The Witcher's Executive Producer Reminds Us That Swapping Main Character Actors Is Nothing New

After three seasons of slaying monsters, shagging sorceresses, and stumbling into being a dad, Henry Cavill is hanging up his sword as Geralt of Rivia on "The Witcher." It's an unusual situation, what with Liam Hemsworth slated to assume Cavill's role in "The Witcher" season 4 (which was announced well ahead of season 3's arrival). Save for when franchises are rebooted, this type of crucial recasting tends to only happen when actors are either in legal trouble or facing serious allegations — and even then, by the time those allegations come to light, recasting may simply no longer be feasible. Then there are the rare tragic incidents where an actor dies, in which case their character is either recast or dies in-universe, if not carefully "retired" to avoid rubbing fans the wrong way (although even that approach can backfire).

Thankfully, Cavill is still alive and kickin', with his now-former co-workers having had nothing but pleasant things to say about their experiences working with him. (Should that change once they're no longer actively promoting the same project, well, let's not worry about that day until it actually comes, assuming it ever does.) Such was also the case when executive producer Steve Gaub spoke to Radio Times about the actor's departure. Saying that Cavill "gave us an incredible three seasons of Geralt," Gaub added that he's hopeful "Witcher" fans will be keen to continue exploring the Continent, even without him. In Gaub's own words:

"We love everything that Henry gave us as a Geralt and now we're really excited about what Liam can give us as a Geralt, much like there's been different James Bonds, different Doctor Whos, different Spider-Mans. We're now one of those properties and we aim to serve the property right and continue on with a really strong Geralt."

While swapping lead actors isn't uncommon, Steve Gaub is conveniently (?) forgetting that every time we get a new James Bond or Spider-Man actor, the movies are rebooted with them. For that matter, "Doctor Who" goes a step further by having the Doctor regenerate with a new face and body every few seasons, providing an in-universe explanation for why its lead is suddenly played by a different actor. 

Perhaps a more accurate comparison for the "Witcher" situation would be what happened back when George Clooney replaced "Batman Forever" actor Val Kilmer as the Caped Crusader for "Batman & Robin." There, much like "The Witcher," the films retained the same continuity and top creatives despite their new leading (Bat)man. I'm guessing there's a reason Gaub didn't mention that example, though, and I say that as someone who will readily defend "Batman & Robin" as the beautiful debacle it is. 

Meanwhile, Gaub's fellow EP Tomek Bagiński went a step further, hyping Liam Hemsworth's turn as Geralt:

"I think we will all miss Henry, that's for sure, but at the same time, we're very excited for the future and about the introduction of Liam and how he will be introduced in season 4 — because this is mind-blowing, it's pretty cool."

I've no doubt there's an actor who can match the perfect blend of stoic cheek, gentle warmth, and raw physicality that Cavill brings to Geralt. Is Hemsworth that actor? That I'm not so certain of, mostly because he's (to be frank) yet to make much of an impression on me as an actor in general. I'd love it if he surprised me, though! Until then, we can look forward to Cavill continuing to play our beloved grunting, grumpy monster-hunting dad until "The Witcher" season 3, volume 2 drops on July 27, 2023.