The Witcher showrunner addresses fan backlash to Henry Cavill being replaced by Liam Hemsworth: ‘It’s a big deal…’

Just over a month after Henry Cavill announced that he was stepping down from the role of Geralt of Rivia from the popular Netflix show The Witcher, the showrunner has broken her silence on the move. Henry will be replaced by Liam Hemsworth in the show’s fourth season, which is yet to begin production. There has been considerable backlash from fans about the recasting given that Henry was a fan favourite for the role and had received good reviews for his performance as well. Also read: The Witcher: Henry Cavill makes way for Liam Hemsworth in season 4

On October 30, Henry announced through an Instagram post that he was ‘laying down my medallion and my swords’ for season 4 of The Witcher and would have Liam Hemsworth take over the role. The show, which streams on Netflix, is a fantasy adventure with Geralt of Rivia, the protagonist, a mutant with superhuman abilities played by Henry. The third season is expected to stream in 2023. Given that there was no word on this from the makers or the platform; fans did not take too kindly to the change.

Now, The Witcher showrunner Lauren Hissrich has broken her silence over the matter and also addressed the fan backlash over the recasting. In an interview with TechRadar, she said, “It’s a big deal for us, too. And that’s the thing – there’s a lot of talk and rumors about and we fully understand why fans are going there. What I will say is please come back for The Witcher season three so that we can continue to do this. Obviously, that [Cavill’s departure] is huge news.”

The interview took place during the promotions of the show’s spinoff Blood Origin, which premieres later this month. When asked to elaborate on the Henry situation, Lauren refused saying she wanted the focus to be on the spinoff for now. “But what I don’t want to do is – this has to stay about Blood Origin, Declan [de Barra, Blood Origin’s showrunner], the cast, and the crew. This is their time in the spotlight,” she added.

The Witcher is based on the book series of the same name by Andrzej Sapkowski. Also starring Freya Allen and Anya Chalotra, the show premiered in 2019 with the second season releasing in 2021.