Here we are talking about Why Did Henry Cavill Leaving the Witcher? Henry Cavill has frequently discussed his love for all things Witcher ever since he was first cast as Geralt of Rivia. As far back as 2019, he admitted, “I genuinely enjoy reading these types of books and playing these kinds of games in my spare time” (via Hobby Consolas). It’s not a job to me, Cavill continued. For me, it’s more of a once-in-a-lifetime chance to fulfil my fantasies from my youth and adulthood.
That’s why the news that Henry won’t be involved with the show past season three has come as such a shock. Stop throwing your money at Cavill because, as of October 29, 2022, Netflix announced that Liam Hemsworth (The Hunger Games) will now play the eponymous White Wolf in Geralt of Rivia’s fourth season.
Following the big revelation, our new Geralt expressed his excitement over the role in an official statement, saying he was “over the moon.” That’s nice, however many fans have already expressed how unhappy they are with this adjustment. Liam acknowledged that he has “some huge boots to fill,” and for the majority of spectators, it is currently impossible to picture anyone other than Cavill in the role.
Whatever your opinion of the programme may be, all The Witcher fans appeared to agree that Henry is the Witcher and wonderfully captures the Geralt of their imaginations from both the novels and the video games. What gives, then? Cavill, though, was polite about quitting the programme in his own statement and wished Liam the best in his new role.
“The wonderful Mr. Liam Hemsworth will assume the role of the White Wolf in my place. I hand the mantle to Liam with reverence for the time spent inhabiting Geralt and excitement to see his interpretation of this most intriguing and nuanced of individuals, as with the best literary characters. Liam, good sir, enjoy exploring and discovering all that you can about this character. He has such a lovely dimension to him.”
That’s all well and good, but why did Henry ultimately decide to leave The Witcher and shatter our hearts? Although an official explanation has not yet been provided, we have our suspicions.
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Did Henry Cavill Leave the Witcher Because of Superman?
Cavill only signed a “short-term deal,” according to insiders, with The Witcher, according to Deadline, where the news was initially reported. There was no other option after three seasons. And that’s largely due to a demanding production schedule where he had to manage many other significant projects. Additionally, according to those same sources, Henry’s Witcher castmates renegotiated their contracts in preparation for season four. Most fans assumed right away after hearing the news that Henry Cavill’s departure from The Witcher would have something to do with his other well-known role. Aye, you recognise the one.
To be fair, this announcement’s timing was puzzling. Henry made his long-awaited comeback as Superman just this past week in the Black Adam mid-credits scene. In terms of screen time, it wasn’t a lengthy cameo, but its significance cannot be understated. For both Cavill and the audience, this has been a long time coming. Despite DC’s larger universe-building challenges, Henry has unquestionably cemented himself as a fan favourite in the role of Superman. For many, he is the ideal Superman.
Superman’s comeback may very well be a part of Warner Bros‘ upcoming changes now that Worlds of DC is under new ownership. After all, Henry has acknowledged that this cameo is merely “a very small taste of what’s to come” after Dwayne Johnson just said he “worked for years” to bring Cavill back. Henry recently admitted to the Happy Sad Confused podcast that “the role means so much to me.” “Now five years have passed. I never lost heart. It’s incredible to be discussing it once more right now. The protagonist has such a promising future. I can’t wait to tell a tale about a Superman who is incredibly happy.”
With a fresh emphasis on the superhero’s “bright future,” Cavill’s desire to play Superman once more has long been known, and this may have contributed to his decision to leave The Witcher. It turns out that Henry even filmed his cameo for The Witcher season three in the middle of production, and he was unable to explain why he had to leave the set because of DC’s desire for secrecy.
Could that have gotten things heated on set? Perhaps, but Cavill has consistently shown his commitment to playing Geralt as well, so it seems odd that he would have simply quit without making an effort to balance both of these roles even with DC’s (likely much) higher payment waiting in the wings. Not unless he had another excuse for leaving…
Why Did Henry Cavill Leaving the Witcher?
For fans who recall Henry reportedly claiming (via The Hollywood Reporter) that he was willing to stay on board for seven entire seasons, the news of his departure was especially shocking. There was a catch to all of this, though. As long as we can keep producing fantastic stories that honour author Andrzej Sapkowski’s work, Cavill is glad to continue portraying Geralt. It’s a statement that actors frequently make, but in this case, given Henry’s commitment to the part, we’re more likely to believe it.
On The Witcher’s YouTube page, Cavill reaffirmed, “I’m a tremendous admirer of the novels and keeping faithful to them. “It’s about making sure the story happens without too many side plots or distractions to muddy the waters,” the author says. But did things start to become a little too murky? Geralt frequently has grime on him, and he enjoys a cheeky bath.
Henry has aggressively battled to ensure that The Witcher on Netflix stays true to the source material. Cavill stated to Total Film when promoting season two: “This season, I really wanted to make sure that we more authentically depicted and featured Geralt from the books. I worked so hard to get that.”
On the other side, why did Henry have to strive “really, really hard” for this kind of accuracy in the first place is really commendable and comforting for supporters to hear. Cavill told us during our own exclusive interview for Digital Spy that “a great bit” from “Blood of Elves” had been omitted from season two, so he substituted an important quote from that narrative for it in Roach’s death scene. This not only serves as a potent reminder of Henry’s respect for the source material, but it also serves as another reminder that his original vision for the show wasn’t quite in line with what was ultimately shown on screen. That is not always a terrible thing in and of itself.
Actors and writers won’t always agree, and occasionally the writers room will have a bigger picture in mind that even someone as involved as Cavill would not initially be aware of. However, recent statements from author Beau DeMayo imply that not all members of The Witcher crew share Henry’s clear appreciation for the original works. The Direct published a recent Instagram Q&A session where former The Witcher author DeMayo made the following assertions:
“I’ve worked on a programme called Witcher where some of the writers either weren’t fans of the books and games or did so outright (even actively mocking the source material). It will only lead to disaster and low morale. The late nights are worthwhile because fandom serves as an ego-checking litmus test. Before you can contribute to the work’s legacy, you must respect it.” DeMayo doesn’t name names here, and for all we know, the folks he’s thinking about might not even be working on the programme any longer. DeMayo served as a co-producer on two episodes of The Witcher’s first season.
Regardless of whether DeMayo’s assertions are accurate or not, it’s likely that Cavill wasn’t pleased with Geralt’s general trajectory given the numerous alterations this programme has already made to Sapkowski’s books – consider the season two ending, for instance.
The program’s creator, Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, recently spoke with IGN about the significance of the novels and how they inform the show “All of us love the books a lot. Although we are all huge fans of the video games, this is purely based on the novels, and we began with the short stories, which is where we really found our inspiration.”
But with the numerous changes underway, not all fans would concur, and given Cavill’s own super-fan status, it’s completely possible that he might be one of them. Even if Henry wasn’t content, there wasn’t much he could do to change or modify the role. Of course, anything could be completely incorrect. Remember that none of these hypotheses have been proven as of yet, and there may be another explanation entirely for why Henry Cavill is hanging up his wig for good.
Perhaps it itches? Perhaps he dislikes the colour? Or perhaps he’s just worn out from playing so many action-packed roles at once; in that case, we say good for him. Whatever transpires, it’s difficult to see Henry continuing in The Witcher for very long. Regardless of how effective or ineffective Liam Hemsworth proves to be in the part, it’s one that right now seems impossible to picture without Cavill and that adorable, musty old wig.
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