Henry Cavill left the series "The Witcher" in 2022, and since then the reasons for his departure have remained the subject of rumors and discussions in the community.
Three years later, the showrunner of Netflix's "The Witcher," Lauren Hissrich, officially commented on the situation with the replacement of the lead actor for the first time. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, she said that discussions about a possible replacement began long before Henry Cavill's departure, and the actor himself expressed a desire to focus on other roles.
"He had plans for other projects that he really wanted to commit to. We didn't want to hold someone back from doing something they didn't want to do. I think that's why it was a really symbiotic decision."
Among the alleged reasons for the departure were the actor's plans to reprise the role of Superman (which were not subsequently implemented), as well as participation in the series based on the Warhammer 40,000 universe, which is being developed for Amazon.
Earlier, Cavill indirectly hinted at dissatisfaction with the creative direction of the series. A few days before the official announcement of his departure, he spoke about the importance of "believing in what you are doing," and that "you need to stop if you feel that you are doing something wrong." There were rumors of disagreements between the actor and the project team, but Hissrich refused to comment on them: "The phrase \"creative differences\" can mean anything", she said.
The showrunner also emphasized that the series does not depend on one performer.
"\"The Witcher\" is not one actor. It's not me. There are books, there are video games. We are only the third part of this universe. So \"The Witcher\" is alive, regardless of whether we stay or not."
Liam Hemsworth will play Geralt in the fourth season. The premiere of the new episodes is scheduled for October 30, 2025. Netflix previously confirmed that the series will end with the fifth season.
