In a world where actors and actresses are cast as superheroes in roles they previously knew nothing about, Henry Cavill being cast as Geralt of Rivia in Netflix’s The Witcher was a breath of fresh air.
Cavill, who has never been shy about his love for video games, was not only familiar with The Witcher universe before landing the role, but considered himself a hardcore fan. On press tours for the show, he even admitted to begging his agent to get him in the room with the show’s creators early on just so he could have a leg up on all the other actors auditioning for the part.
This only made the news of his departure that much more devastating. Just days after announcing his return to the DCU as Superman, Cavill announced season three would be his last season on The Witcher and that he would be handing over his sword and white lace front wig to Australian actor Liam Hemsworth. While reports emerged that Cavill and the creators of the show didn’t see eye to eye, many others believe it was just a case of having too much on his place; a plate, mind you, that would give even Superman a run for his money.
Compounding on that sadness is the fact that apparently, Cavill had every intention of sticking around.
What did Henry Cavill say about The Witcher‘s seven-season arc?
Throughout his career, Henry Cavill has made a name for himself as a true English gentleman. He shows respect for the opinions of others without ridicule; he institutes Obama-like pauses in between interview questions to ensure the proper response; he’s even expressed the belief in the sanctity of honest storytelling without compromise.
For instance, in the past Cavill made it known that the limbo in which Clark Kent aka Superman was left following the events of Man of Steel sat uncomfortably with him. There was still “more story to tell”, he expressed in his 2021 interview with The Hollywood Reporter. In keeping with that innate respect for seeing a story to its end, when asked whether he intended to see The Witcher through Lauren Schmidt Hissrich’s (the show’s creator) vision of a seven-season arc, he said the following:
Absolutely. As long as we can keep telling great stories which honor [author Andrzej] Sapkowski’s work.
Andrzej Sapkowski put pen to paper for the first time in 1986 when he wrote the first book of The Witcher, which began as a collection of short stories. After gaining momentous popularity, the Polish author expanded on the lore with a five-book series. Prior to getting the role of Geralt of Rivia, Cavill shared that he’d only played the video game version of The Witcher. After landing the part, however, he ate the entire series up, becoming even more of a fan than he was before.
It’s not often you find a leading actor as invested in, and as much of a nerd about, the show he is working on. Who’s to say how well Liam Hemsworth will carry the torch to its finish line, but one thing is certain: whether or not he’s physically in the show, Cavill’s presence will be felt, and the ties he created to The Witcher will live on for years to come.