Netflix’s ‘The Witcher’ Showrunner Revealed They Discussed Ending The Show Following Henry Cavill’s Exit As Geralt
John F. Trent
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Netflix’s The Witcher showrunner Lauren Hissrich recently revealed that she and the Netflix team discussed ending the show after Henry Cavill chose to exit the role of Geralt.
Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia and Anya Chalotra as Yennefer in The Witcher (2021), Netflix
Hissrich’s comments were made in the latest issue of Total Film magazine as reported by Redanian Intelligence.
Commenting about Cavill’s decision to leave the show, Hissrich said, “It was time for him in his life to move on. I think we’ve all been mourning this in our own way. We had the choice to have Geralt exit and to end the show. [But] that’s not something that we were willing to do. There’s just too many stories left to tell.”
She also added they discussed bringing in a new Witcher, “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.”
Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia and Kim Bodnia as Vesemir in The Witcher (2021), Netflix
Cavill announced he was leaving The Witcher at the end of October 2022. He posted to Instagram writing, “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.”
The former Superman actor went on to reveal that Liam Hemsworth would replace him, “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.’
He concluded offering Hemsworth some words of encouragement, “Liam, good sir, this character has such a wonderful depth to him, enjoy diving in and seeing what you can find.”
Henry Cavill Instagram
Cavill’s decision to step away from The Witcher came shortly after he teased he would be returning to the role of Superman on October 24th. He posted to Instagram, “A very small taste of what’s to come, my friends. The dawn of hope renewed. Thank you for your patience, it will be rewarded. #Superman”
In the video he said, “I wanted to make it official that I am back as Superman. And the image you see in this post and what you saw in Black Adam are just a very small taste of what’s to come.”
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Cavill’s return as Superman would be short-lived, amounting to a cameo at the end of Black Adam. He would share in December that he had a conversation with DC Studios CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran and discovered that “I will, after all, not be returning as Superman.”
Cavill continued, “After being told by the studio to announce my return back in October, prior to their hire, this news isn’t the easiest, but that’s life. The changing of the guard is something that happens. I respect that. James and Peter have a universe to build. I wish them and all involved with the new universe the best of luck, and the happiest of fortunes.”
Henry Cavill Instagram
Shortly after announcing he would no longer return as Superman, Cavill did announce that he would be taking a producer role in the formation of a Warhammer Cinematic Universe in partnership with Prime Video.
He wrote on Instagram, “For 30 years I have dreamt of seeing a Warhammer universe in live action. Now, after 22 years of experience in this industry, I finally feel that I have the skill set and experience to guide a Warhammer Cinematic Universe into life. Partnering with Natalie Viscuso at Vertigo has been a blessing beyond words, without her we might not have found the perfect home at Amazon. And having a home like Amazon will give us the freedom to be true to the massive scope of Warhammer. To all of you Warhammer fans out there, I promise to respect this IP that we love. I promise to bring you something familiar. And I endeavour to bring you something fantastic that is, as of yet, unseen.”
He added, “Our first steps are to find our Filmmaker/Creator/Writer. Watch this space, my friends.”
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Cavill can next be seen in the upcoming third season of The Witcher. He will also appear in the films Argylle and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. He’s also attached to a Highlander film albeit there doesn’t seem to be a lot of movement on that front as of late.
The Witcher Season 3 is expected to drop on June 29, 2023. The official synopsis states, “As monarchs, mages, and beasts of the Continent compete to capture her, Geralt takes Ciri of Cintra into hiding, determined to protect his newly-reunited family against those who threaten to destroy it. Entrusted with Ciri’s magical training, Yennefer leads them to the protected fortress of Aretuza, where she hopes to discover more about the girl’s untapped powers; instead, they discover they’ve landed in a battlefield of political corruption, dark magic, and treachery. They must fight back, put everything on the line — or risk losing each other forever.”
Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher (2021), Netflix
Joining Cavill for Season 3 are Anya Chalotra, Freya Allan, Joey Batey, MyAnna Buring, Tom Canton, Jeremy Crawford, Eamon Farren, Mahesh Jadu, Terence Maynard, Lars Mikkelsen, Mimî M Khayisa, Royce Pierreson, Wilson Mbomio, Anna Shaffer, Therica Wilson-Read, Cassie Clare, Mecia Simson, Graham McTavish, Bart Edwards, Simon Callow, Liz Carr, Ed Birch and Kaine Zajaz.
They are joined by newcomers Robbie Amell, Meng’er Zhang, Hugh Skinner, and Christelle Elwin.
Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia and Freya Allan as Ciri in The Witcher (2021), Netflix
What do you make of Hissrich’s comments about Cavill’s exit?
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