Not long after his departure was announced, a new report appeared explaining why Henry Cavill was quitting The Witcher. In the role of the titular monster hunter, Geralt of Rivia, Cavill has starred in two seasons of the Netflix series. The show has chronicled his travels across the medieval geography known as The Continent and his involvement in several major events. There are two other stories told in the series. One of Cirilla, the princess of Cintra, whose fate is intertwined with Geralt’s and who has elder blood in her ancestry. The second story is that of Yennefer of Vengerberg, a witch in love with Geralt whose own drive for power eventually intervenes with Geralt’s.
Cavill’s portrayal of Geralt in The Witcher was widely praised, marking his first significant role since leaving the DC Universe as Superman, despite some criticism of the film’s premise. Cavill was a known lover of the source novels and the video games based on them, The Witcher. He regularly stated his intention to create an accurate adaptation of the fantasy material. However, the English actor caused a stir when he revealed that season 3 of The Witcher will be his last as Geralt. Now viewers appear to be getting some explanation for his choice.
According to a new report from Deadline, Cavill’s departure from the popular Netflix drama can be explained by his hectic schedule and belief that filming the show was too taxing. Apparently, Cavill only signed the short-term contract to finish up his tenure on The Witcher with season 3. As for Cavill, he has not officially given any reason for his choice.
The Two Potential Reasons Behind Cavill’s Departure
Cavill’s exit was announced shortly after his confirmed comeback as Superman for the DCU with a post-credit appearance in Black Adam, which had been setting up a massive showdown between the Man of Steel and Dwayne Johnson’s antihero. In addition to his comeback, it has been reported that nearly a decade after the original film’s release, Warner Bros. and DC have begun aggressively looking for writers for Man of Steel 2. However, it’s likely that Henry Cavill’s schedule as the hero is too full of leading as large-scale a project as Netflix’s The Witcher, what with his recently announced Guy Ritchie reunion, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, and Matthew Vaughn’s Argylle, as well as the fact that James Gunn, who was previously courted to direct a Superman movie, is now leading DC Studios alongside The Conjuring Universe producer Peter Safran.
However, since the show’s debut, speculations have circulated that Henry Cavill had a difficult time working with the other members of the creative team on The Witcher due to their many departures from the source material, which he was passionate about preserving. Furthermore, even though Cavill hasn’t publicly criticized the show’s writing, he has indicated in the past that he pushed for a book-accurate depiction of Geralt in season 2. In addition, former writer Beau DeMayo recently revealed that many writers on the show “actively disliked the books and games.” Hence, it’s possible that these reports are true. Whatever the case, season 3 of The Witcher will air in 2023, giving fans one more chance to witness Cavill in the role of Geralt.
