While it was publicly said that Henry Cavill is leaving The Witcher to pursue other acting opportunities, it is believed that there is more to it.
Netflix’s The Witcher is one of the most anticipated sci-fi series, and subscribers were waiting for the return of its third season.
However, Netflix made the upcoming third season bittersweet when it announced that it is set to replace Henry Cavill in his role of Geralt of the Rivia following season three.
Cavill is set to hand over the baton to Liam Hemsworth after season three. This is reportedly as a result of Cavill’s other acting obligations following his cameo as Superman in Black Adam.
But fans of the series have alleged that there is behind-the-scenes drama which was the actual cause of his exit.
When is season three of The Witcher arriving on Netflix?
Season two of The Witcher was an eight-episode season which arrived on Netflix in December 2021. However, even before the conclusion of the second season, a third season had already been confirmed.
As such, until the news was announced that Henry Cavill would exit the show with the upcoming season, fans had believed that they would have at least three more seasons as there are a total of five books.
But now, as it has been confirmed that he is returning for one more season, season three is expected to arrive in summer 2023 between June and August.
Why did Henry leave Witcher?
On Twitter on Saturday, 29 October 2022, The Witcher shocked its fan base when it posted that Henry Cavill is set to leave the fantasy drama after his upcoming third season reprising the role of Geralt the Rivia.
The post used the confirmation of a season four as the pretext to explain that, “The Witcher is returning for Season 4, and Henry Cavill will be handing his swords to Liam Hemsworth as the new Geralt of Rivia after Season 3”.
Officially, it was believed that Cavill’s reason for leaving the series was to pursue his other acting obligations, as he made his debut as Superman in the Black Adam film and he will allegedly once again play the DC Universe superhero in upcoming DC Extended Universe films.
Moreover, it is reported that Cavill will also star as Ian Fleming, who is the author behind the James Bond novels, which is also touted as an aspiring franchise.
But fans of the series have speculated that there is more to issue. This is as they believe that Cavill, like die-hards who have read and fallen in love with the novels, feels that the story has not remained true to its source material.
Moreover, even the writing team supposedly does not respect or want to stay true to the source material. This has allegedly affected Cavill and his feelings about the series as he is an avid fan of the novels and its classic games.
Therefore, the further it steered away from the novels, the easier his decision became to exit.
Henry Cavill on his passion for The Witcher novels and games
The Witcher was reportedly set to be between five and seven seasons long, and when it first debuted, Henry Cavill was set to play Geralt the Rivia for the entire run of the series.
This is as Cavill is a fan of the novels and games, just like most viewers who were excited for the series. But the end of season two introduced an entirely new main villain and an ending that was not part of the book.
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As such, Cavill had once told the Hollywood Reporter that he would like to stay until the end of the series if “we can keep telling great stories which honour (author Andrzej) Sapkowski’s work”.
Henry Cavill confirms leaving The Witcher
Following the news of Cavill’s exit being shared by The Witcher, Henry Cavill took to Instagram with his own confirmation post that he will be leaving his role as Geralt of Rivia.
Cavill did not state his reason for leaving in the shared post, however, he did welcome Liam Hemsworth as his replacement and encouraged him, writing:
“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”.
Liam Hemsworth on replacing Henry on The Witcher
Liam Hemsworth has been at the receiving end of the dismay and backlash of fans.
The younger Hemsworth brother, however, seems excited about playing the beloved character as he took to Instagram in response to Henry Cavill to write in part:
“Henry Cavill has been an incredible Geralt, and I’m honoured that he’s handing me the reins and allowing me to take up the White Wolf’s blades for the next chapter of his adventure”.