The Witcher Showrunner Finally Addresses Henry Cavill Exit
Like some sort of quest Geralt and Ciri would embark on, the sordid saga of Netflix's The Witcher is only getting more complicated.
Despite the fantasy epic ticking along nicely for the streaming service, the rug was pulled from beneath us all when it was confirmed Henry Cavill was stepping down as Geralt of Rivia for The Witcher season 4.
We know The Hunger Games' Liam Hemsworth is taking over as Geralt, and while fandom sharpens its pitchforks, showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich has claimed its business as usual.
What's The Witcher Showrunner Said About Cavill's Departure?
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Hissrich has become public enemy no.1, with thousands signing a petition to fire her and the writers but keep Cavill. Now, she's given her side of the story to TechRadar.
Saying she "fully understands" why viewers are angry, the series overseer added, "It's a big deal for us, too." Expanding on what's going on, Hissrich said, "And that's the thing – there's a lot of talk and rumors about and we fully understand why fans are going there."
"What I will say is please come back for The Witcher season three so that we can continue to do this. Obviously, that [Cavill's departure] is huge news. But what I don't want to do is – this has to stay about Blood Origin, Declan [de Barra, Blood Origin's showrunner], the cast, and the crew. This is their time in the spotlight."
It's clear Hissrich is on the promo campaign for the upcoming The Witcher: Blood Origin, but the questions will always come back to the elephant in the room. Blood Origin is feeling the repercussions of its bigger brother, as the series' first trailer was slammed with negative comments over the Cavill situation.
Why Did Henry Cavill Leave The Witcher?
Unless the man himself speaks out (which is unlikely), we'll probably never know what really went down. Looking back though, the writing was on the wall.
There are claims that Cavill tried to leave after season 2, and with a former producer saying the show's writers actively dislike Andrzej Sapkowski's books or CD Projekt RED's games, it paints a worrying picture.
Cavill hasn't shown any hint of hatred toward the series since leaving, and by all accounts, it looks like a smooth transition between him and Hemsworth. Then again, we imagine legal teams are scrambling behind the scenes to keep the peace.
Hissrich has promised Hemsworth will bring a "new energy" to The Witcher season 4, but with fans already. hating concepts of what he could look like, it'll take more than a panicked interview promoting a different series to silence an irate fandom.
