NOT A GOOD LOOK
Cavill’s exit from ‘The Witcher’ casts doubt on its future
RIGHT now, it’s a chaotic time to be a fan of “The Witcher,” with star Henry Cavill stepping aside as Geralt of Rivia and passing the role to Liam Hemsworth in Season 4. The announcement has inspired everything from intense Reddit threads to boycotting threats. But this casting change doesn’t just mark a tumultuous time for this franchise … it continues a trend of uncertainty in Netflix, the biggest streaming service in the game.
“The Witcher” adaptation has always occupied a complicated place in fandom. Any time a streaming service or studio announces that they will be adapting a video game into a live-action project — even a video game that’s based on a series of books — there’s skepticism. Based on how these projects have played out in the past, it’s a valid feeling. But even the most intense gripes about “The Witcher” have been sheltered by one living shield: Henry Cavill.
From the very beginning, Cavill has made it clear that he is a fan of this series. And by that, we mean he’s not a casual fan. He’s someone who has read all the books, played Witcher 3 campaigns repeatedly, knows the lore and can list Geralt’s many nicknames off of the top of his head. No matter how far the series veered off course — and it has repeatedly and aggressively veered — Cavill’s intense devotion to this franchise and his loyalty to the source material served as a sort of security blanket. Sure, “The Witcher” has taken some wild swings, from killing Eskel (Basil Eidenbenz) to Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) losing her magic. But Cavill was there, subconsciously assuring fans that this adaptation was going to be OK. This team knew what they were doing. Maybe it would take another season or two, but the story fans knew and loved would eventually be told.
Now that Cavill has announced his departure, that security blanket feels a lot thinner. It’s possible that Season 3 will be more of a return to the books than Season 2. But it seems more likely that creator Lauren
Hissrich and her team will continue to take this adaptation in the entirely different direction they’ve paved so far -and that direction is rocky. There have been some highlights in the Witcher series such as Chalotra’s performance, and Joey Batey has been an absolute standout as Jaskier the bard. But there have also been nonsensical time jumps, political debates that are both under and over-explained and random character deaths. Over its past two seasons, The Witcher has established itself as a promising show that is not greater than the sum of its parts. Cavill’s departure implies that fans’ loudest worries may be true: There isn’t really a grand plan for this series, and we’re going to be really going off book. But fan expectations aside, Cavill’s departure is simply bad optics for this show. Cavill isn’t just the star of a hit Netflix show. He’s the only major name on this tentpole show that is centered around his character. The only other “Witcher”star who comes close to his level of fame is Kim Bodnia, who is best known for starring in “Killing Eve.” People have tuned into “The Witcher” specifically so that they can watch Cavill smolder and kick monster butt. Hemsworth, easily the second most recognizable Hemsworth brother, may be able to bring in viewers, but it’s not insane to think that “The Witcher” will lose a lot of its Cavill fans once he’s gone.
Last year, the Netflix franchise released the anime movie “The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf ” and next month will mark the premiere of the prequel series “The Witcher: Blood Origin.” That’s without mentioning its upcoming second animated feature or its familyfriendly animated series. Netflix has put a “Stranger Things”-level of confidence into “The Witcher” and its related spinoffs. That level of trust is especially rare during a time when Netflix has been more than happy to axe cult hits like “The Babysitter’s Club” or kill recognizable projects like “Cowboy Bebop” and “Resident Evil”after their freshman seasons.
With this recasting, we will have to face an interesting question: Do people watch The Witcher because of Cavill’s star power, or simply because it’s a Netflix original? Netflix is clearly gambling on the answer to that question being the latter. Years ago, that would be a reasonable bet to make.That’s no longer the case. Whatever power the “Netflix Original” used to hold, it’s depleting.