Major spoilers follow for The Witcher season 3.
Netflix has unveiled the first clip of Liam Hemsworth as Geralt in The Witcher season 4, and fans are largely welcoming him as a fitting successor to Henry Cavill.
Released on May 22, the brief footage shows Hemsworth as the titular character for just a few seconds. However, the camera lingers long enough to highlight the aesthetic similarities between Hemsworth’s and Cavill’s portrayals of Geralt. This sneak peek follows leaked images, available on ResetEra and initially posted on the Witcher fansite Redanian Intelligence, that show Hemsworth potentially reshooting scenes from season 3. This suggests Geralt might be haunted by flashbacks of his near-fatal encounter with Vilgefortz in the previous season.
It has been over 18 months since Hemsworth was announced as Cavill’s successor. In October 2022, Netflix renewed The Witcher for a fourth season but confirmed Cavill would not return, much to the disappointment of fans. In an exclusive interview with TechRadar two months later, showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich expressed her understanding of fans’ concerns regarding Cavill’s departure. While neither Hissrich nor Cavill has commented on the reasons for his exit, rumors suggest creative differences may have played a role.
Hemsworth isn’t the only new face in The Witcher season 4 cast. In January, Laurence Fishburne joined the series, set to portray the beloved character Regis. Three months later, Sharlto Copley, James Purefoy, and Danny Woodburn were added, playing bounty hunter Leo Bonhart, Nilfgaardian spy Skellen, and fan-favorite dwarf Zoltan, respectively.
Filming for The Witcher season 4 began in mid-April, and Netflix has confirmed that a fifth and final season will conclude the series. These last two seasons will cover the final three novels of Andrzej Sapkowski’s Witcher book series. Given Cavill’s popularity in the first three seasons, Hemsworth faces a significant challenge in taking over one of his most iconic roles.
Despite initial skepticism, online reactions to Hemsworth’s Geralt have been mostly positive. A glance at discussions on ResetEra and Witcher-related Reddit threads shows fans are generally pleased with Hemsworth’s look. Some even prefer Hemsworth’s appearance to Cavill’s, who was occasionally deemed too muscular by a small segment of the fanbase.
However, some fans argue that the actor portraying Geralt in the final seasons is irrelevant due to a perceived decline in the show’s quality. While critical ratings on Rotten Tomatoes have varied by season, audience scores have dropped sharply: 89% for season 1, 55% for season 2, and a dismal 19% for season 3. My own reviews have echoed these sentiments. While I praised season 2 for being more ambitious and emotionally resonant, I noted that season 3 part 1 indicated the series was losing its magical touch.
We’ll see if Hemsworth’s arrival can steer the series back on track when The Witcher season 4 is eventually released. In the meantime, check out my Witcher season 3 ending explainer to see how it sets up the forthcoming season.
