Henry Cavill Is Leaving 'The Witcher' and Liam Hemsworth Will Replace Him — But Why?

Season 3 of The Witcher on Netflix was leading up to the war between Nilfgaard, Temaria, and all of the elves tired of being abused by people. There are a lot of things happening in The Witcher's story, and yet at this critical moment leading up to the end of the series, the main actor, Henry Cavill, is leaving the show.

It has been pretty universally hated on Twitter, as fans bemoan the jarring effect a sudden switch in appearance will have on the show's immersion. Also, fans of The Witcher loved Henry's ability to capture Geralt of Rivia's demeanor, as well as his nearly identical face and physique. It remains to be seen how well Liam will do poortraying the gruff, yet charismatic Butcher of Blaviken, but the difference in build, voice, and face will be apparent.

So, when is Henry leaving The Witcher?

Henry initially quit to pursue a role as Superman, though he ended up not being recast as the superhero. Meanwhile, Liam Hemsworth was named as his replacement.

Season 3 of The Witcher marks a bittersweet moment for the series. The upcoming season, which airs June 29, 2023, marks Henry's last appearance on the show. After the eight-episode season ends, it's very unlikely Henry will make a comeback as Geralt (sorry). However, there is still a (small) chance he could reprise his role if Liam backs down.

There's no telling how he plays the character yet, and it's likely he'll remain quiet for a little while, as fans have not been overly nice to him after receiving the news. Is he a good choice for the character?

Well, most of Liam's filmography consists of B-movie comedies and action. He has never tackled fantasy like this, but he does have the looks and charisma to play a wolfish Geralt, albeit who knows if he understands the character as much as Henry did.

Hopefully, Geralt won't take a backseat to the other characters, devolving completely into the strong and silent type. In the books and in the games, Geralt is an intellectual, a philosopher who dislikes viewing the world in black-and-white terms.

It's that thoughtfulness that makes him morally upstanding compared to other witchers. Seeming less heartless, and more willing to save 'monsters' as well as humans.

Henry felt the show writers were veering too far from the source material, saying "I wanted the character to be more book accurate. And so it was more to do with making sure and campaigning for him to sound more intellectual, more philosophical, and to have an emotional side as well, rather than just be a grumpy snowman." It's easy to write Geralt off as the gritty, broody badass but that's an oversimplification of his character that completely negates a third of The Witcher's charm.

It isn't impossible for Liam to pull off a good performance. But he has big shoes to fill in terms of audience expectations. It will also be difficult to maintain the show's integrity with such a big change in casting.

Hopefully, Liam will fight for the character of Geralt to have a personality as well. Or, will he just be a strong, silent, boring womanizer? Maybe Henry was right to abandon ship and focus on other opportunities. You can't do a fandom justice when you don't show respect to the source material.

Season 3 of The Witcher premieres on Netflix on June 29, 2023.