Even though there’s a spinoff releasing in just a few days and a fourth season of the main series already confirmed, the jury remains very much out on whether or not The Witcher will survive long enough to continue its ambitious expansion.
The departure of Henry Cavill and recasting of Liam Hemsworth as Geralt of Rivia has ruffled more than a few feathers to put it lightly, to the extent petitions demanding the entire creative team be fired racked up hundreds of thousands of signatures, while many promised to abandon the show in their numbers once the original leading man hangs up his swords.
It’s a precarious position to say the least, especially when Netflix has never been shy when it comes to canceling high-profile fantasy. Having already begged audiences to stick around for season 3 and beyond, showrunner Lauren Hissrich has now revealed to Entertainment Weekly that Cavill’s Geralt will be getting a sendoff befitting his popularity.
“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. He’s a slightly different Geralt than we expected. Now, by the way, that’s an understatement.”
“No Cavill, no point” is the mantra being spouted by many Witcher enthusiasts, but the proof will be in the data whenever season 3 finally settles on a release date. Hemsworth has already been placed in an unfortunate position, but for all we know, he could prove to be an inspired piece of casting. Or, you know, the complete opposite.