“As a fan of the series, who admittedly was sceptical when Cavill was first announced to be playing the character, I must say it’s hard to imagine ‘The Witcher’ continuing without him,” writes “Streaming” columnist NICK OVERALL.

THIS week, dark fantasy hit “The Witcher” is back for its third, and what many will call, its final season.

While Netflix plans to keep the show running for a few years yet, this latest instalment of episodes will be the last for star of the series Henry Cavill. Thousands of fans have since proclaimed his departure from the show will be enough to stop them watching.

“’The Witcher’ won’t be the same without Henry Cavill,” said one Twitter user in response to the news of his leaving.

“No more Henry Cavill after ‘The Witcher’ S3? I’m not watching it then,” wrote another.

The beloved actor (also famous for his portrayal of Superman) has won audiences over during his three-year tenure as the pale-haired hero of the series, Geralt of Rivia. Geralt is a “Witcher”, a genetic mutant imbued with powers to hunt down all sorts of creepy creatures that threaten the populace.

But when Geralt finds himself entrenched in the political machinations of this twisted fantasy realm, his destiny becomes much greater than just hunting down monsters – discovering that people are often far more wicked than any beast that lurks in a cave.

“The Witcher” has become a major hit for Netflix since its arrival on the platform in 2019. Season two reportedly racked up 2.2 billion minutes of viewing time in just its first week of streaming alone.

One can see why Netflix is eager to hold on to the series for a few more seasons yet.

So why then is Cavill, self described as a “huge fan” of the character, hanging up the swords?

He’s kept things on the down low, but it’s widely understood he’s leaving due to the writers opting to make a major departure from the source material.

“The Witcher” is based on a series of Polish books, first published in the early ‘90s, by Andrzej Sapkowski. In later decades, they’d find major success after being turned into a video game franchise which served as a big inspiration for the TV series.

But of course, the writers behind the show are eager to make the story of Geralt their own. They’ve made the call to divert from the books and games that inspired them and it’s a direction that Cavill seemingly just couldn’t agree to follow. 

In his place, Aussie star Liam Hemsworth has agreed to sign on for the role after season three, but it would seem fans aren’t happy about it.

In recent weeks, Netflix released a sneak preview of Hemsworth in the title role, through a screenshot where he had donned Geralt’s now iconic armour. The reception was lacklustre to say the least.

“Can’t believe they want me to take Liam Hemsworth seriously as the witcher in season 4,” announced one fan.

“Liam Hemsworth as the witcher? No thank you. You couldn’t find someone remotely close to looking like Henry?,” said another.

It seems that for many loyal viewers, “The Witcher” just won’t be the same without Cavill and it will be interesting to see if future seasons of the show can even get close to the staggering viewership levels of their predecessors.

As a fan of the series and its source material, who admittedly was sceptical when Cavill was first announced to be playing the character, I must say it’s hard to imagine the show continuing without him.

At one stage there had been talks about Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen taking on the role (which in this columnist’s opinion would have been the best option) but one never knows, Hemsworth might just prove everyone wrong and do Australia proud. Remember the reaction when Heath Ledger was announced to play the Joker in “The Dark Knight”? Look how that turned around.

Of his departure, Cavill himself said: “My journey as Geralt of Rivia has been filled with both monsters and adventures. Alas, I will be laying down my medallion and my swords for Season 4. In my stead, the fantastic Mr Liam Hemsworth will be taking up the mantle of the White Wolf.”

It’s clear Cavill’s undyingly loyal passion for the character is what made him such a good Geralt. Hemsworth has big boots to fill indeed.