They say there’s no such thing as bad publicity, but there is definitely such a thing as bold marketing strategies, and “bold” seems to be the commonality between most all of Netflix‘s practices these days. Indeed, between the annihilation of password sharing and its untimely booting of such shows as Lockwood & Co. and Warrior Nun, Netflix is running quite the peculiar ship.
But the streamer’s latest marketing efforts for season three of The Witcher, arguably one of its juggernaut franchises, is coming under some especially unique fire for practically admitting that the Henry Cavill-sized hole will be quite the detriment for season four and beyond.
The ad campaign involves Netflix reassuring viewers that the third season of The Witcher will indeed still star Henry Cavill as the protagonist Geralt, who’s been confirmed to be portrayed by Liam Hemsworth from season four onward following the imminent departure of Cavill from the show. Suffice to say that the internet isn’t terribly pleased with this particular round of advertising; even if you know Cavill is your viewership linchpin, it’s a strange look to acknowledge that as he gears up for an exit.
It wasn’t long before Twitter devolved into tweet after tweet demanding Netflix to listen to Cavill, even though both parties have remained coy, seemingly amiably so, on why Cavill’s exit has even happened. Things weren’t much better on r/witcher, either, where the true power of marketing seems to be in full swing.
Unfortunately, it looks like a warm welcome for Hemsworth is looking less and less likely as the world antagonistically comes to terms with Cavill’s last days as Geralt. The recast will no doubt be a blow to the show’s popularity come season four, but it remains to be seen if that will be enough to completely demote The Witcher from its Netflix pillar status.
The first volume of the third season of The Witcher is now streaming on Netflix. Volume two, which consists of the final three of season three’s eight episodes, will release to the streaming service on July 27.