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Netflix has released The Witcher season 4 trailer, and it should silence those who doubted whether Liam Hemsworth would make a good Geralt.
The two-minute teaser opens with Geralt (Liam) slicing and dicing his way through a dark forest full of giant spiders, and things only get more intense from there.
As Regis (Laurence Fishburne) warns Geralt that the sinister sorcerer Vilgefortz (Mahesh Jadu) is building an army, we see the white-haired Witcher battling monsters and men as he marshals his own allies to save the day.
The trailer then closes with Regis claiming that The Witcher is in a state of flux, as we see the new Geralt cutting down yet more enemies.
Needless to say, it’s all very exciting, and I haven’t even mentioned Yennefer and Ciri, who are on their own thrilling adventures.
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The trailer should ease any fan concerns about whether Liam, 35, can match the intensity of Henry Cavill, who previously played Geralt.
Henry, 42, hung up his white wig back in October 2022 after three seasons, which upset fans online.
A quick Google of ‘Liam Hemsworth Witcher casting backlash’ will bring up dozens of articles bemoaning and cataloguing the countless complaints after Liam’s casting.
While the exact reasons for Henry leaving the series are unknown, and the actor hasn’t directly commented on the reasons for his exit, there’s speculation among Witcher fans that all was not well behind the scenes.
Rumours persist that there were serious creative differences between Henry and the writers.
Supposedly, Henry was keen to honour the source material as much as possible, while the writers wanted to take more creative risks.
Whatever the situation, Henry left the fantasy series, which is based on the book and video game series of the same name, and Liam stepped into Geralts’s big black boots.
In a heartfelt Instagram post, Henry said goodbye to the character and passed the torch on to Liam.
‘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,’ he wrote.
Why we should give Liam Hemsworth a chance
Our Deputy TV editor, Tom Percival, explains why the third Hemsworth brother deserves a chance to prove himself as Geralt…
Recasting a beloved character like Geralt is always hard.
After all, fans will have often spent multiple seasons with this character, gotten to know who they are, and sometimes fallen a little in love with them.
Saying goodbye then can be difficult. Yet recasting can also breathe new life into a show.
Look at something like Doctor Who, which, by changing its leading man (or woman) every few years, has managed to stay relevant and exciting after more than 60 years on the small screen.
The same is true of other beloved characters like James Bond, Spider-Man, Lara Croft, and Superman.
Each of these beloved heroes has been played by multiple actors, but each new performance has allowed us to see old characters in fresh ways.
So don’t cry because Henry is gone, smile because Liam is here to show you a new side of Geralt.
‘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.
‘Liam, good sir, this character has such a wonderful depth to him, enjoy diving in and seeing what you can find.’
Speaking to Metro at the time of season three’s release, Freya Allan admitted she was mourning Henry’s leaving the show through her character when we asked about his exit.
‘It’s more so… this sounds crazy, but sort of like mourning through Ciri, because we really got to become so close through those characters,’ the 24-year-old said.
‘He plays my adoptive father. So that part was the most sad element of it. So it was more reflecting on this whole experience we’ve had together, and that coming to a close with his side of it.’
Liam has also addressed the backlash to his casting.
‘There was quite a bit of noise, and I had to put that aside. It started to become a distraction,’ Liam told Entertainment Weekly.
‘I dealt with that sort of thing in the past a lot and, you know, at the end of the day, I love making movies and I love telling stories and acting. I just don’t want any of that to affect my way of telling the story that I’m trying to tell. I jumped off social media and the internet most of last year.’
The Witcher season four will premiere on Netflix on October 30.
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