He may be back as Superman but it seems to have come at a cost. Henry Cavill has announced that he’s stepping down from the role of Geralt and handing the swords and medallion to Liam Hemsworth for the show’s fourth season.
The whole of geekdom has suffered severe emotional whiplash these past couple of days. As everyone heralded the return of Henry Cavill as the Man of Steel with his cameo in Black Adam, he announced over the weekend that the third season of The Witcher would be his last outing as the Butcher of Blaviken. The show, however, isn’t ending, and Liam Hemsworth will be taking over the role of Geralt for the show’s fourth season.
More about The Witcher season 4 casting
Henry Cavill introduces Liam Hemsworth to fans of 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,” Cavill said in a statement on Instagram.
“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,” he added.
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Hemsworth on The Witcher role
In his statement, Hemsworth said, “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 honoured 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.”
Addressing Cavill, he wrote, “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.”
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The Witcher season 3 to be Cavill’s last
Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher is a monster hunter who can gain supernatural powers briefly using potions.
Cavill has played Geralt since the series premiered in December 2019. He will make his final appearance as Geralt in the upcoming third season of the series, which is set for release in September 2023.
It is not clear how Netflix and the show’s creator, Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, plan on changing the character’s physical appearance to introduce Hemsworth.
Citing sources, Deadline reports that Cavill had a short-term deal for The Witcher. According to the report, some other cast members of the show renegotiated their contracts ahead of season 4.
Apart from Cavill, prominent cast members of The Witcher include Freya Allan and Anya Chalotra, who play Princess Ciri and Yennefer of Vengerberg, respectively.
Cavill to return as Superman
The announcement of the change in casting comes days after Cavill confirmed that he is returning as Superman in future instalments of the DC Extended Universe films.
Following the release of Black Adam (2022), where he made a cameo appearance as Superman, Cavill addressed fans on 24 October through a social media post.
“I wanted to make it official that I am back as Superman and the image you see in this post and what you saw in Black Adam are a very small taste of what’s to come,” he said. Thanking fans, Cavill promised that their patience will be “rewarded.”
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Two days later, he appeared on Happy Sad Confused podcast at 92NY in New York City and revealed more about his reappearance as Superman.
“The character means so much to me. It’s been five years now. I never gave up hope,” Cavill said. “It’s amazing to be here now talking about it again. There is such a bright future ahead for the character. I’m so excited to tell a story with an enormously joyful Superman.”
Apart from Superman, Cavill will be seen reprising his role of Sherlock Holmes in the film Enola Holmes 2 (2022) and will also be seen in spy film Argylle and real-life World War II espionage thriller The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.
(Main image: Katalin Vermes/IMDb; Featured image: Jay Maidment/IMDb)
Manas Sen Gupta
Manas Sen Gupta writes at the intersection of tech, entertainment and history. His works have appeared in publications such as The Statesman, Myanmar Matters, Hindustan Times and News18/ETV. In his spare time, Manas loves studying interactive charts and topographic maps. When not doing either, he prefers reading detective fiction. Spring is his favourite season and he can happily eat a bowl of noodles any time of the day.
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