Henry Cavill’s Witcher Recast Fallout

Television

The fan-favorite Henry Cavill is out as The Witcher. The final bastion of quality that has maintained the structure of this Frankenstein’s monster of a show is departing after the upcoming season 3. Many fans say that Cavill’s performance is the only reason they’ve been watching this show, and with his exit, so exits their interest. The Witcher has been criticized for its lack of adaptation integrity, its focus on Yennefer and Ciri over the main character, Geralt, and so much more. However, the greatest sin of season 2, specifically, was that it was simply horrifically written. With the writers and the showrunners’ “active dislike” for The Witcher, it’s little wonder that the show ended up thusly. Perhaps with Cavill’s departure, some stalwart defenders of the series will cease being merely satisfied with his incredible performance and finally see that the quality of the narrative was lacking at best.

The responses to this news have been varied, to say the least. However, regardless of anyone’s feelings about the recast, the majority of people agree that this will likely spell the end for the show. In staunch opposition to this coming end, many fans have petitioned Netflix to fire the writers and beg Cavill to stay instead of allowing him to depart. While this would be a good start, the show would likely need to be restarted from the beginning to accurately portray the story of the books, which is Cavill’s chief priority. These petitions are rarely, if ever, effective, but it’s interesting to see how many people have thrown their support behind such a movement.

In a recent interview on the Happy, Sad, Confused show, Henry Cavill had some interesting comments about the way he thinks and how he keeps himself motivated through adversity. While these may or may not be specifically about the Witcher situation, they do open a window into his mindset. Cavill said:

“It’s just about belief. If you believe in what you’re doing, then you’ll be able to keep on doing it. It’s also important to know that if you realize you’re doing the wrong thing, that’s when you stop doing the wrong thing. You don’t just keep on going just because. Because that leads down a dark path.”

It is rumored that Cavill’s contract for The Witcher was for three seasons, meaning this may have been the earliest opportunity he could legally depart from the show he believed was “doing the wrong thing.” It’s unlikely he will ever express his true emotions and gripes with The Witcher due to NDAs, leaving us to speculate. Fans may disagree on whether or not he should have left the show, but the majority feel sympathy for him. He’s often expressed his love for this franchise and this character and has repeatedly seen both debased by Netflix. Hopefully, Cavill’s optimism about returning to Superman will result in a more faithful adaptation of another character he so loves.