The Witcher: New reports claim Henry Cavill was looking to exit the series as early as season 2
Henry Cavill’s sudden departure from The Witcher might have been in the works since season two, a report claims.
Over the weekend, the British actor announced that he would be exiting the Netflix fantasy series after its next season.
Liam Hemsworth will take over Cavill’s role of Geralt of Rivia.
News of the sudden casting shakeup has shocked fans and caused many to question why Cavill would leave the much-loved series, which has a huge fanbase and routinely performs well for the streaming giant.
As per Gamesradar, according to Redanian Intelligence, a website that reports exclusively on The Witcher, the actor had his sights set on leaving during season two.
The second season of the series aired in December in 2021, a year on from the first season in 2020.
Before the series had been renewed for a third season, a source told Redanian that there was already a possibility of recasting Geralt.
Cavill allegedly considered leaving because he and the producers “weren’t seeing eye to eye” on the subject of the show’s content and his character’s role.
Throughout the press tour for series two, as per Redanian, Cavill made it clear that he had been pushing for the show to stay true to the books on which it is based.
“The toughest part for me was finding that balance between the showrunners’ vision and my love for the books, and trying to bring that Geralt to the showrunners’ vision. It’s about treading a fine line there. It’s the showrunners’ story and so it’s an adaptation,” he said.
“The tricky bit for me was finding Geralt from the books’ place within that and being able to serve both as much as I could.”
The show was eventually confirmed for season three in September 2021. In November, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Cavill had renewed his contract and would now be receiving $1m (£871,000) per episode. This was a huge increase from his $400,000 (£348,400) per episode salary for season one.
The publication stated that it chose not to publish the claims at the time given that it was unlikely Cavill would leave after only two seasons on the show.
However, when reporting news of Hemsworth’s arrival to the franchise, Deadline said that Cavill had “made a short-term deal for The Witcher” and felt it was “time to move on after three seasons on the show”.
The timing of the announcement has not been lost on fans, many of whom pointed out that it was only recently revealed that Cavill would be returning to his role as Superman in the DC Extended Universe.
Many people suggested that his return to the DCEU had something to do with his exit from The Witcher.
Others, however, also suggested that his decision may stem from behind-the-scenes trouble as claimed by Redanian.
The Independent has contacted Cavill and Netflix for comment.
Netflix users are threatening to boycott the show once Cavill leaves. The Witcher is showrun by Lauren Schmidt-Hissrich.
