The Witcher Season 4 Shakeup: Liam Hemsworth to Replace Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia

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There are changes coming to the Continent.

Netflix announced Saturday that Henry Cavill will not be returning as Geralt of Rivia for the renewed season 4 of The Witcher. Instead, the monster hunter will be played by Liam Hemsworth.

Cavill, 39, played Geralt for the first two seasons and will reprise his role in the upcoming third season, after which Hemsworth, 32, will take up the sword.

The Hunger Games actor, who also starred in the book-to-movie adaptation The Last Song, posted on his social media, sharing his excitement with fans.

"As a Witcher fan, I'm over the moon about the opportunity to play Geralt of Rivia. Henry Cavill has been an incredible Geralt, and I'm honored that he's handing me the reins and allowing me to take up the White Wolf's blades for the next chapter of his adventure," Hemsworth wrote.

He added a personal message to his predecessor, writing: "Henry, I've been a fan of yours for years and was inspired by what you brought to this beloved character. I may have some big boots to fill, but I'm truly excited to be stepping into The Witcher world."

Based on a book series by Andrzej Sapkowski, the Witcher-verse also includes a series of video games where Geralt is played by voice-over actor Doug Cockle.

Anya Chalotra, who plays powerful sorceress Yennefer, welcomed Hemsworth in a post on Instagram. The show's main trio also includes Freya Allan, who plays Cintran princess Ciri.

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In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE in December 2019, Sapkowski said he was thrilled with Cavill's portrayal.

"I was more than happy with Henry Cavill's appearance as The Witcher," Sapkowski explained via email. "He's a real professional. Just as Viggo Mortensen gave his face to Aragorn [in The Lord of the Rings], so Henry gave his to Geralt — and it shall be forever so."

The actor himself weighed in on his departure, sharing with fans on Instagram that he'd be passing the torch, "as with the greatest of literary characters."

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Katalin Vermes The Witcher

"My journey as Geralt of Rivia has been filled with both monsters and adventures, and alas, I will be laying down my medallion and my swords for Season 4," he wrote.

"In my stead, the fantastic Mr. Liam Hemsworth will be taking up the mantle of the White Wolf. As with the greatest of literary characters, I pass the torch with reverence for the time spent embodying Geralt and enthusiasm to see Liam's take on this most fascinating and nuanced of men. Liam, good sir, this character has such a wonderful depth to him, enjoy diving in and seeing what you can find."

Netflix said in a release that season 3 of The Witcher will premiere in summer 2023.

Cavill has played his own fair share of literary characters, most recently premiering Enola Holmes 2 on Friday night, in which he plays famed detective Sherlock Holmes.

The announcement also comes on the heels of Cavill sharing that he will be returning as another comic book character: Superman. He made the announcement on Instagram after he appeared in a mid-credits cameo in the DC movie Black Adam.

"A very small taste of what's to come, my friends," Cavill wrote in the caption of an Instagram video alongside an image of him as Superman, which cut to a video of the actor discussing his return as the iconic superhero. "The dawn of hope renewed. Thank you for your patience, it will be rewarded."

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In the video, Cavill said that he "wanted to wait until the weekend was over" before he shared the announcement so people could first see his uncredited Black Adam cameo.

"But now that plenty of you have [seen the movie], I wanted to make it official that I am back as Superman and the image you see on this post and what you saw in Black Adam are just a very small taste of things to come," Cavill said in the video.