Netflix’s Henry Cavill’s departure and Liam Hemsworth’s casting as Geralt of Rivia for season 4.

At The Witcher season 4 will catch up with Geralt, Jaskier, and Milva on their way to find Ciri, Yennefer working with the sorceresses, and Ciri’s time with the Rats, but Ciri's story is making me more worried about Hemsworth’s debut as she won’t cross paths with Geralt again.

Ciri's Solo Story In The Witcher Season 4 Makes Me More Worried About Geralt's Recast

Once More, Geralt & Ciri Will Be Separated

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During San Diego Comic-Con 2024, details about The Witcher season 4 were revealed, especially about Ciri. Screen Rant spoke to Freya Allan about Ciri and The Witcher season 4, and she revealed that Hemsworth is a “really nice guy” but she hadn’t seen any of his work as Geralt as their characters don’t share any scenes this season. Allan added that Ciri is now forging her own path under the identity of Falka and with the Rats while doing her best to forget about her past life and Geralt.

Hemsworth is arriving at a TV series that already has its main characters, tone, and stories established, so his arrival, no matter how good or bad his performance is, is going to feel very different.

While this could be good for Hemsworth’s Geralt as it will give him space to play the character as he wants and will give the audience a chance to get used to this new Geralt, it’s also worrying me. Hemsworth is arriving at a TV series that already has its main characters, tone, and stories established, so his arrival, no matter how good or bad his performance is, is going to feel very different. The relationship and bond between Ciri and Geralt is the core of The Witcher, and sharing scenes with the Cintran Princess would help ground Hemsworth’s Geralt.

There are a couple of aspects that will make or break Hemsworth’s version of Geralt, and I feel one of those is his chemistry with Allan. Having scenes with Ciri in season 4 would have helped start developing the dynamic between the princess and the new Geralt, more so as The Witcher is now confirmed to end with season 5, so now Hemsworth will only have one season to show the chemistry between his Geralt and Ciri.

The Lack Of Familiar Characters May Make Liam Hemsworth's Geralt Feel Even More Jarring

Liam Hemsworth’s Geralt Is Going To Need The Rest Of The Main Characters

If Ciri continues her path on her own in The Witcher season 4, and with Yennefer also having her own storyline with the sorceresses, the only familiar characters Hemsworth’s Geralt will share time with are Jaskier and Milva (though the latter is still new). While Jaskier can definitely help make the transition to Hemsworth’s Geralt a lot smoother, Geralt’s most important relationships are those with Ciri and Yennefer.

Hemsworth’s Geralt will now have even less time to show his chemistry with Yennefer and Ciri.

Having Ciri, Yennefer, and Geralt separated again in Hemsworth’s debut season can make the new version of Geralt feel alienated, and it’s only postponing his most important dynamics to the next and final season. Hemsworth’s Geralt will now have even less time to show his chemistry with Yennefer and Ciri, and it’s even worse that this will happen in the show’s final season, which should be the most important.

Liam Hemsworth Will Need To Find Other Ways To Convince Us He's The Same Geralt

Liam Hemsworth Is Facing Some Big Challenges

The Witcher Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia and Liam Hemsworth in season 4
Custom image by Simone Ashmoore.

There are ways in which The Witcher can address its new Geralt, but the reality is that there might not be any awareness of this change within the show. The Witcher should continue its course as normal and not try to give any explanations of why Geralt suddenly has a new look, but there are ways in which the transition can be smoother for the audience. Hemsworth could incorporate some of Cavill’s mannerisms into his performance, such as his now famous grunts and certain facial expressions – however, this could backfire as he could come off as unauthentic.

Without Ciri and Yennefer, the only character that can help incorporate the new Geralt is Jaskier. As the witcher’s best friend, Jaskier is also a key character in Geralt’s story, and his interactions with Hemsworth’s Geralt can help convince the audience that his and Cavill’s Geralt are the same person. There are a couple of things about The Witcher season 4 that worry me, but hopefully, the transition between Geralt actors won’t be too shocking.

Based on the novels by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski and the video games, The Witcher follows the story of Geralt of Rivia, a monster hunter who struggles to find his place in a world where people often prove more wicked than beasts. "Ciri" Cirilla is the Princess of Cintra, who has magical abilities and whose fate has been linked to Geralt's. Yennefer of Vengerberg, a sorceress who trains to become a mage before deserting her duties and going solo, is also a main character in the Netflix series. The show's storylines are intertwined but told throughout different timelines, all of which eventually catch up to Ciri's, whose timeline of events is the most recent. Set on the Continent where men, monsters, and elves exist together, the characters all have separate journeys, though their destinies bring them into each others' orbits.

Cast
Henry Cavill, Freya Allan, Adam Levy, Amit Shah, Liam Hemsworth, Laurence Fishburne
Showrunner
Lauren Schmidt Hissrich
Streaming Service(s)
Netflix