Thanks to the early viewing figures, it looks as though Netflix users may actually be living up to their word and abandoning The Witcher in their numbers after Henry Cavill announced his decision to step away as Geralt of Rivia.
It would be a lot easier for Liam Hemsworth to step into such daunting shoes were he not replacing the perfect candidate for the leading role, one that knows the mythology like the back of their hand, campaigned hard to secure it in the first place, performed all of their own stunts, embodied the White Wolf down to a tee, and can’t be spoken of highly enough by his now-former colleagues.
At this stage, the ensemble are as well coming right out and saying Hemsworth is a severe downgrade, with Therica Wilson Read the latest to heap praise onto Cavill’s hefty shoulders in a chat with ScreenRant.
“I don’t think you can pick one thing. He’s such a fan of the games and of the books, and I think that his representation of Geralt is faultless. I think maybe the voice. The voice is just brilliant, isn’t it?”
Meanwhile, MyAnna Buring continued the love-in, with yet more effusive adulation being pointed in the former Superman’s direction.
“I think the best thing is that he has been the first Geralt of this new imagining of The Witcher as a TV series. It’s been games, it’s obviously the source material of the books – and he sort of stamped Geralt out onto the world in TV series form and has spread joy and excited old fans and brought in new fans. That’s the best thing that he’s been able to do.”
Liam Hemsworth is not Henry Cavill – nor will he ever be – but having The Witcher team shower so much gushing hype is only ratcheting up the pressure on the new Geralt day by day.
