Why Henry Cavill decided to leave The Witcher before season 4
Liam Hemsworth will take his place under the wig of Geralt de Riv, in what is already one of the most astonishing and resounding “recasts” in the history of television.
It was he who asked to be The Witcher. It was he who called the production when he learned that Netflix was going to launch a new series based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s books. Henry Cavill told us, at the time of the first season, to be an absolute fan of the saga The Witcher. Books, but also video games. A real “geek” totally assumed, who pushed hard to get the job and who, once on the set, even refused to take off his gray wig off-camera, to stay in character. But five years later, the enthusiasm has evaporated. Henry Cavill decided to leave The Witcher. Her final moments can be seen starting today on Netflix, with Part 2 of Season 3. Three episodes. Three short hours and then goes for the English actor, who leaves Geralt de Riv without any real twist or twist. He will just have another face next time, in season 4, that of Liam Hemsworth… and we are still trying to understand why!
On October 29, Netflix revealed the resignation of its star, without giving more details. “In my place, the fantastic Mr. Hemsworth will take on the role of the White Wolf.” soberly commented Henry Cavill in the official press release. “As is done with the great characters of literature, I pass the torch with reverence, happy with the time spent playing Geralt and I can’t wait to see how Liam will play him…”
The task promises to be delicate for his Australian colleague, 7 years his junior, who, by his own admission, will have “a big legacy to take on“. To say the least. This change of casting halfway through the series seems perfectly incongruous, especially since the success was there. The reviews were good and the audiences excellent. So what pushed Henry Cavill from ?
Did Henry Cavill leave The Witcher because of Superman?
This is the most likely theory. At the very least, the timing calls out: the announcement of his defection came in the wake of his return to the big screen in the skin of the Man of Steel, with a surprise cameo at the end of black adam. It had been six years since Henry Cavill dropped the red cape. He thought, certainly rightly, that Warner Bros. no longer counted on him for the role. And then Dwayne Johnson, as he later revealed, insisted with the studio, that the Englishman return to the fold of DC. Here it is in black adam then on the set of The Flash ! Suddenly the idea of a Man of Steel 2 reappeared. The prospect of massive new films, carried by Henry Cavillbecame evident again.
Except that black adam, released in the fall, flopped. Accelerating the plan B of Warner Bros., decided to wipe the slate clean of the past of the DC to start all over again, with a new boss: James Gunn. Stamped boss of DC Studios, the latter was quick to cool the ardor of Cavill. In December 2022, he confirmed that he would not return as Superman. That his new DC Universe was going to reboot everything (he will sign David Corenswet in his place some time later). And that he would even be cut off from The Flash to clarify more ! Henry Cavill must bow and on Instagram step aside: “We had talked about a number of exciting possibilities, to work together again in the future (…) The studio had told me to announce my return last October, before the arrival of the guys from DC Studios, so this news isn’t the easiest, but that’s life. I respect that James and Peter have a universe to build. I wish them luck.”.
Disagreements on the set of The Witcher
Farewell Superman. But why not have then immediately reversed with The Witcher ? According to Deadline, it’s a “short-term deal” over 3 seasons that the English actor had signed and he wanted to renegotiate – therefore increase his salary – for season 4. Perhaps the amounts mentioned were too high for Netflix, very happy to get rid of them. Or maybe Henry Cavill simply did not want to return to the path of a production that he valued less and less.
The English actor has always been very picky about the adaptation. “Hard“even at times, recently confided the showrunner. He has always had “at heart to honor the work of Sapkowski (…) I am a big fan of the books and I remain faithful to theme” he said. And in an interview with the magazine Première, Henry Cavill confided to us that he pushed for Gerlat to be “represented more faithfully in season 2″ than in the first. Tensions would thus have arisen within the team and Deadline suggests that, when the role of Superman was taken away from him at the end of 2022, Henry Cavill was “already moved on and other projects”. He never really considered coming back to star in Season 4 of The Witcher. The producers were also quick to confirm: “Henry has been an amazing Geralt and I think Liam will continue that and will be an amazing Geralt as well. There have already been precedents where iconic characters have changed actors and we’re extremely optimistic about that.“.
Henry Cavillhe has already left for another video game adaptation: a series based on Warhammer 40,000, for Prime Video. The story will take place 40,000 years in the future. A future where humans are locked in an endless war with aliens and magical beings…
