The team behind The Witcher is going to try to do anything to keep us watching even after Henry Cavill is gone, and that includes making sure there is a top-notch A-list star in the fourth season. Now, this isn’t exactly a new thing for the series which has often pulled in Hollywood stars for each season, but the desire to retain viewers after the loss of Cavill will be playing heavily on their minds.
The Witcher was a firm favorite of many Netflix users and one of the platform’s great success stories. With Henry Cavill, a huge lover of the books and games from which the series is adapted, in the lead role many showed up just to see him grunt whilst wearing a lot of leather (or not much at all) and looking a bit grimy. Obviously, there was more to it than that, and many found Cavill’s portrayal of Geralt of Rivia to be grounded in authenticity.
However, Cavill, who was adamant on staying as true to author Andrzej Sapkowski’s works as much as possible, may have found that the writers and showrunners were less interested in this and he exited the series citing creative differences. Without their giant (in all senses) lead star, many wondered how the series would even continue, and then it was announced that Liam Hemsworth would be taking on the role, news which was met with great skepticism, to say the least.
The news that they are looking to cast a major star for the fourth season has not managed to improve fans’ moods either, many of whom have given up on the idea that the show without Cavill will be watchable. The role that is looking to be filled is that of the loveable barber-surgeon and vampire, Regis according to Redanian Intelligence. The character is well-loved in the books so getting the right person in the role is vital, especially as he could become a series mainstay.
The Witcher has often cast big names each season, Cavill aside, they also have had Lars Mikkelsen, MyAnna Buring, Michelle Yeoh and Dolph Lundgren in the series, and it looks like Regis’ character also requires some star power. Fans, however, don’t really seem to care who Netflix gets, without Cavill and with writers who don’t seem to care about the source material, no matter who the show gets, they aren’t interested.
Many feel like no good can come of this.
This user doesn’t want to see the fan-favorite ruined.
Some might tune in just to see the character brought to life, though they still remain concerned.
For most, the loss of Cavill is too big an obstacle to overcome.
Others did however throw out some potential candidates.
British actor Charles Dance seems to be a favorite, with Jeremy Irons, Mads Mikkelsen, and Peter Capaldi also getting some mentions.
It will be interesting to see who they do eventually cast in the role, and whether that will inspire any confidence from fans or whether the harm done is already irreparable. We are still lucky enough to have Cavill in the third season, which will land on Netflix on June 29.