In The Witcher Season 3, Henry Cavill is working overtime to make sure we miss him when he’s gone—and not just by giving us another steamy bath scene.
Cavill’s monster-hunter Geralt of Rivia has been undeniable from the start. The White Wolf moves steadily, and his eyes glimmer with lupine concentration. Yellow eyes never look goofy on Cavill; his expressions make them believable. He’s is a force during fight scenes and a droll comedian during slow beats. And then there’s his low, apathetic growl—both compelling and, frankly, irresistible.
But, hey: Liam Hemsworth will do, right?
Fans found out last October that the former Man of Steel would leave the show after Season 3 and that the Hunger Games actor will take his place. “I think, holistically, Henry gave us an incredible three seasons of Geralt,” executive producer Steve Gaub recently told Radio Times about the recasting. Still, he said, plenty of franchises have swapped out lead actors.
“You always have the strength of the property to lean into, and we’re trusting that the world of The Witcher, the continent, the IP itself is what is drawing a lot of fans,” Gaub said. His fellow EP Tomek Baginski has said the transition from Cavill to Hemsworth will be “flawless.”
There’s still a few episodes left to go in Season 3 come July, but after that, Cavill will be gone. After watching Volume 1, which debuted Thursday, I’m not so sure about the changeover.
The Witcher Season 1 was peak first-season fantasy. Like Netflix’s other big fantasy series, Shadow and Bone, this show’s world was immersive and packed from the start with compelling characters, like Geralt, the sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra), the impertinent bard Jaskier (Joey Batey), and the half-elf Princess Cirilla of Cintra (Freya Allan). But then there was that incomprehensible timeline: Season 2 scaled back to something more cookie-cutter a (and, unacceptably, way less sexy), and we’re just not going to talk about that prequel series last year.
Now, we appear to have course-corrected—you can tell by the fact that Yennefer’s got her magic again. (Thank god.)
Season 3 pays off much of the show’s early promise—particularly between Geralt and Yennefer, whose shared scenes could snap any second from the romantic and sexual tension. For a brief, precious moment at the beginning of the season, Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri get to slow down and enjoy time as a cobbled-together family, while Yennefer teaches Ciri to harness the chaos of her supernatural potential into real power. Before long, however, it’s back to fighting elves, hired mages, and anyone else who might be after Ciri.
Everyone on the planet is still trying to chase down this poor, oh-so special girl down, and each group seems to have their own reasons. As Yennefer brings Cirilla to Aretuza to further her training, Chalotra and Allan also spend more quality time together. (It certainly beats fighting the abomination Geralt winds up fending off—absolute nightmare fuel on par with something out of Silent Hill.
One delightful addition this season is W1A and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again alum Hugh Skinner, who plays the rakish Redanian Prince Radovid. No spoilers, but he also gets a romance sultry enough to rival that of Yennefer and Geralt. (Well, almost.) If you liked Skinner’s dopey romantic energy in Mamma Mia!, then you’re really in for a treat here. Also, it must be said: Every outfit Cassie Clare wears as the Redanian adviser Philipa Eilhart is better than the last.
Yes, there’s still a lot of complicated political intrigue in the background, and yes, the elves are still divided and angsty. (Francesca really needs to watch her back.) But time and again, Season 3’s story returns to its core characters—both who they are individually and who they become when they’re together.
Hemsworth will have some heavy boots to fill when he steps in as Geralt—and not just because Cavill appears to have zero buccal fat and does all his own stunts. The power behind this performance comes not just from the actor himself but also from the chemistry he shares with fellow cast members like Chalotra and Allan. The “flawless” mechanism behind Cavill’s exit has yet to reveal itself, but it’ll take some real precision to make it work.
Actors are not action figures, and although viewers might’ve originally watched the series because they loved the original video games or books, they’ve now also emotionally invested in Cavill as Geralt. His exit might’ve been inevitable, but it’s also obtuse to suggest that swapping a show’s star out mid-series is the same as re-casting James Bond. (Predictably, some Witcher fans threatened to boycott the show as soon as they heard the news of Cavill’s impending exit.)
All of that said, Volume 1 does at least reveal a formidable, unexpected enemy for Cavill to smite on his way out. As tragic as it is to see Cavill leave this delightfully dark, witchery world, it’s reassuring to know he’ll at least go out swinging.
