding a Cavill replacement, and Netflix cast Hemsworth based on his 2018 audition (via CBR). It isn't known how close he was to winning the role over the other actors who were considered at the time, but he most have left a lasting impression on the producers.
When Liam Hemsworth Will Replace Henry Cavill As Geralt In The Witcher
The Witcher season 3 release date is June 29, 2023, which is when the first five episodes will be available to stream on Netflix. The seconds part of the season will arrive on the streamer on July 27, 2034, which will consist of three episodes. In both parts of the season, Henry Cavill will be playing Geralt, which might seem confusing given that talk about the actor being recast, but the season was shot before Cavill's departure was announced. Hemsworth will replace Cavill in The Witcher season 4. The Witcher seasons are generally released around two years apart, so Hemsworth's Geralt likely won't be seen until 2025.
How Will The Witcher Explain Recasting Geralt In-Universe?
It isn't currently clear how The Witcher will explain the recast, but there's one way to make it work. The series has unique and self-aware comedy, which is often seen whenever Jaskier breaks the fourth wall. In The Witcher season 4, Jaskier could simply make a meta joke about how Geralt looks different. However, that could just as easily draw too much attention to the recasting and be too distracting. The other option is to simply not explaining it at all. After all, main characters are recast in TV shows and movie franchises all the time. Ultimately, either option has its pros and cons.
