The Witcher Season 3, Volume 2 is now streaming on Netflix, picking up exactly where that cliffhanger ended in Aretuza and leading into the climactic battle between our heroes and the Nilfgaardian enemy. Not to mention a whole lot of lore still needs to be settled about what exactly the elder blood, the monoliths, and the wild hunt mean for the future of the Continent.
Sadly, the close of Season 3 also means that Henry Cavill’s tenure as the silver-haired monster hunter Geralt of Rivia is officially coming to an end. It was announced in October 2022 that Cavill would be leaving the fantasy series, and that the role of Geralt will be recast, with Liam Hemsworth taking on the character moving forward.
“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,” said Cavill. “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. Liam, good sir, this character has such a wonderful depth to him, enjoy diving in and seeing what you can find.”
The exact reasons behind Cavill’s departure have not been confirmed, although rumors of creative differences between the leading man and showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich have been rife. In 2021, prior to the release of Season 2, Cavill said he had pushed for a depiction of Geralt that is more accurate to the books on which the series is based.
“It’s important for me to have the character be three-dimensional,” he told Philstar. “And it’s tricky to do, as I was saying earlier, because there’s a certain vision and there’s a certain set storyline and plot. And so, it was about me trying to find Geralt’s place within that. All of my asks and requests were along the lines of just being faithful to the source material.”
Fans had also speculated that Cavill made the decision to quit The Witcher in order to dedicate his time to filming more Superman movies. Following Man of Steel, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League, Cavill shot a cameo appearance at the end of last year’s Black Adam, which set up a major confrontation between his and Dwayne Johnson’s characters.
However, since then, DC Studios have massively changed their game plan for upcoming releases, and the role of Clark Kent has been recast—David Corenswet will play the famous superhero in the new Superman: Legacy.
Watch the Season 3 finale of The Witcher on Netflix now to see exactly how Henry Cavill’s stint as the White Wolf ends.
Philip Ellis is News Editor at Men’s Health, covering fitness, pop culture, sex and relationships, and LGBTQ+ issues. His work has appeared in GQ, Teen Vogue, Man Repeller and MTV, and he is the author of Love & Other Scams.
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