The Witcher reveals first look at Liam Hemsworth as Geralt after Henry Cavill exit

In one of the more high-profile recastings of recent times, Liam Hemsworth was tapped to replace Henry Cavill in the title role in fantasy series The Witcher.

Now, Netflix has revealed the first look at Hemsworth as Geralt of Rivia. In a teaser video for season four, fans get a glimpse of their new-but-not-new hero, first as a reflection in the water, then as a shadowy silhouette as he and his horse Roach traipse through a swamp.

Then, it’s a shot from above of the crown of his head and those signature unkempt blonde locks before the camera zooms in on the small detail of his necklace. They’re really drawing this out, they want this reveal to be a big freakin’ deal.

A shot of his back, the sounds of a growling monster threat and the slow turn of the head. Ta da! It’s Liam Hemsworth, even though you half expect Cavill’s face.

The upcoming fourth season of The Witcher does not yet have a release date but the release of the video suggests it’s soon. The production is shooting the fourth and fifth seasons back-to-back, which will wind up the story adapted from Andrzej Sapkowski’s books.

The two final seasons will cover the books Baptism of Fire, The Tower of the Swallow and Lady of the Lake.

The official logline for the fourth season says the series will pick up after the dramatic events at the end of season three and follows Geralt, Yennefer and Ciri as they confront a war-ravaged continent and its numerous demons.

The series also stars Anya Chalotra, Freya Allan, Joey Batey, Eamon Farren and Laurence Fishburne.

Hemsworth was cast as Geralt in October 2022 after Cavill gave up the character he originated on screen, declining to renew his contract after the initial three-season term.

The changeover had occurred during a tumultuous period for The Witcher, which had at the time been in the headlines when a former producer, Beau DeMayo, revealed a behind-the-scenes rift over the show’s fidelity to Sapkowski’s books.

DeMayo told IGN, “I’ve been on a show – namely, The Witcher – where some of the writers were not or actively disliked the books and games (even actively mocking the source material).

“It’s a recipe for disaster and bad morale. Fandom as a litmus test checks egos, and makes all the long nights worth it. You have to respect the work before you’re allowed to add to its legacy.”

In the fandom, Cavill was seen as a fierce advocate for The Witcher books and some inferred his exit was related to a dissatisfaction with the direction of the series.

Despite gracious social media posts from Cavill and Hemsworth, the recasting of Geralt was still controversial in some sections of The Witcher fandom who were devoted to Cavill, and they threatened to not watch a Cavill-less version of the series.

Cavill’s leaving The Witcher ended up being a sidenote to a bigger Hollywood drama involving the DC Comics movies.

He left The Witcher at the same time that Cavill announced he was returning to his role as Superman in the DC movies having cameo-ed in Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam. It was his first reprisal of the role in five years. There was speculation that Cavill wasn’t going to be able to commit to both.

Weeks later, Cavill, along with Johnson, Gal Gadot and others who had portrayed DC’s onscreen heroes, were dumped from their roles when Warner Bros appointed James Gunn and Peter Safran as the new bosses of DC movies and TV shows.

Gunn and Safran opted to reboot the slate. A new Superman was cast in the form of David Corenswet and Gunn laid out a decade-long plan of new stories.

Cavill has since appeared in Matthew Vaughn’s spy caper Argylle and will be seen in two upcoming Guy Ritchie movies, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare and The Grey.