Not too long before the one-year anniversary of Season 3, The Witcher is getting fans ready for the official switch of actors playing Geralt of Rivia. Henry Cavill had the starring role for the first three seasons, but will be replaced for Season 4 as well as the fifth and final season. A first look at Liam Hemsworth as Geralt has finally been revealed, and fans... well, the commentary from fans is pretty brutal.
Liam Hemsworth replacing Henry Cavill as Geralt was one of the first big The Witcher Season 4 details that we had, with the announcement happening all the way back in late 2022. While Cavill stuck around for the third season, Season 4 will start the Hemsworth era.
And the new first look at Hemworth on The Witcher shows what his jacked real-life physique looks like while dressed in the Geralt costume. Personally, I think he looks as close to Cavill as could be realistically hoped for, but a lot of other fans are less satisfied. First, check out the video for yourself:
The journey continues. Here's your first look at Liam Hemsworth as Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher. pic.twitter.com/mrHOuR6cP7May 22, 2024
All in all, it's a pretty standard clip of what fans have come to expect from The Witcher after three seasons. There's Geralt looking broody, his horse by his side, and the sounds of monsters all around them. Hemsworth or Cavill, it's safe to say that any version of Geralt can wreak havoc on monsters... but possibly not with as much brutality as how fans were roasting Hemsworth in the comments on the post. @Nerdy_SenpaiTTV wrote:
Listen, he's fine...but you can't take Henry from us and give us Liam. You can't follow up a Bentley with a Jeep.
That comment doesn't start out too badly for Liam Hemsworth, with the popular sentiment that it's a shame that Henry Cavill is leaving before the show is complete. That said, being called a Jeep in comparison to a Bentley isn't exactly a compliment! Another fan, @AI_EmeraldApple, wrote:
no thanks, i'm not watching discount geralt
Well, it's no wonder that Freya Allen described the fanbase as sometimes being "very attacky" to cast members. Another commenter aimed their blame at the streaming service more than the man replacing Henry Cavill. According to @AerithReborn:
Nah, no Henry Cavill, you really flopped on this one Netflix.
For another fan on social media, the takeaway wasn't whether or not Liam Hemsworth looked enough like Henry Cavill to replace him as Geralt, but that Liam is the wrong Hemsworth. @Bright726 put it this way:
I thought it was going to Chris Hemsworth instead lol,it could’ve been better.
The Hemsworth brothers do have a strong resemblance, but Chris of course is the man behind Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as the villain in Furiosa as the latest installment in the Mad Max franchise. Chris undoubtedly has the biggest name of the Hemsworth brothers, although we shouldn't overlook Liam's part in the Hunger Games cast. Another fan, @TravellingMack, had some empathy for the new Geralt actor:
I feel a bit sorry for Liam here. Henry Cavill is Geralt - just perfect for the role. Replacing him ruins the immersion, no matter how Hemsworth does… hope he smashes it though
Despite Netflix releasing the first look, no Season 4 premiere date has been announced for when Liam Hemsworth will arrive to take over the narrative in The Witcher timeline. The fourth season at the very least is in production, so progress is certainly being made on what will be the penultimate batch of episodes. For now, you can always revisit the first three seasons so far streaming with a Netflix subscription.
