Across three blockbusting seasons of Netflix’s hit fantasy series The Witcher, antihero Geralt of Rivia has seen off killer monsters, duplicitous wizards and some of the deadliest special effects a reported $25 million per episode budget can buy. But now Geralt faces his greatest challenge yet: the exit of lead actor Henry Cavill.
Cavill stepped down as Geralt in October 2022, weeks after cameras had stopped rolling on The Witcher series three. While the reasons for his departure remain unclear, there’s no standing on ceremony in the world of heroic fantasy. As series four arrives, he has been replaced by former Hunger Games star Liam Hemsworth – who has admitted he was wary of taking on the part of Geralt, so synonymous was the character with Cavill.
The departing Cavill leaves big boots to fill, but Netflix is confident that Hemsworth is up to the task. As showrunner Lauren Hissrich sees it, swapping out Cavill for Hemsworth is much like James Bond producers exchanging one 007 for another.
“James Bond is a perfect example of a character that continues to live on ... in many different actors,” she tells The Irish Times. “People have favourite James Bonds, and it’s not that you don’t like the other ones.”
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As Hissrich is no doubt aware, not all James Bonds were created equal. If Cavill was the fantasy equivalent of Sean Connery – the brutally effective and darkly charming original, then what does that make Hemsworth, who was drafted in at the last minute? Could he be as big a flop as George Lazenby when he took over from Connery? Or will he put his own unique stamp on Geralt, as Roger Moore did with Bond?
To Hissrich, at least, the answer is obvious: the new Witcher is a keeper. Hemsworth threw himself into the action and came to the Witcher set in Wales ready to get under the skin of Geralt – a magical, monster-slaying warrior who sustains his super-human strength by quaffing a variety of performance-enhancing potions.
“We had to embrace the change, and we had to be confident about the change,” says Hissrich.
“What’s great is that Liam was up to that challenge. He had a ton of opinions about his character, about what was important to him, about what he wanted to keep from the past. He was very keen on making sure Geralt stayed Geralt. That the character is bigger than an actor. But then he also had to bring his own touch to it, his own flair. He had a lot of thoughts about what that could be. I have to say he showed up. The first day that he filmed is actually the very first scene of the season. He owns it so beautifully. He came to set, he was Geralt. And because he was confident, we were confident.”
The Witcher is one of the big three classic fantasy franchises, alongside Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and George RR Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire. But it’s a lot grittier than Tolkien while giving fantasy fans more bang for their mythological buck than Martin by having Geralt fight a rotating cast of hideous monsters as he seeks to keep safe his ward, Ciri (Freya Allen), from various nefarious kingdoms and empires.
Long before the TV show, The Witcher was globally popular. The original novels by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski have sold 50 million copies, while the Witcher video games are considered some of the best of the past 20 years. That level of fandom invites a lot of scrutiny – all the more with Cavill having left (amid unsubstantiated rumours that he and Hissrich did not see eye to eye regarding the trajectory of Geralt).
The upside to such a profile, says Hissrich, is that “the character is bigger than the actor”. Just as you can replace your big-screen James Bond or Batman, it is possible for more than one actor to don Geralt’s distinctive silver top-knot and strap on his silver Witcher sword.
“He had to embrace how he would bring his own thing to it but how it would stay Geralt,” says Hissrich. “He’s obviously surrounded by other cast members who’ve been playing their roles for several years, and had to have continuity in terms of how they interacted with him. One of the decisions we made very early is we did some flashbacks so that we could have Geralt and Yennefer [Geralt’s romantic interest] and Ciri in the same place again. Obviously they’re on very different journeys this season – we needed to show that family and show them back together. And it was such a great place to start, because it was like, ‘Okay, we’ve adapted to this. And this is Geralt’.”
Cavill’s departure shocked fans – and came as a surprise to the cast, too. They had no inkling that Cavill was thinking of moving on, Anya Chalotra, who plays the sorcerer Yennefer, said in 2023. “When we are all on set, we’re dedicated to playing these characters and bringing them to life in the best way. And that is precisely what I felt every day from Henry. That news was hard to take because he’s family. We’ve been together for five years. So for anyone to leave after working with someone for that long, we’re going to feel that loss.”
Two years later Joey Batey, who portrays Geralt’s bardic sidekick, Jaskier, talks fondly of his time on set with Cavill and mourns his departure. “It was sad [but] for me, my friendship with Henry ... he’s not dead. He’s [been] incredibly supportive throughout shooting season four. I remember turning up on my first day, I’d finished a very long shoot and came back to my house, and there was a package from Henry in support. Three bottles of wine, some stress balls. If you know Henry, he’s got a very dry sense of humour. He checks in all the time, and has been very supportive of the show throughout. I don’t have to miss him, because we’re constantly on the phone with each other. Going for the odd glass of wine when we can.”
With Hemsworth on board, it was decided to shoot series four and five back to back – a huge logistical undertaking that required the actors to throw themselves into the elements, says Batey.
“We’ve essentially shot eight films in 16 months and done our very best to get through it. But there are tons of injuries, through no fault of anybody’s. I’ve had contusions, I’ve fractured my back. I’ve broken a rib. The weight of this show frequently has an effect on your body and, as a result, on your mental health as well. Without the collaborative nature, without the friendships that we’ve built, I don’t think any of us would have survived. Liam is going through many more injuries than I did. The very fact that he’s able to continue with this character so viscerally, it’s a testament to his fortitude.”
If Cavill has left, the most significant addition to the cast is Laurence Fishburne, aka Morpheus from The Matrix and the Bowery King from John Wick, who plays a mysterious new ally of Geralt on his hunt for Ciri (who, unbeknown to Geralt, has joined a band of brigands). Regis is mysterious, a bit plummy, and obviously knows more than he is letting on – yet despite these clear echoes of his Matrix character, Fishburne does not regard him as Morpheus part two. “The only parallel I see between Regis and Morpheus and the Bowery King is the actor that played them. That’s it. As characters, they’re completely different guys.”
Fishburne is best known for bringing his magnetism and deep, rumbling voice to properties such as The Matrix and the TV show Hannibal, about the Thomas Harris serial killer Hannibal Lecter. However, he has always loved fantasy and was thrilled to explore that interest with The Witcher.
“I have been [a fan of fantasy] for a long time, and it’s not a genre that I’ve played in before. There’s a certain fantasy element to A Nightmare on Elm Street 3, which I did, for example – the Dream Warriors. But my character [in Elm Street] doesn’t engage with any of that. So for me, this was a great opportunity to actually finally do something like this,” he says.
“One of the reasons I wanted to do it is because you don’t often see people of colour in these kinds of environment, these kind of spaces. The women in The Witcher are super-empowered. The show is incredibly female forward, which I also like. It’s nice when you can be involved in a piece like that. And then the production values, the locations they choose, the way they choose to shoot the show, the visuals – are pretty stunning. So all of those things were exciting and attractive to me.”
The question on the minds of Netflix executives is whether The Witcher will continue to appeal to viewers now that Henry Cavill is gone and Hemsworth has taken over – though not for long, given that series five has been confirmed as the end. Hissrich hopes fans warm to him. But she is long since past the point of feeling nervous about how he is received.
“Part of it is because it’s done. We’ve made it. We’re so proud. We’ve been with Liam for the past 2½ years. This is not new to us. The idea that the world is finally going to catch up with us and get on the train is super exciting. Season five is in progress already, so we know what we’re writing to. We know what the end is. I’m excited more than I am nervous.”
The Witcher season four begins on Thursday, October 30th
