The Witcher fans were left devastated upon learning, after three seasons, lead actor and Geralt star Henry Cavill would be walking away from the 
Netflix show. His departure came as a huge shock, with the Man of Steel star revealing at the time that The Hunger Games actor Liam Hemsworth would take his place as the iconic action fantasy character. Now, with Hemsworth all set to lead this month’s Season 4, the new The Witcher lead has revealed the truth about the changeover and how he really feels about stepping into Cavill’s monster hunting boots.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com, Hemsworth revealed that he almost didn’t take the part of Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher Season 4, and a major part of that was due to the “situation” of taking over as the lead of a series that has already been established.
“When I first got approached, I was pretty reluctant at that point. [I had] a lot of concerns and questions about it all. I was a big fan of the video game and then I watched the series, and was a fan of the series, and I read the books.
Just the situation [of] coming into a series that’s already established a really passionate fanbase. I appreciate these fans, and I appreciate the fact that they care so much about it.”
Liam Hemsworth Will Make Geralt His Own in ‘The Witcher’ Season 4
However, despite this reluctance, Liam Hemsworth will indeed take over as the White Wolf in The Witcher, which is now set to end with Season 5. Continuing, the actor said that he ultimately decided to take the role as, like Cavill before him, he is a fan of The Witcher franchise.
“I think if I wasn’t a fan myself, if I didn’t care about it, I wouldn’t have come on board. The reason I came on board was because I was a fan, and because I thought that I could do justice to this character. I thought that could bring an interesting interpretation to this part of the story.
I think what excited me the most was where Geralt is at this part of the story – his emotional state, and where he’s heading. I think he’s in a very real place of change and a place that I don’t think he’s been in often in his life. There’s a lot of doubt and confusion and worry.”
The fallout and reasons behind Henry Cavill suddenly departing the series have been discussed and speculated about ever since, but showrunner Lauren Schmidt-Hissrich is ready for the recasting, with Hemsworth determined to make Geralt his own. Schmidt-Hissrich said…
“We knew there were things that were really important to keep with Geralt – obviously, his look has to stay the same. He’s a different human being, but I think there’s so many things that are sort of synonymous with Geralt – the white wig and the yellow eyes and the black leather and not wearing any colour, and the way he walks through the world.
Those things had to stay, but really, those conversations were so driven by Liam the first time that we met. He needed to make Geralt his, and it was really important to let him do that and let him explore it and find it.”
We can finally judge the recasting decision for ourselves when The Witcher Season 4 premieres on Thursday, October 30, only on Netflix.
- Release Date
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December 20, 2019
- Network
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Netflix
- Showrunner
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Lauren Schmidt Hissrich
- Directors
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Stephen Surjik, Charlotte Brändström, Edward Bazalgette, Loni Peristere, Louise Hooper, Bola Ogun, Alex Garcia Lopez, Gandja Monteiro, Sarah O’Gorman
- Writers
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Haily Hall, Clare Higgins, Javier Grillo-Marxuach, Jenny Klein, Tania Lotia
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Anya Chalotra
Yennefer of Vengerberg
