It’s well-known that Henry Cavill loves Andrzej Sapkowski’s Witcher books and games. However, his sudden departure from Netflix’s adaptation of the books tells a story that’s sad and yet unsurprising. In 2022, Cavill bid goodbye to The Witcher and handed over the reins to Liam Hemsworth. While many back then initially assumed that he quit to go back to DC, others knew that something else was wrong. After all, simmering underneath all the courtesy between Cavill and The Witcher’s writing team, there was animosity that resulted in the lead star quitting after 3 years of pain.
Henry Cavill’s Troubles With The Witcher Writers
Even before Henry Cavill announced his departure from the role of Geralt of Rivia, there were rumblings of the actor being unhappy with the writing decisions taken. Youtuber Neon Knight made a concise video explaining how it all went wrong and it’s clear that the ones penning the script are to be blamed for the Man of Steel star’s departure. The host says:
“When watching interviews and press for the show over the past few years, Henry’s genuine enthusiasm for the source material has always been clear as day, and equally obvious have been his frustrations with the writing of the show he has been starring in for the past 3 years. He has always kept it professional but he can only do so much.”
The video maker goes on to elaborate that at a point Cavill was ready to star in 7 seasons of the show. But he had one condition. As per Neon Knight:
“Not even a year ago Henry said that he was committed to doing 7 seasons of Netflix’s The Witcher on one condition, that condition being that the writers keep telling great stories while honoring the source material the show is apparently meant to be based on…as for Henry, I can’t imagine having that real strong desire and sense of responsibility to tell these stories they deserve to be told and then having to show up on set everyday watching these beloved characters get butchered.”
The YouTuber succinctly explained that the writers simply thought that they could tell a better story than the one written by Sapkowski. The host said:
“This has always been a situation where there’s a core story with nuanced characters and a room of writers who think they can do better. It was only a few weeks ago when a former writer of Netflix’s The Witcher (Beau DeMayo) said in an interview that some of the writers in the writing room actively disliked the books and would take to mocking them constantly.”
The host explained that their dislike came across in season 2 of the show that had no similarity to the books. As per the YouTuber:
“That shouldn’t come as a surprise considering how season 2 was…about 90% of the second season had nothing to do with the books except location and character names and everything they replaced was drastically worse…In no way did they do improvements to what they thought they could do better.”
Now, with Henry Cavill’s departure fans are uninterested in seeing how season 3 turns out. Plenty of people think that the upcoming season will turn out the same as the one before. However, there’s a way out.
Can Netflix’s The Witcher Please Fans Going Forward?
Losing Henry Cavill amid the allegations of the writers not loving the source material is a big blow to Netflix’s The Witcher. If season 3 turns out to be a great adaptation, the show can earn the trust of its fans back. However, even if the show fails to turn itself around in the upcoming season, it’s possible that Liam Hemsworth’s inclusion will motivate the writers to at least stick to the source material.
But fans think that there’s only one solution- a total overhaul of the writers’ room. By bringing in writers who love and care about Sapkowski’s books and the games, the show can become exponentially better. The Witcher franchise has a massive global fanbase and it is the IP that Netflix wants to further expand on. However, whether it will be smooth sailing from now on or if the ship will sink silently within a few years, remains to be seen.
Season 3 of The Witcher is rumored to release in the summer of 2023.
Source: YouTube
