Netflix reveals first footage of Liam Hemsworth as the new Witcher following Henry Cavill’s departure

What just happened? It’s hard not to feel sorry for Liam Hemsworth. The actor is stepping into some enormous shoes as he replaces Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia in Netflix’s adaptation of The Witcher. Now, the first official teaser showing the new monster hunter has been released.

It was back in October 2022 when fans of The Witcher series were dealt a blow: Netflix said Cavill, who had won universal praise for his portrayal of Geralt, would be leaving after the third season and be replaced by Liam Hemsworth. The fact Cavill is a famed gamer has also boosted his popularity. The Superman actor says he’s played The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt two and a half times, builds his own PCs, and is a massive fan of the Warhammer franchise, having completed Total War: Warhammer 2 six times as six different races.

The first official Hemsworth-starring teaser is short, around a minute long, just over half of which is footage. We only get a brief look at the new Geralt at the end where he turns to face the camera – he never speaks, so it’s still unclear if he’s mastered Geralt’s distinctive gravelly voice.

In all fairness, Hemsworth does seem to have the look down, though whether he can embody Geralt as convincingly as Cavill remains to be seen.

Not everyone has been convinced by Hemsworth’s look. It’s worth remembering, though, that Cavill’s first appearance as Geralt was met with plenty of ridicule – a lot of people compared him to a cosplayer trying to look like Mortal Kombat’s Raiden.

Get your first look at Henry Cavill in The Witcher! pic.twitter.com/1O2eWS1MkP

– Netflix (@netflix) October 31, 2018

It was assumed that Cavill departed The Witcher so he could return as Superman following his cameo as the chatacter in Black Adam, but DC Studio’s then-new co-chairmen, James Gunn and Peter Safran, dropped him as the Man of Steel as the new Superman project they were working on focused on Clark Kent’s younger years. There had also been rumors of creative differences between Cavill and The Witcher showrunners over not being faithful to the source material.

The Witcher is set to end following season five, so Hemsworth will only be playing Geralt for two seasons. Cavill, meanwhile, is set to star in and produce Amazon Studio’s live-action Warhammer 40K series.

Interestingly, The Witcher executive producer Tomek Baginski said the change from Cavill to Hemsworth won’t be ignored in the show, but will be “lore accurate,” whatever that means.

The biggest issue with The Witcher might not be the casting of Hemsworth but the direction the show has taken following the wildly successful first season. Its audience has been shrinking since then, and it’s hard to imagine Hemsworth will return the series to its former glory when season four premiers, likely sometime in 2025.