The Witcher: Henry Cavill dropped massive hint about quitting days before resigning

As I'm sure you've heard by now, The Witcher's fourth season will be moving ahead without Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia.

Netflix confirmed over the weekend that The Witcher season four will see Liam Hemsworth step into the starring role, a spot of recasting that has been about as warmly received as an eggy fart on a crowded train carriage.

“My journey as Geralt of Rivia has been filled with both monsters and adventures, and alas, I will be laying down my medallion and my swords for Season four,” Cavill wrote in a post on Instagram.

“In my stead, the fantastic Mr Liam Hemsworth will be taking up the mantle of the White Wolf. 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.”

Cavill had previously claimed he was fully committed to The Witcher's seven-season plan - so long as the show could continue to tell great stories which honored Sapkowski’s work. Naturally, his sudden departure after just three seasons has led to a fair amount of fan speculation. Given some of the more substantial changes to the story in The Witcher’s second season, and recent reports that The Witcher writers “actively dislike” the source material, fans think that behind-the-scenes creative differences played their part. Certainly, a number of old interviews recently dug up by fans paint a picture of a star who wants to do right by the source material, and a team of writers who want to do things a little differently.

Over on The Witcher subreddit, an excellent in-depth interview with Josh Horowitz from just three days ago gives us perhaps the strongest indication yet of why Cavill was unhappy with the Netflix show.

"It's just about belief," Cavill says of his work ethic and approach to the projects he chooses. "If you believe what you're doing is the right thing then you'll be able to keep on doing it. If you realise you're doing the wrong thing, that's when you stop doing the wrong thing. You don't just keep on going, because that leads down a dark path."

While it's important to note that Cavill's comments here weren't specifically in relation to The Witcher, the timing of it certainly has fans reassessing his words in a new light. We may never know what exactly went on behind the scenes of the fantasy series, but Cavill's genuine love and respect of the source material is incredibly plain to see.

Topics: The Witcher, Netflix, TV And Film