Netflix is moving ahead at full power with their plans for The Witcher in its run past Season 3, as Liam Hemsworth starts sharpening his blades in the aftermath of Henry Cavill’s exit. The step-down that was announced in late October, a mere few days after the rejoicing celebrations of his Superman return, now leaves a bitter taste, as time makes it clear that Netflix’s intention to digress from the books remains unchanged and the situation only gets worse from this point forward.
Henry Cavill Displays Integrity Even After Season 2 Launch
The ineffectiveness of hiring writers for a show that is to be adapted from a novel or a game and let them have free rein over the content is a masterclass for beginners on how to fail spectacularly. Beau De Mayo made that quite clear when he openly bashed the writers for “actively disliking” the source. As such, Cavill’s exit was only waiting to happen (if one knew to read the signs), especially when Season 2 perpetuated the error of totally chucking Sapkowski’s work out of the window to not only create an entirely new villain but also show Yennefer losing her powers.
Henry Cavill, in the aftermath of the Season 2 premiere, still kept vocalizing the importance of respecting the original novels. While speaking to Felicia Day in The Witcher: Unlocked interview, the actor claimed what direction he would have liked The Witcher to go moving forward:
“Being true to the books, I think there’s a chance to explore the Nenneke relationship a little further. Of course, I would love to work with the Witchers some more, but it all depends on how much the story allows. I’m a huge fan of the books and staying loyal to them and it’s about making sure that story happens without too much in the way of diversions or side things going on to muddy the waters.”
The amount of time that was monopolized by Voleith Mir’s story could easily fall under the category of diversions and side things muddying the water. There was no need to introduce a new villain (an underwhelming one at that) to a high fantasy work that is already richly saturated with lore. Even if The Witcher manages to adopt the best narrative arc for Geralt’s story in the coming saga, Netflix cannot step past the wrath it has incurred upon itself with its unnecessary display of pomp.
The chatter that has still prevailed, even 5 months after the fateful October announcement of Cavill’s exit, is how the showrunners and scriptwriters could have gone so horribly wrong in their attempts to recreate The Witcher on-screen when all they had to do is simply stick to the source material.
A Quick Recap of The Witcher Scandals and Drama
The Witcher has given voice to endless debates and speculations in the days immediately after Henry Cavill’s exit. But dissatisfaction about the show’s digressing plot has existed since before its Season 2 premiere. With the showrunners and scriptwriters making it a point to brand the series with their signature, clamoring began between the lead actor, the executives, and the fandom for the soul of The Witcher.
In the end, the fans lost the battle when Cavill stepped down from his promising role at Netflix, while elsewhere, unsubstantiated reports began to emerge about the actor’s abusive, toxic, and misogynistic behavior on set. The rumors were effectively shot down, but the claims did lead to talks surrounding whether Cavill did indeed push too hard for the writers to stick to the source or at least be a fan of the games to preserve authenticity.
And if that was the case, the fandom now worries about what fate has in store for The Witcher, especially as Henry Cavill is no longer stepping on toes to make sure everyone respects, honors, and sticks to the arc established by Andrzej Sapkowski’s mythology. Considering how devoted a fan Cavill is, no wonder he could not stand idly by, unable to make any real and effective change to the scripts and witness the massacring of one of his most beloved projects to date.
The Witcher Seasons 1 and 2 are now streaming on Netflix; Season 3 premieres in mid-2023.
Source: The Witcher: Unlocked
