Hemsworth will take over for Henry Cavill when the series returns to Netflix.
As The Witcher inches ever closer to a return to Netflix for Season 4, all eyes are on Liam Hemsworth. Known for his role in the Hunger Games films, he was tapped back in October 2022 to replace Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia in the hit fantasy series, though the decision didn’t come without some consternation. Cavill had spent three seasons endearing his version of the White Wolf to fans, leaving Hemsworth with the unenviable task of winning over viewers and making the transition feel relatively seamless. His new co-star, Freya Allan, is among those calling for everyone to give his Geralt a chance when he finally takes the screen next year.
Ahead of her appearance in Wes Ball’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Allan sat down for an interview with Perri Nemiroff for Collider Ladies Night where she was asked about Hemsworth’s approach to the lead role and how he’s been preparing to step into the boots of Geralt. Allan plays Princess Cirilla of Cintra, aka Ciri, and she previously teased how her story will “take a dark turn” and the show has laid the groundwork for how the recasting could force her into a more central role, but there’s no doubt that Hemsworth’s Geralt will still be crucial to how it all unfolds.
Production has only just kicked off on Season 4, so Allan’s experience with Hemsworth is limited thus far, but she spoke about the content of his character and the effort he’s putting into make his Geralt something special out of an admittedly sticky situation.
“I don’t want to speak for him, but from what I’ve understood, I feel like he’s really wanting to try and bring the heart. He’s been training. I feel sorry for him, honestly, because, number one, that fan base can be very attack-y, and it’s not an ideal situation to be in taking up someone else’s role. But I’m really excited to see what he does. And he’s such a lovely guy. I just hope that people give him the time of day, you know?”
What Direction Will ‘The Witcher’ Season 4 Go?
Last year, The Witcher producers Steve Gaub and Tomek Baginski expressed how they believe the transition from Cavill to Hemsworth will be “flawless” by sticking close to the lore of the books. In general, the plan seems to be to adhere to the source material for Season 4 after Season 3 failed to reach the same level of acclaim from fans. The departures from Andrzej Sapkowski’s eight-book series, for better or worse, were rumored to be part of the reason Cavill was ready to move on from the role and even drew concerns from the author himself. There are still loads of unanswered questions left to be resolved about where Geralt, Yennefer (Anya Chalotra), and Ciri are heading after a season that left them separated and now forced to face a war-torn continent crawling with threats.
When asked about Ciri’s journey in the upcoming season, and whether having a new Geralt made her consider the character in a new way, Allan told Nemiroff:
“Not really, because our characters, all the storylines are going their separate ways this season. So it’s very much my own journey. Obviously, Geralt’s always going to have a massive weight on my character, but it’s very much her. She’s got a lot going on this season. She goes to some very dark places within herself, and also just discoveries, and coming into being a woman, basically. So yeah, she’s got her own separate thing. There isn’t much of an interaction there.”
Season 4 will also welcome plenty of new stars, including Laurence Fishburne as the fan-favorite character Regis, alongside Sharlto Copley, James Purefoy, and Danny Woodburn.
Stay tuned here at Collider for more on The Witcher Season 4 as production continues. Check out our guide to Hemsworth’s first season as Geralt here and keep an eye out for Nemiroff’s full Ladies Night interview with Allan.
