Henry Cavill Announced to Be Leaving The Witcher Television Show
In a recent tweet put out by the Witcher Netflix Twitter account, it was announced that Henry Cavill (best known for his role as Superman in the recent DC universe movies) is leaving the project after season 3 and set to be replaced by Liam Hemsworth. See the tweet below:
No direct reason was given, but many fans speculated as to why the actor is leaving what he considered to be his ‘dream role’. While some have chalked it up to Cavill’s return to his role as Superman or some other, unrelated reason, a lot of replies in the Twitter comment section point to a more conflicting story. The recent season of the Witcher caught a lot of criticism for its wide sway away from the source material- being the books and not the games.
The introduction of new characters, the omission of some very important ones, and the overall strange forming of the overall story structure turned a lot of book and game fans off from the Netflix adaptation. Despite the criticism, however, the one thing that most viewers could agree on was the stellar depiction of the Witcher’s leading man: Geralt of Rivia. Henry Cavill managed to capture the essence of the brooding, cynical Witcher in each second of his performance. This was a stance that many Twitter users echoed (including @Airisaiia) in their reply to the announcement tweet:
Of course, even more fans are angry and disappointed by the only thing they considered to be holding the show together. Far from just the lead role, it was reported that Cavill actually gave pointers to the writers and criticisms of his own due to his respect for the series- spanning both the videogames and the original Polish books. Due to Cavill’s passion and the critical view that a lot had towards the latest season of the show, a lot of people have speculated that the writing in Season 3 might have been the breaking point for the actor. Of course, as season 3 is slated for a release next summer, we can’t confirm this, but it does seem likely that the show is taking a deeply unpopular route with its narrative. User @rumnurse19 shared the following:
Generally, the reception to this announcement has been largely negative- with a lot of fans seeing Cavill’s replacement as a poor fit for the role. Liam Hemsworth (best known for his side role in the Hunger Games franchise) was the subject of unnecessary criticism for a role that he hasn’t yet got the chance to play, but internet discourse has already made up its mind. In a recent poll conducted by The Radio Times, fans expressed their dissatisfaction with the recast- although its not know whether this is down to Liam Hemsworth’s entry or the disappointment of Cavill’s exit:
With two thirds of the fanbase not being fans of this decision, things aren’t looking great for the surprise hit television show. After writing mishaps in the second season, giant diversions from the books, and a narrative that is shaping up to be a bit of a mess, the series was already facing a lot of backlash. All of that combined with Cavill’s departure has left many to write off the show entirely. It appears the Netflix’s Witcher adaptation is a ticking time bomb- its just a matter of how long it might take before its cancelled or prematurely ended. Whether the third season can fix this or will make things worse remains to be seen next Summer. Unfortunately, though, it seems that most fans aren’t holding out too much hope.
