Deep down, we always knew that the departure of Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia would result in backlash – he’s just so well suited to the role, not to mention a diehard fan of The Witcher. Yet the call to fire the writers of the Netflix show so that Cavill can return wasn’t quite the level of backlash we were expecting.
The Charge.org petition is gathering momentum, with over 320k signatures and counting, thus showing just how beloved Cavill is as the White Wolf.
Speaking of Netflix, have you seen the announcement for The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep?
Opening with a rousing sentence, the creator of the petition explains how the writer of The Witcher books, Andrzej Sapkowski, spoke so highly of Cavill, saying, “‘I was more than happy with Henry Cavill's appearance as The Witcher, he's a real professional. Just as Viggo Mortensen gave his face to Aragorn, so Henry gave his to Geralt and it shall be forever so.’”
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From there, the OP crucifies Netflix for its decision for Cavill to leave, stating how it’s not “because of Superman” but because executives have “made a grave decision against delivering for their fans”. They then close by bitterly recalling how fans “suffered” through the Game of Thrones finale and how this fandom doesn’t want to experience that same fate.
Although the original reason Cavill was said to be leaving was due to playing Superman in an upcoming DC film, it was later revealed that this wasn’t the case. Furthermore, Sapkowski has candidly revealed how Netflix “never listened” to him, much to his frustration. During a Comic Con interview, the writer said, “Maybe I gave them some ideas, but they never listened to me. They never listen to me. But it's normal, it's normal. 'Who's this? It's the writer, it's nobody.’”
For now, Liam Hemsworth is still claiming the role of Geralt as his own in the next season of Netflix’s The Witcher, with the season scheduled to release sometime between 2024 and 2025. Thank goodness all these disgruntled fans have The Witcher 4 to look forward to, with the familiar face of Geralt set to return there.
Small mercies.
Featured Image Credit: NetflixTopics: The Witcher, The Witcher 3, TV And Film, Netflix, CD Projekt Red