Liam Hemsworth has some big shoes to fill.
Personally, I’ve been bereft since it was announced that Henry Cavill is leaving Netflix’s Witcher TV series. Food has lost its taste, music seems a raucous din, and every morning I find myself gazing into the middle distance while my coffee goes cold. I just don’t know what I should do with myself without Cavill’s Geralt. Probably get therapy, maybe.
It turns out the show’s creators understand my pain, although perhaps to a less extreme degree. In an interview with TechRadar, Witcher showrunner Lauren Hissrich touched on the negative fan reaction to Cavill’s departure from the show, saying that a lot of the wailing and gnashing of teeth was completely understandable.
“There’s a lot of talk and rumours about,” said Hissrich, referring to the various theories that have sprung up to explain Cavill’s resignation, which range from ‘he had other projects coming up’ to ‘he is tired of fighting a long and secret war against the showrunners on behalf of Andrzej Sapkowski’s original vision’. But Hissrich gets it: “We fully understand why fans are going there,” said the showrunner, noting that Cavill leaving was “A big deal” for behind-the-scenes staff too.
So we’ll all miss the sight of PC gaming’s most muscular ambassador (I’m second place) on our screens, Witcher show staff included, but Hissrich hopes our Cavill-related disappointment won’t bleed over into other shows in the series. “Obviously [Cavill’s resignation] is huge news,” she says, but she implores fans to return for season 3 and to check out the new series, The Witcher: Blood Origin, “this has to stay about Blood Origin […] the cast, and the crew. This is their time in the spotlight”.
It’s not enormously surprising that the people working on a TV show would still like you to watch it, but it’s validating to hear that The Witcher’s creators were taken aback by Cavill’s departure too. It’s a struggle to see the show regaining its footing after such a big change, but I suppose anything’s possible. Nevertheless, with disappointment from fans, critics, the showrunner, and even Geralt’s actor from the games, it’s gonna take a lot of effort for a Hemsworth-led Witcher to get everyone back on board.
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