So, which Witcher should we toss a coin too, exactly? Cavill or Hemsworth?
Shocking news out of the superhero movie world as Henry Cavill, after announcing his return to Superman in October, will in fact no longer be returning to the role.
Making matters even worse for Cavill is that he apparently stepped away from the role of Geralt in the hit Netflix series The Witcher, with Liam Hemsworth announced to replace him starting with season 3, in order to make his triumphant return to the DC Extended Universe.
Now that he is free of his new obligations to DC, could Cavill return as The Witcher?
Can Henry Cavill return as The Witcher? An Investigation
Netflix’s head of scripted series for the US and Canada Peter Friedlander recently commented on the replacement to Variety, saying that “Henry is an extraordinary Geralt and I think Liam will continue and also be an extraordinary Geralt. There has been a legacy of amazing, iconic characters where the actors have changed and we’re hugely optimistic about this. We will continue to honor the IP, the fans, the storytelling, all the way through.”
Netflix has committed to Liam Hemsworth, which comes with contracts and commitments and likely already a lot of work that has been committed to the venture from both Hemsworth and Netflix, as they are now months since announcing the news.
Netflix is committed to the world of the Witcher, with an upcoming prequel, The Witcher: Blood Origin, set more than 1000 years prior to the series with Geralt and co, coming soon, with a trailer recently having been released.
However, there was a particular fan outcry when Cavill left, as the actor was beloved in the role that he defined, an extraordinary feat for a character that people had come to associate most strongly with its video game adaptation.
Since legal agreements are in place, it would be very difficult and not to mention perhaps disrespectful to fire Hemsworth, who is a fine actor and has done no wrong in this situation, meaning that this would likely have to come down to Hemsworth stepping down from the role out of respect for Cavill.
Particularly, what we will have to watch is how much fan outcry comes to rehire Cavill, which will put pressures on Netflix, Hemsworth and Cavill to do something.
So, could Hemsworth step down to let Cavill take back the role? Will Netflix approach him about it? Has Cavill reached out to Netflix to discuss this? For now we can only speculate, but it would seem likely these conversations are already happening.
For now we must wait and see.
A new direction for Superman after Cavill’s exit
Cavill released a statement several hours ago, suggesting he had no ill will towards James Gunn, the new co-head of DC Studios, for dropping him, as Gunn will be writing a film about a younger Superman.
““I will, after all, not be returning as Superman,” Cavill wrote. “After being told by the studio to announce my return back in October, prior to their hire, this news isn’t the easiest, but that’s life. The changing of the guard is something that happens. I respect that. James and Peter have a universe to build. I wish them and all involved with the new universe the best of luck, and the happiest of fortunes.”
“My turn to wear the cape has passed, but what Superman stands for never will. It’s been a fun ride with you all, onwards and upwards.”
Gunn, in turn, released his own statement.
“Peter & I have a DC slate ready to go, which we couldn’t be more over-the-moon about; we’ll be able to share some exciting information about our first projects at the beginning of the new year,” Gunn wrote on Twitter Wednesday. “Among those on the slate is Superman. In the initial stages, our story will be focusing on an earlier part of Superman’s life, so the character will not be played by Henry Cavill. But we just had a great meeting with Henry and we’re big fans and we talked about a number of exciting possibilities to work together in the future.”