How Will Henry Cavill's Recasting Be Explained on 'The Witcher'?
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When The Witcher returns for Season 4, there’ll be a major change in store for viewers: Henry Cavill, who played the titular witcher Geralt of Rivia for the first three seasons, will be replaced by Liam Hemsworth. Cavill shocked fans when he broke the news in October 2022, announcing in an Instagram statement that he would be “laying down my medallion and my swords” after finishing Season 3.
“In my stead, the fantastic Mr. Liam Hemsworth will be taking up the mantle of the White Wolf,” Cavill wrote. “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.”
The Witcher’s more vocal critics were none too pleased by the casting swap, but producer Tomek Bagiński has said that the writers plan to offer an explanation for why Geralt’s appearance changed so drastically between Seasons 3 and 4.
“We have a very, very good plan to introduce our new Geralt and our new vision for Geralt with Liam,” Bagiński told Yahoo U.K. in June 2023. “It's very lore accurate. It's very close to what was set out in the books, and I think this change will be quite flawless.”
Fans will be the judge of that, of course, but the good news is that Cavill’s exit doesn’t mean The Witcher is coming to an end anytime soon. Netflix renewed the show for Season 5 in May 2023—one month before Season 3 even premiered—so Geralt and his crew will be hunting plenty of monsters for the foreseeable future.
Keep reading for more info about Season 4 of The Witcher.
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What is The Witcher Season 4 about?
At the end of Season 3, Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer were all on separate journeys. Geralt is on a mission to rescue Ciri, though he doesn’t know that her captors actually have the wrong woman. According to showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, Geralt will grow attached to his new companions as he pursues Ciri.
“This is the beginning of what [book] fans will know as the Hanza. It’s the group traveling with Geralt for the rest of the books. This becomes his newfound family,” Hissrich told Tudum in August 2023. “He needs help to get Yennefer and Ciri back, and when you need to help, you actually have to give of yourself as well. So, we start to watch the Hanza build and start to see that there are some amazing emotional connections to come there as well.”
Yennefer, meanwhile, is figuring out how to be the leader of the Aretuza after Tissaia’s death, and Ciri is trying to fit in with the Rats, whom she met in the Season 3 finale.
Which The Witcher book is Season 4 based on?
After Season 3 drew from Andrzej Sapkowski’s second Witcher novel, Time of Contempt, it’s likely that Season 4 will be based on the third novel, Baptism of Fire. Previous seasons, however, have also incorporated details from Sapkowski’s short story collections, so that’s not out of the question this time either.
Is there a trailer for The Witcher Season 4?
Because The Witcher’s fourth season is still in production, Netflix hasn’t released any trailers or teaser clips yet, but watch this space for updates.
Who is in the The Witcher Season 4 cast?
With the exception of Liam Hemsworth, Netflix hasn’t made any formal casting announcements for Season 4, but the characters who survived Season 3 are expected to return.
Liam Hemsworth (Geralt of Rivia)
After Henry Cavill’s departure, Liam Hemsworth will step into the monster-hunting shoes of Geralt of Rivia. While Hemsworth is still best known for playing Gale Hawthorne in The Hunger Games and its sequels, he has also appeared in Independence Day: Resurgence, Isn’t It Romantic and Killerman.
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Freya Allan (Ciri)
Freya Allan, who stars as Ciri, has also starred in Into the Badlands, The Third Day and Gunpowder Milkshake.
Anya Chalotra (Yennefer)
Anya Chalotra, who plays the sorceress Yennefer, began her career as a theater actress. Most recently, she starred in the 2021 play Maryland in London. On TV, she’s also been seen in Wanderlust, The ABC Murders and Sherwood.
Joey Batey (Jaskier)
Joey Batey will likely be back as Jaskier, the musician behind the beloved ditty “Toss a Coin to Your Witcher.” In 2022, he guest starred on the prequel series The Witcher: Blood Origin. He also appeared in a BBC adaptation of The War of the Worlds.
Mimî M. Khayisa (Fringilla)
Since making her Witcher debut in 2019, Mimî M. Khayisa has appeared in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Lena Dunham’s film adaptation of Catherine Called Birdy.
Eamon Farren (Cahir)
When he’s not playing the Black Knight, Eamon Farren has appeared on the big screen in Winchester, Lingua Franca and The Dig. He also starred in Showtime’s 2017 revival of Twin Peaks.
Mahesh Jadu (Vilgefortz)
Before landing the role of Vilgefortz on The Witcher, Mahesh Jadu starred in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Marco Polo and I, Frankenstein.
Anna Shaffer (Triss)
Anna Shaffer has plenty of fantasy cred, having starred as Harry Potter’s would-be love interest Romilda Vane in Half-Blood Prince and both of the Deathly Hallows films. In 2017, she starred in the ITV series Fearless.
Royce Pierreson (Istredd)
In addition to starring on The Witcher, Royce Pierreson played Sherlock Holmes’ right-hand man, John Watson, on The Irregulars. He also appeared in the 2019 film Judy, which won Renée Zellweger her second Oscar.
How many episodes are in The Witcher Season 4?
Netflix hasn’t announced how many episodes will be in Season 4 of The Witcher, but it will likely follow the pattern of the first three seasons, which each had eight episodes.
What is the The Witcher Season 4 release date?
Season 4 of The Witcher doesn’t have an official release date yet, but it seems that pre-production had barely begun when the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes began in mid-2023. For that reason, the earliest fans can expect Season 4 is late 2024.
How to watch The Witcher Season 4
Whenever Season 4 of The Witcher premieres, it will be exclusively available to Netflix subscribers.
Will The Witcher Season 4 come to Hulu?
Because The Witcher is a Netflix original series, it is not likely to become available to Hulu subscribers in the future.
Will The Witcher Season 4 come to Amazon?
The Witcher will probably not be available to watch via Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service because it is a Netflix original series.
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