Why Did Liam Hemsworth Replace Henry Cavill In ‘The Witcher’? The Reason Behind The Recast

Liam Hemsworth in “The Witcher” on Netflix.

Susie Allnutt/Netflix

Liam Hemsworth’s White Wolf is finally here. All eight episodes of The Witcher Season 4 are now streaming on Netflix. As you’re watching, you might be wondering what happened to Henry Cavill, who played the series’ titular stoic hero, and why he was replaced by Hemsworth.

When The Witcher debuted on Netflix in December 2019, it became one of the streamer’s most-watched shows of the year. Seventy-six million Netflix accounts chose to watch the series — based on author Andrzej Sapkowski’s novels and the video games of the same name — within its first four weeks, marking the best launch for a first-season original at the time.

Cavill made his debut as Geralt of Rivia, and the Superman star largely received a stamp of approval from fans of the fantasy franchise for his physical similarities, authentic approach to the character, and respect for the source material, as a big fan of the game himself.

But in October 2022, Cavill shocked fans when he announced that after three seasons, he would not return to The Witcher to film the fourth season and would be leaving Geralt behind.

“Some news to share from The Continent,” Cavill started in his Instagram post. “My journey as Geralt of Rivia has been filled with both monsters and adventures, and alas, I will be laying down my medallion and my swords for Season 4.”

In his farewell statement, he also announced that the Hunger Games star would replace him. “In my stead, the fantastic Mr. Liam Hemsworth will be taking up the mantle of the White Wolf. As with the greatest of literary characters, I pass the torch with reverence for the time spent embodying Geralt and enthusiasm to see Liam’s take on this most fascinating and nuanced of men.”

Why Did Henry Cavill Leave The Witcher?

While Cavill himself has never given a specific reason for leaving The Witcher, series showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich recently provided some insight into his surprising exit.

Hissrich told Entertainment Weekly in September 2025 that Cavill’s departure was a “symbiotic decision” between the parties, primarily driven by the actor’s plans for other roles.

“He had plans for other roles that he really wanted to commit himself to,” she explained. “And for us, you don’t want to hold someone and force them to be doing something that they don’t want to do. I think that’s why it felt like a really symbiotic decision.”

Cavill may also have left due to reported creative differences regarding faithfulness to the source material, according to TV Insider, but this has not been confirmed by Cavill, Netflix, or members of the creative team.

In an interview with Philstar in December 2021, Cavill acknowledged the challenge of ensuring Geralt appeared three-dimensional within the confines of a set storyline and plot.

“It’s important for me to have the character be three-dimensional. And it’s tricky to do… because there’s a certain vision and there’s a certain set storyline and plot,” Cavill said. “And so, it was about me trying to find Geralt’s place within that. All of my asks and requests were along the lines of just being faithful to the source material.”

I’ve reached out to Cavill’s representatives for comment.

What Is Henry Cavill Doing Now?

Since leaving The Witcher, Cavill has appeared in films like Argylle, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare and Deadpool & Wolverine. The Man of Steel actor is now working on developing a TV series based on another video game, Warhammer 40K, for Prime Video.

Bringing Warhammer to life “is a dream come true,” he told Esquire in May 2025, adding that this project is “different from what I’ve done before, in the sense I haven’t had my hand on the tiller of things before.”

He continued, “It’s wonderful doing that. It is a tricky IP, and a very complex IP, and that’s what I love about it. The challenges that come with putting this on the page in a way that is doing justice to that complexity, that trickiness, and that nuance, is a challenge I’m enjoying enormously.”

Cavill is also set to star in the new Highlander reboot, directed by John Wick director Chad Stahelski.

How Was Liam Hemsworth Chosen To Play Geralt in The Witcher?

In 2022, Hemsworth received a phone call from his agent, who told him the series was interested in having him step into Geralt’s shoes. Although he was a big fan of the character and the video game, he initially wasn’t sure he wanted to take on the challenging role midway through the series run.

“Initially, I was pretty hesitant and unsure,” he told Netflix’s Tudum. “It’s an odd thing to be asked to come in midway through a series like this and continue on as the lead character. But, as a fan of the video game, I felt like I could do something cool with it.”

However, an early conversation with Hissrich helped ease his mind and ultimately led him to say yes. “I felt like I was going to have the support and the confidence that I needed to really pull it off,” the 35-year-old Aussie actor continued.

Hissrich recalled that the first time she met with Hemsworth, she knew in her gut that he would make the perfect Geralt in the fourth installment. She told Tudum that he was able to be “very honest with me about the things that really resonated with him in earlier seasons, and also some things he’d like to shift.”

How Did Liam Hemsworth Prepare To Play Geralt?

To prepare for the role of the shredded monster-hunter, Hemsworth endured endless hours of training. As soon as he committed, he moved to London a few months before filming was slated to begin, a timeline that was later extended due to the 2023 Writers Guild strike, which delayed production.

“Physical training pretty much started when I accepted the role,” he told Tudum. “I got to London about three months before we started shooting, and then the sword fighting began, which I’d never done before, but I was told I picked it up pretty quickly.”

To welcome Hemsworth to The Witcher family, Hissrich added that they “did lots of social events, we had dinners. We got them together as people first, which I thought was so important,” she said. “We worked hard to find ways to allow the actors to get to know each other before the characters had to establish these long-running relationships.”

With The Witcher confirmed for a fifth and final season, Hemsworth is ready to carry Geralt’s story into Season 5. “I’m just excited to continue on this journey,” he said.

The Witcher Season 4 is streaming on Netflix. Watch the official trailer below.