Liam Hemsworth takes on the mantle of the legendary monster-hunter Geralt from Henry Cavill in the first-look teaser of The Witcher Season 4, dropped by Netflix on Sunday.
Cavill played the white-haired protagonist in the first three seasons of the Netflix series, adapted from CD Projekt Red’s video game franchise and Andrzej Sapkowski’s novels of the same name.
In the action-packed teaser, Hemsworth resembles Cavill’s brawny appearance as Geralt. He is seen defeating a ghostly wraith after a long tussle.
“After the Continent-altering events of Season 3, Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri find themselves separated by a raging war and countless enemies. As their paths diverge, and their goals sharpen, they stumble on unexpected allies eager to join their journeys. And if they can accept these found families, they just might have a chance at reuniting for good,” reads the logline of the upcoming season.
In October 2022, Cavill announced his exit from the series, revealing that Hemsworth would take over the role of the titular witcher.
“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 4,” Cavill had written in his post. “In my stead, the fantastic Mr. Liam Hemsworth will be taking up the mantle of the White Wolf,” he added.
Hemsworth will play the role at least for the next two seasons, according to Netflix.
Fans, however, are not happy with Cavill leaving the fantasy series. “This tv show without Henry Cavill is like Pirates of Caribbean without Johnny Depp,” one of them wrote. “I don’t know how to feel,” another commented.
Some fans also criticised the producers of the show and urged others to not blame Hemsworth for the casting. “If Henry, a die hard fan of the witcher games, walked out of this project, it tells everything you need to know about the people in charge of this project,” reads a comment.
The new season follows Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri, who are separated and traversing the war-ravaged Continent and its many demons. If they can embrace and lead the groups of misfits they find themselves in, they have a chance of surviving the baptism of fire — and finding one another again.
Apart from Liam, The Matrix trilogy actor Laurence Fishburne is joining The Witcher as Regis, described as “a world-wise barber-surgeon with a mysterious past”. Sharlto Copley is set to join the cast as the infamous bounty hunter Leo Bonhart, James Purefoy as Emhyr’s court advisor and high-ranking spy Skellen, and Danny Woodburn as the dwarf Zoltan.
The Witcher Season 4 is set to hit Netflix on October 30.
