The Witcheris ready to premiere a new Geralt of Rivia after Henry Cavill’s public departure from the role, butone person has still yet to meet the new actor. Anya Chalotra, who plays one of the most powerful mages, Yennefer of Vengerberg, has yet to meet the actor replacing her love interest.
Since Cavill decided to leaveThe Witcher, there has been a mad scramble for damage control. The actor campaigned hard to win the role of Geralt and was the on-set expert for all things related toThe Witcherfranchise. Cavill’s departure would be a loss because you may’t have a Witcher show without the titular Witcher. Geralt drives forward the narrative primely focused on the found family between him, Yennefer, and their adopted magical child, Ciri (Freya Allan).Cavill deserved better than the Netflix series, and it is only further complicated by his replacement. Though the chemistry between the family is the main relationship of the show, Chalotra still hasn’t met who will replace Geralt.
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“Henry is moving on from this, and that’s really exciting. We’ve had a wonderful five years with him, and I’m excited for new energy to come in as well,” Chalotra toldVarietydiplomatically about the change. The new energy she referred to is the casting of Liam Hemsworth, who will replace Cavill. “Liam will be brilliant, I’m sure. I haven’t spoken to him yet – well, I have spoken to him but I haven’t met him.”
The casting announcement shocked the fandom, making some wonder howThe Witcherwould incorporate Hemsworth after Cavill’s portrayal. Recasting isn’t unheard of, especially for large franchises. But there is still an air of mystery about howThe Witcherwill continue, and Chalotra isn’t the only cast member in the dark. Many others have said they have not met Hemsworth in person either. Joey Batey, known as charismatic bard Jaskier, reported that he has communicated with the actor only through email. Hemsworth is getting different advice on portraying Geralt, and the two actors traded quotes from the book.
Some may take this information with some pause. Casting a lead in an immersive fantasy is already a large undertaking. But not including the rest of the principal cast members in the casting could be a recipe for disaster. Chemistry reads are a significant component of the casting process, even ifHemsworth auditioned forThe Witcheryears ago. Especially when the romance between Geralt and Yennefer is such a large draw for the series, one would think that introducing them would be a main priority.
Case in point:The Witcherseason 3 has already demonstrated being far more character-driven than previous iterations. Initial seasons needed to be driven by the plot for world-building, but now the actors can delve into what makes each character tick. It is a shame that Cavill only has a handful of episodes to finalize Geralt’s potential. With Hemsworth taking over after this, the show may return to square one.
The Witcherseason 3, vol. 1, is currently streaming on Netflix.
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