Ever since actor Henry Cavill announced his departure from The Witcher, fans have been voicing their displeasure and even calling for Netflix to re-cast him as Geralt of Rivia instead of Liam Hemsworth. An executive at Netflix recently squashed those hopes.
In an interview with Variety, Netflix’s head of U.S. and Canada scripted series Peter Friedlander touched on the recasting and stated, "Henry is an extraordinary Geralt and I think Liam will continue and also be an extraordinary Geralt... There has been a legacy of of amazing, iconic characters where the actors have changed and we're hugely optimistic about this. We will continue to honor the IP, the fans, the storytelling, all the way through."
Many have assumed Cavill left The Witcher in favor of the DCU and what appeared to be his return as Superman. Following the appointment of James Gunn and Peter Safran as co-CEOs of the rebranded DC Studios, the actor revealed that he will not be continuing his time as Superman after all, as the studio is looking to explore a younger Man of Steel. The news reignited calls for Netflix to cast Cavill as Geralt once again instead of allowing Hemsworth to take over.
There has also been speculation that the actor exited the role on the Netflix series, due to the direction of the show and its departure from the characters and events established in Andrzej Sapkowski's novels, on which the show is based. Cavill has been noted to be an enthusiastic and passionate fan of the source material and CD Projekt Red's video games. Speculation has been further fueled both by claims that the show's writers disliked the source material and reports seemingly confirming that Cavill and the series' producers did not see eye to eye and that there was talk of recasting even earlier on when Season 2 of The Witcher was still in post-production.
Showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich has disputed some of the claims, particularly those suggesting the writers mocked Sapkowski's books and CDPR's video games. She recently responded to fans circulating the claim on social media, writing, "This particular thing is not a fact. I love the books. (I'm shit at the games, but that’s me, not them.)" Moreover, Hissrich assured that there will be a discussion about Cavill's exit later on, though she clarified that she will never discuss the exact reasons for his departure.
Season 3 will mark Cavill's last appearance as Geralt of Rivia before Hemsworth takes over in Season 4 onwards. The upcoming season adapts the events of the novel Time of Contempt, which sees Ciri continue her training in magic under the tutelage of Yennefer of Vengerberg. A previously released synopsis teases a return to Aretuza, where the pair will uncover political and magical corruption and betrayal.