Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, the showrunner for The Witcher, has shared the reasons behind the decision to cast Liam Hemsworth as the new Geralt of Rivia, succeeding Henry Cavill.
In 2022, Cavill announced his departure from the widely acclaimed Netflix series, much to the surprise and disappointment of fans. This announcement came amidst circulating rumors about disagreements between Cavill and the show’s producers, despite the actor’s earlier commitment to stay for seven seasons, contingent on the series staying true to its origins.
Cavill’s attention had apparently shifted to reprising his role as Superman in Man of Steel 2, following his appearance in the 2013 original.
However, this did not materialize as planned, with David Corenswet taking on the role in a different direction for the film.
Netflix, on the other hand, faced the challenge of replacing Cavill, who had successfully engaged viewers as Geralt for three seasons.
While the series’ critical response has fluctuated, Cavill’s portrayal has consistently received praise.
The production team decided to bring in Liam Hemsworth, known for his role in The Hunger Games.
The choice didn’t sit well with all fans initially, but the showrunners were thoroughly impressed by Hemsworth’s performance.
Hemsworth is set to portray Geralt in the series’ final two seasons.
His first appearance as the character will be in the fourth season, scheduled to premiere this Thursday (October 30).
In a discussion with IGN, Hissrich explained the distinctive trait that made Hemsworth a suitable choice for the part.
“When we were looking at who potentially could fill the shoes of Geralt, there is a physicality that has to be present,” Hissrich stated.
“You need someone who you can imagine can excel at these action scenes, who has such a physical presence that they could be both intimidating in the story, but also, Geralt has a huge emotional side as well…”
She elaborated: “What I really loved about Liam’s work that I had seen is that he was able to organically blend those two things. He didn’t have physical scenes and then emotional scenes. “He was able to really carry this specific, I guess I call it soul.
“He has a soul that he brings into the role… To have that present even through action scenes when he’s fighting monsters, and it’s the same thing that’s present when he’s having conversations with Ciri or with Yennefer, that was a really special thing that we were able to capture.”
Hissrich concluded: “And when I had watched some of his work, specifically going back to Hunger Games, that’s something that I felt from him.”
Whether fans agree or not, Hemsworth seems to have brought a unique quality to the role.
The Witcher continues with season four hitting Netflix this Thursday (October 30).