After a nearly two-and-a-half-year hiatus, Netflix’s The Witcher season 4 is on the horizon.A trailer for the series premiered during a different type of action drama, the Canelo vs. Crawford boxing match, and it showcases the new Geralt: Liam Hemsworth, who took over after Henry Cavill departed the role after the season 3 finale. The season will premiere in October.
While the previous season of The Witcher left our core characters spread across the Continent (a summary for season 4 says “Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri find themselves separated by a raging war and countless enemies,” but that “they stumble on unexpected allies eager to join their journeys”), the casting switcheroo doesn’t appear to have any magical explanation — Cavill just jumped ship to do other stuff. Hopefully not more DC movies just because The Rock invited him to the set of Black Adam, but, uh… there’s Warhammer.
What did he miss out on when he stepped away? Here’s the trailer.
Cavill’s time as Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher was marked by a rare dedication to honoring Andrzej Sapkowski’s source material (see: how deeply he felt about Roach the horse). Cavill poured himself into the role, shaping Geralt’s stoic presence and even rewriting key scenes to better reflect the character’s heart. His deep connection to Geralt, coupled with his military background and personal investment, gave the series a beating heart.
Behind the scenes, Cavill’s exit fueled speculation on what the hell happened. While he publicly framed his departure as “passing the torch,” rumors point to creative tensions over how faithfully the show should treat the books and games. Former writers have hinted at dismissive attitudes toward the source material, and Cavill himself hinted that he knew when to walk away from a role that no longer felt right. I would say writer-producer Lauren Schmidt Hissrich has been passionate about adapting Sapkowski’s books in the smartest way possible since day one. And judging from a mega-deal Netflix signed with her in 2021, the company liked what it saw in her work. (Her latest Witcher project was the above-average animated Sirens of the Deep.) So while Cavill walked, Hissirch once again served as showrunner on season 4.
It’s hard to imagine The Witcher without Cavill, but I will say this: Hemsworth kicks ass in Land of Bad. The trailer insists he can swing Geralt’s sword. Time will tell whether he can walk the walk and talk the talk. The good news is, Laurence Fishburne will also be there as Regis the vampire hunter. Hard to screw that up.
All eight episodes of The Witcher season 4 premiere on Oct. 30.
