Why is Henry Cavill Being Replaced by Liam Hemsworth in 'The Witcher'?

Ahead of the premiere of The Witcher's third season, Netflix has announced it will be returning for a fourth season, but there will be a shake-up in the cast.

Following Season 3, Henry Cavill will no longer portray Geralt of Rivia, the titular Witcher known as the White Wolf who fights monsters in The Continent. Instead of Cavill, Geralt will be played by Liam Hemsworth.

Why is Henry Cavill Being Replaced by Liam Hemsworth in 'The Witcher'?

Netflix announced the change in the show's cast on Saturday, October 29 at the same time that it confirmed the show would be renewed for a fourth season.

Cavill shared a statement through Netflix, which said: "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.

"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."

Hemsworth also shared his own statement, saying: "As a Witcher fan I'm over the moon about the opportunity to play Geralt of Rivia. Henry Cavill has been an incredible Geralt, and I'm honored 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.

"Henry, I've been a fan of yours for years and was inspired by what you brought to this beloved character. I may have some big boots to fill, but I'm truly excited to be stepping into The Witcher world."

The Witcher Season 2 ended with Geralt helping Ciri (Freya Allan) as she comes into her powers, with witch Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) also aiding Ciri when she becomes possessed by the Voleith Meir (Deathless Mother in Elvish) to unleash new monsters into The Continent.

An official reason for Cavill's departure has not been given, though the actor recently announced he would be returning to the role of Superman in the DC Universe after he made a cameo appearance in Black Adam.

It seems possible that Cavill simply was unable to commit to both The Witcher and his upcoming work as Superman.

Another possibility is that the direction The Witcher is taking simply doesn't match with Cavill's interpretation of the character, as former producer Beau DeMayo recently revealed to The Direct that some of the show's writers either weren't fans of Andrzej Sapkowski's original novels or "actively disliked the books and games."

Cavill previously spoke about his interest in appearing in the franchise for seven seasons, as pitched by showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, by making reference to author Sapkowski's original novels.

The actor told The Hollywood Reporter in November 2021: "Absolutely. As long as we can keep telling great stories which honor Sapkowski's work."

As previously mentioned, Cavill has not publicly given a reason for his departure from The Witcher. Fans will still get to see him portray Geralt in the forthcoming third season, which will come out in the summer of 2023.

Newsweek has reached out to Cavill's representatives for further comment.

Ahead of the show's second season being released in December 2021, Joey Batey spoke with Newsweek about his thoughts on continuing to appear as bard Jaskier in Season 3 and beyond, saying he trusted showrunner Hissrich completely, so he was keen to return.

"I have a great faith in Lauren and her vision for the show, her tenacity, her ambition," Batey told Newsweek. "She takes the tone and everything that is in Sapkowski's work and translates it, transmutes it into television.

"There are inevitably going to be plot lines that deviate from the books, so we're no longer trusting the books... we're obviously completely trusting the books but there's so much trust in Lauren.

"I have a great friendship with her. She's a wonderful, wonderful leader, and captain of this ship. So yeah, without hesitation I would follow her to the ends of the Earth."

The Witcher Seasons 1 and 2 are available to watch on Netflix now, the prequel The Witcher: Blood Origin will come out on December 25 and The Witcher Season 3 will be released in the summer of 2023.