The Witcher controversy: Why Henry Cavill is not coming back after season 3

Henry Cavill, the lead actor in one of the most popular fantasy series of the past years, has withdrawn from the show. It was shocking news for fans and colleagues alike. His replacement in 'The Witcher' is another, well-known actor.

"My journey as Geralt of Rivia has been filled with both monsters and adventures, and alas, I will be laying down my medallion and my swords for Season 4," Henry Cavill wrote on Instagram in late October 2022.

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"In my stead, the fantastic Mr Liam Hemsworth will be taking up the mantle of the White Wolf," Cavill continued.

Hemsworth is known for films like 'The Hunger Games' and 'Isn't it Romantic.' He is part of the famous Australian acting family, along with Chris (m) and Luke Hemsworth (r).

The actor nor the producers have given an explanation about why he is leaving his big role as Geralt of Rivia in 'The Witcher.' The media have given several explanations for his departure, though.

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In October 2022, Cavill announced that he is returning as Superman in the DC Universe. The role is a big one, and most likely with a significant salary. It could have been a cause for the actor to put other projects aside.

While it's understandable that Henry Cavill moved aside other projects for Superman, 'The Witcher' is too big of a role and too close to his heart to just put aside, Forbes and other media claim. There must have been more to his decision than just the Superman part, they say.

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As Forbes reports, Henry Cavill has always been a big fan of the original books and games of 'The Witcher.' The outlet suggests that he left the show because it was moving too far away from the descriptions of his character in the books.

Forbes cites an interview with Henry Cavill in which he suggests that the makers of the series weren't following the books as closely as he'd like. "I wanted the character to have a closer relationship to the character in the books, I wanted him to be more book accurate," he said about Geralt of Rivia.

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Cavill indicated in the interview, as cited by Forbes, that he was "campaigning for [Geralt] to sound more intellectual, more philosophical, and to have an emotional side as well, rather than just be a grumpy snowman."

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The series is based on the literary saga 'Wiedzmin' ('The Witch') by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski. It consists of six novels and 15 short stories.

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The 'Witcher saga takes place in a fantasy world full of Slavic folklore characters. Cursed women, screaming shadows, swamp dwellers, and mutants are among them.

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In the book version, the monstrous look of the main character of the series, Henry Cavill's role, is more pronounced. This means that in the series, Geralt of Rivia appears more attractive than in the book.

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To make the character's muscles more pronounced, Henry Cavill lowered his intake of fluids during the shooting of the series. He became so muscled and strong that his body tore some of his leather costumes during the action scenes.

The story of protagonist Geralt de Rivia became popular when it was adapted for a video game series. 'The Witcher' was first released as a game in 2007.

More than 8 million copies of the 3-part game franchise were sold worldwide. 'The Witcher 3' even won The Game Award for best game.

Part of the story written by Andrzej Sapkowski was also adapted for cinema. Under the title of 'Wiedzmin,' or 'The Hexer,' the film was released in 2001. It wasn't as much of a hit as the current series, though.

The Netflix series became an instant legend. When its second season came out in 2021, it "flew straight to the top of Netflix’s top ten ratings list" in its first three days, Deadline reported.

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The first season of the series, released in 2019, has remained one of Netflix's 15 most successful shows ever. In addition, it has been one of the highest-rated series on IMDb. As soon as it debuted, it got a score of 8.9.

Although the Witcher himself carries the show - both in Henry Cavill and Liam Hemsworth's versions - there are some great performers among the rest of the series' cast.

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The sorceress of the series, with whom the famous magician falls in love, is played by a relatively unknown actress: Anya Chalotra. She was cast before the main character of the Witcher himself.

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The daughter of an Indian father and an English mother, Charlotra was selected for both her beauty and her talent. Over the course of the series, her character underwent a great physical transformation.

The first season of the series goes back in time to explain the background of this sorceress. She was sold by her own father to the director of a magicians' school.

Yennefer actually has elf blood. In the books, her powers are an inheritance from her mother, while in the TV version her father is the source of her magic skills.

Image: 'The Witcher' video game

Freya Allan, the actress who plays Ciri, was born in England. She also had roles in 'The War of the Worlds' (2019) and 'Gunpowder Milkshakes' (2021).

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Ciri's grandmother and the queen of Cintra is played by Jodhi May. The actress also appeared in an episode of 'Game of Thrones' as the witch Maggy the Frog.

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Joey Batey plays the role of Jaskier. His song, 'Toss a Coin to the Witcher,' has been covered several times on YouTube. Millions of the stories' fans have watched covers of the famous song.

Among the places where the series was filmed are the Vajdahunyad Castle in Hungary, the small town of Rabsztyn in Poland, and the Canary Islands in Spain.

Image: Netflix