It’s been a tumultuous few months for fans of The Witcher. Late last year, it was confirmed Henry Cavill would no longer be playing the role of the White Wolf — or Geralt of Rivia as the character is better known. He’s set to be replaced by Liam Hemsworth in season four, which means this will be the last time we get to see the Superman actor in this role.
This news prompted the usual backlash, especially as Cavill is a confirmed nerd, meaning fans believe he truly cares about projects like the massive Netflix series (based on a best-selling video game series of the same name). However, now that the dust has somewhat settled, the official Witcher Twitter account has posted a slightly cryptic tweet with the first poster of season three, implying that tomorrow (April 25), viewers will receive some sort of news on the upcoming season.
Exactly what that news might be is yet to be confirmed, but there’s plenty of speculation. Some think a trailer is coming, whereas others are convinced Netflix is going to do a surprise drop of the season, even though it’s expected to be released during the summer. Predictably, plenty of Cavill fanboys were also in the comments, disparaging the show before having a chance to see it.
The Witcher will have to do a lot to win back these fans, with many of them having found the second season lacking, and that was without the news of Cavill’s departure hanging over it. However, it still managed to become one of the most-watched shows of the year, and despite the doom and gloom on Twitter, we’re sure season three will have similarly good viewing figures.
Aside from Cavill, Freya Allan and Anya Chalotra will return as Ciri and Yennefer respectively. Plenty of other fan favorites will also be back on our screens, which we’re sure the showrunners hope will make those criticizing the series give it more of a chance.
Whatever the big news that’s set to be released tomorrow is, it seems everyone working on the production is energized by the future of the show. In an interview with GamesRadar, showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich said staff were all excited at the change, and are certain the viewers will be ecstatic at this season, too.
“I’m so excited for viewers. I think that it’s just a new chapter for us. And I think new chapters bring new energy and that people will find things to love. So yeah, personally, I’m really excited.”
In a different interview, this time with Entertainment Weekly, she also briefly addressed the Cavill situation and gave fans hope that the Hemsworth recasting would be a boon to the show.
“Henry has given so much to the show and so we want to honor that appropriately. [But] Geralt’s big turn is about giving up neutrality and doing anything that he has to do to get to Ciri. And to me, it’s the most heroic sendoff that we could have, even though it wasn’t written to be that. Geralt has a new mission in mind when we come back to him in season 4.”
Whether or not fans are placated by the new season is yet to be seen, but one thing’s for sure: the hype machine is up and running, and tomorrow we’ll get a taste of what The Witcher team has in store for us.