With the news of The Witcher Season 3 debuting this summer on Netflix, fans are struggling with the following bombshell:
It will be the final season with Henry Cavill playing Geralt of Rivia.
The sad news broke last year. At the same time, it was revealed that he would pass the torch to Liam Hemsworth, who would take over as the series lead, beginning with The Witcher Season 4.
In a new interview with Total Film Magazine, showrunner Lauren Hissrich is opening up about the show's significant shift in the upcoming third season.
Hissrich admitted there were many possibilities when Cavill departed, including canceling the series.
"It was time for him in his life to move on," Hissrich stated of Cavill's exit, adding:
"I think we've all been mourning this in our own way."
Indeed, the fans have struggled to come to terms with the show continuing with someone else in the lead role.
Cavill delivered a stellar performance, so there are high expectations for his successor.
"I mean, we had the choice to have Geralt exit and to end the show," Hissrich dished.
Fortunately, there are "too many stories left to tell" in the universe to bring it all to a grinding halt so soon.
"If we replaced Geralt with another Witcher, we would be going fully away from the books, and I don't think that's what anyone wanted either," the showrunner shared.
Despite the big casting change about to come into play, the showrunner believes the show will continue to thrive.
"We're all excited about Liam coming in," she said.
"He's got enormous shoes to fill, but also has a lot of energy and a lot of excitement for it."
"It's obviously a brand-new chapter for us. And there's a lot of feelings involved."
"But at the end of the day, we love what we're doing. So we're gonna keep going."
While details about why Cavill opted to depart the series remain scarce, the actor did share a statement in October in which he said goodbye to the franchise.
"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," Cavill said in a statement.
"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," Cavill continued.
"Liam, good sir, this character has such a wonderful depth to him, enjoy diving in and seeing what you can find."
For now, all we can do is watch The Witcher Season 3, which has been split into two parts.
The first bows on June 29, with the final part dropping on July 27.
Yes, the series is adopting the split-season strategy that worked well for Stranger Things and You.
Check out the teaser trailer below.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
