When Henry Cavill exited The Witcher after Season 3, Netflix quickly announced that Liam Hemsworth, known for his role in The Hunger Games, would assume the role of Geralt of Rivia. This Henry Cavill Witcher recasting stirred mixed reactions among fans, many of whom were concerned about how the series would address Geralt’s sudden change in appearance.
Despite the uncertainty, the Season 4 premiere provides a unique approach to explaining why Geralt looks different, offering reassurance that the change will not be ignored or overlooked by the storyline.
Reinterpreting Geralt’s Story Through an Unreliable Narrator
The season opens with a voiceover from the storyteller Stribog (played by Clive Russell), who recounts tales of The Butcher of Blaviken to a group of children. This storytelling scene closely mirrors the first episode of the series, in which the original Geralt battled a kikimora. However, this time it is Hemsworth’s Geralt wielding the sword before striking down the monster.
The storytelling device is layered, with Stribog’s account challenged by a young girl named Nimue, who interjects, “You’re telling it wrong.” Stribog responds,
“Oh Nimue, not again, it was a hundred years ago, there’s no such thing as right and wrong…”
This highlights the show’s choice to frame Geralt’s altered look as the result of an unreliable narrator, a technique inspired by Andrzej Sapkowski’s original novels. These books emphasize varied perspectives, where facts change depending on who shares the story.
A Narrative Device Reflecting Different Perspectives on Geralt
The showrunner, Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, explained the creative decision behind this approach, sharing in an interview,
“We wanted to play with the idea, which is a huge theme in ‘The Witcher,’ of how stories change depending on who is telling them,”
and
“So obviously that opening sequence is played and there’s a device, and you sense that, oh, maybe everything that we’ve seen over the last three seasons has been through someone’s POV.”
Hissrich also addressed the challenges of presenting a new actor in a role so closely associated with Cavill, in addition to retaining familiar features like Geralt’s yellow eyes and signature silver wig. She explained,
“Maybe that’s not actually how it happened. We constantly love to be playing with the idea of narrative with our audience. We wanted to not dance around the fact that this is a new human being. Yes, there’s still the yellow eyes and the silver wig, but at the same time, it’s played by Liam now.”
Focusing on the Character Beyond the Actor
Hissrich emphasized the desire to revisit key moments in Geralt’s life through the eyes of a new actor, acknowledging Liam Hemsworth’s deep commitment to embodying the character. She noted,
“For us, it was about revisiting these really important moments in Geralt’s life, now seeing them embraced by a new human. Moving on, it’s our hope that what you really start to see in Episode 1 is Geralt, not the actor that plays Geralt. That was Liam’s commitment to the role, and it worked out beautifully. He really sunk into the character, so then we didn’t feel the need to continue to address it.”
The Witcher Season 4: Separations, Alliances, and War
In Season 4, the story unfolds with Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri separated amid a brutal war and facing numerous adversaries. As their paths diverge, they encounter new allies who may help them forge makeshift families and perhaps reunite in the future. The stakes are high as their individual goals become increasingly defined against a chaotic backdrop.
Alongside Liam Hemsworth’s Geralt, the main cast features Anya Chalotra as Yennefer of Vengerberg, Freya Allan portraying Princess Cirilla of Cintra, Joey Batey as Jaskier, Laurence Fishburne in the role of Regis, Meng’er Zhang as Milva, Sharlto Copley as Leo Bonhart, and James Purefoy as Skellen.
Availability and Continuing Storylines
The fourth season of The Witcher is currently available for streaming on Netflix, marking a new chapter for the series with fresh interpretations and expanded narratives. This season’s inventive storytelling aims to reconcile the change in Geralt’s appearance while deepening the complex world shaped by Andrzej Sapkowski’s works.
