The Witcher star Liam Hemsworth’s stunt double plays grey-haired Geralt of Rivia for new scenes in North Wales after Aussie actor replaced fan favourite Henry Cavill in lead role

Fans of Netflix show The Witcher could be forgiven for assuming their leading man was on set as filming continued in North Wales on Thursday.

But the flowing grey wig and black costume typically worn by Liam Hemsworth in his role as Geralt of Rivia were instead modelled by his stunt-double.

The Australian actor, 34, replaced Henry Cavill in the show’s lead role in 2022, a move that initially proved unpopular among die-hard viewers.

While he wasn’t present on Thursday, his stand-in certainly looked the part as he relaxed between takes on the location shoot.

Netflix revealed earlier this year that Hemsworth would see the show through to the end after announcing that it would end with the forthcoming season five.

While Cavill’s unexpected recasting has been met with scepticism from fans, the show’s producers have pulled out all of the stops to ensure Hemsworth’s introduction as Geralt of Rivia is as seamless as possible.

And a shooting schedule earlier this year suggested their latest attempt to paper over the cracks included revisiting Cavill’s legendary season three fight scenes with feared sorcerer Vilgefortz of Roggeveen.

Geralt was badly wounded by Vilgefortz in a beachfront battle during the assault on Stygga, a scene that appeared to be recreated for a potential season four flashback scene.

Indeed, Hemsworth was joined by Vilgefortz actor Mahesh Jadu for a combat scene on a closed off portion of Devon coastline, while his stunt double Joel Adrien waited to be called into action.

It is thought that the scenes could either be a flashback to the moment from earlier in the series or that the new season could open picking up exactly where the last one left off.

Hemsworth wrote at the time that he was ‘over the moon about the opportunity to’ play the famous monster hunter.

‘I’m honoured that he’s handing me the reins and allowing me to take up the White Wolf’s blades for the next chapter of his adventure,’ he wrote of Cavill.

So far, no release date has been announced for The Witcher season four, although it is thought that it will arrive on screen at some point in 2025.

Meanwhile, Cavill explained he was passing the torch to Hemsworth, who will ‘be taking up the mantle of the White Wolf.’

He said: ‘As with the greatest of literary characters, I pass the torch with reverence for the time spent embodying Geralt and enthusiasm to see Liam’s take on this most fascinating and nuanced of men

‘Liam, good sir, this character has such a wonderful depth to him, enjoy diving in and seeing what you can find.’