Sorry, Witcher Fans: Showrunner Hasn't Even Considered Keeping Cavill On
The news that Henry Cavill will not be returning as fan-favorite Geralt of Rivia after the Witcher's third season wasn't taken well by fans.
Despite their pleas, according to showrunner Lauren Hissrich, there hasn't been any discussion about his return to the ever-expanding franchise.
Speaking to EW, Hissrich said that they "haven't even thought about" whether there's a place for Cavill behind the scenes or in a new role with the "Witcher-verse."
She talked about the plans for the future, which include the poorly rated prequel series Blood Origin, the 2021 anime Nightmare of the Wolf, and a few other upcoming projects. Hissrich said anything is a possibility for the Witcher cinematic universe, but it's clear that – at least thus far – Cavill isn't in those plans.
Season 3 will be Cavill's final in the role, and Hissrich wants to honor what he's given to the show with a proper goodbye. Before Liam Hemsworth takes over as Geralt in Season 4, Hissrich promises fans the "most heroic sendoff" for Cavill.
Cavill announced he'd leave the Netflix series last October – right around the time he appeared as Superman in a Black Adam post-credit scene.
The implication was that Cavill would return as Superman for the DC franchise, a role he hadn't played in five years. Fans assumed he stepped down from his role as Geralt – one in which he held a huge personal interest – to restart his role in the DC Universe.
Within weeks, it was announced that DC co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran would not be casting Cavill in future films. The producers of The Witcher confirmed that this would not change Geralt's recasting.
And just like that, Cavill was removed from beloved roles in two massively popular franchises.
It's since come out that Cavill left the role because of the studio's direction. He was a big fan of the original novels and games, which is part of why he was so deeply attached to the character. Hissrich and the studio severely altered the canon from the source material.
Ironically, Hissrich said that Season 3 is the closest the series has followed the books. She admitted that it's impossible to replicate every page, but she was able to "stick really, really closely with the books."
Season 3 of The Witcher will hit Netflix sometime in the summer of 2023. Despite losing his two biggest franchises, Cavill still has a lot on the horizon – he's taking on Warhammer 40k with Amazon Prime Video.