The era of the sword and axe is nigh, as Netflix has secretly begun production on the fifth and final season of The Witcher. The streamer’s flagship fantasy series is based on the novels by Polish author, Andrzej Sapkowski, with Henry Cavill initially playing Geralt of Rivia in the show’s first three seasons. Liam Hemsworth took over the role after Cavill departed for unknown reasons for the final two seasons. Season 4 has wrapped shooting and is scheduled to be released later this year. But Netflix appears to want to close the book on its divisive fantasy series quickly by moving straight into production on Season 5.
While fans are still waiting for Season 4 to introduce Liam Hemsworth’s iteration of Geralt of Rivia, Netflix has already moved ahead with the production of the actor’s final season as the character. The scoop comes via What’s On Netflix, who revealed that production on Season 5 has begun in South Africa. In fact, filming began exactly a month ago (February 26), but this wasn’t announced by Netflix. Some are speculating that the streamer is attempting to stay quiet about The Witcher for a while following the critical failure of the latest animated offering, The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep. Despite bringing back the original Geralt of Rivia (Doug Cockle), the film failed to land with audiences and critics, and underperformed on the streamer.
The report also confirmed that Season 5 of The Witcher will continue to deviate from the books by incorporating sets and storylines from the canceled The Rats: A Witcher’s Tale spin-off. The new show, which followed the group Ciri joined at the end of Season 3 of the core series, was axed midway through production. In Season 5, Ciri will be forced to fight in a fighting pit that belongs to the crime lord, Dominik Houvenaghel. In the books, Dominik is the brother of the dangerous killer Leo Bonhart, who will be played by Sharlto Copley in Season 4.
It’s Time for Netflix’s ‘The Witcher’ Universe to End
Most fandoms would be upset about a TV show coming to an end, but not The Witcher fans. From Season 1, many were against Netflix’s loose interpretation of Sapkowski’s novels. These grievances only worsened with subsequent seasons, as many complained that the complex storylines from the novels and video games were dumbed-down into something resembling a teen drama (which Netflix has admitted to).
Season 4 of The Witcher hasn’t been given an exact release date yet. However, it has been confirmed to be premiering this year. We are expecting it to be released towards the end of the year. Fans already have their first look at Liam Hemsworth as Geralt, thanks to a short teaser released during Season 4’s production. However, we are all eager to see the full trailer for Season 4 to witness Hemsworth in action, and measure how his version compares to Henry Cavill’s.
