The Witcher is fighting an uphill battle going into its final two seasons. Die-hard fans have reminded their friends and families that Henry Cavill was the only person to play Geralt of Rivia way too many times, alongside the myriad of other issues facing the loose adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski’s novels. But Cavill is gone (he’s likely too busy playing Space Marine 2), and Liam Hemsworth is in as the new White Wolf. Some have already written off Hemsworth and Season 4. But he could be the saving grace the show desperately needs.
Why did fans love Henry Cavill so much? As well as being the internet’s boyfriend, Cavill was a massive fan of the franchise before joining the show. He had reportedly played The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt a dozen times and dove straight into the novels after that. The Man of Steel star is hailed as the shining light in the otherwise diminishing series. But fans are forgetting (or just ignoring) that Liam Hemsworth is also a massive Witcher fan.
Liam Hemsworth Also Loves The Witcher 3
Unlike with movies, where it’s sacrilegious to watch a sequel or threequel without the prior installments, in video games, it’s far more common. Most fans (including Henry Cavill and Liam Hemsworth) were introduced to The Witcher through the multi-award-winning third game in the trilogy, The Wild Hunt. The game is so popular that people and journalists refer to Netflix’s show as a video game adaptation, even though the games themselves are adaptations of the books.
Appearing on Live With Kelly and Mark, Liam Hemsworth revealed that he, too, fell in love with The Witcher through the games. “I hadn’t seen the TV show and I hadn’t read the books, but I played the video game like ten years ago or something,” he said. While that doesn’t sound like the die-hard fandom fans associated with Henry Cavill, Hemsworth fondly remembered his time playing it, proclaiming it as one of the all-time greats. He continued:
” It’s still, to this day, one of the best video games of all time, and Netflix came to me almost two years ago now and said that they wanted me to step in and take over, and I was really excited by taking on that character because I was a fan of the video game.
I’ve gone back to it… a couple of times. “
Liam Hemsworth Could Be a Good Geralt of Rivia
While many will still complain about the direction the show is taking, many fans have the same understanding of the franchise as Liam Hemsworth from playing the game. He then assured the fan base that he has since read the books and devoured the show. Hemsworth’s love for the game and the character could give audiences another great Geralt of Rivia on the small screen. It is currently unclear how his Geralt sounds, as the character’s distinct, gruff voice is a vital element for the actor to nail.
Henry Cavill has said that his own Geralt voice was an amalgamation of past performances (both Doug Cockle in the games and Peter Kenny in the audiobooks), but he still wanted to put his own spin on things so as not to feel like an imitation. Liam Hemsworth hasn’t spoken much about what has gone into his performance as Geralt of Rivia, as shooting is still ongoing. However, he could win over the disgruntled fan base if he can fully embody the character on screen.
Although, even if Liam Hemsworth’s Geralt is better than Henry Cavill’s, the show still has a mountain of hurdles to climb before fans re-embrace it. The Witcher has the almost impossible task of condensing three massive books into two seasons while also wrapping up the countless original storylines created for the show. The Witcher Season 4 is expected to release in late 2025.
