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The Witcher is all geared up to release the first part of its third season on Netflix on June 29, 2023. This will be the final season for Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, with Australian actor Liam Hemsworth set to replace him from season 4 onwards.
The Witcher is a fantasy drama series from Netflix that premiered in 2019. The series pulled a lot of viewership with its first two seasons and became one of the most popular original titles in the US, according to Parrot Analytics.
It was also popular among critics, getting praise for its attention to detail on world-building, accurate adaptation of the source material, the narrative and Henry Cavill's performances.
Lauren Schmidt Hissrich created the series based on Andrzej Sapkowski's book series of the same name. The series also pulled a lot of fans from the gaming community who have played and loved the video game series of the same name, also inspired by the same source material.
The cast of the series features Henry Cavill, Freya Allan, Anya Chalotra, Joey Batey, Anna Shaffer, Mimi Ndiweni, MyAnna Buring, Eamon Farren, Kim Bodnia and others in pivotal roles.
Set in a fantastical world populated by monsters and humans, The Witcher revolves around Geralt of Rivia, a skilled monster hunter. With superhuman abilities at his disposal and getting trained from an early age, Geralt roams the land alone, killing the fiends that threaten human lives.
But when his paths cross with the sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg and Princess Ciri of Cintra, Geralt's seemingly challenging life turns even more complicated. He is swept up in risky alliances, political betrayals and deep secrets regarding his own past. The characters fight to survive in a world where monsters and humans pose immense threats.
If you love the series and are eagerly waiting for the third season of The Witcher to drop on Netflix at the end of this month, then this article is for you. We explore some of the more fun and interesting facts about the series that you might not have known.
Sapkowski's blessing, Cavill almost missing the role and more - 5 of the most intriguing facts about Netflix's The Witcher series
1) Andrzej Sapkowski loves the Netflix adaptation
Andrzej Sapkowski's The Witcher has been a massive success across platforms and media. The book series has been adapted into a 2001 film, two series, a video game franchise, multiple comic book series and even a tabletop RPG.
While all of them have been successful and gathered their fan bases, the Netflix series has received Sapkowski's approval for being an excellent adaptation.
This demonstrates the attention to detail the production crew gave while reproducing the story and world of The Witcher. The show's accuracy to the source material while adapting a literary work is an essential part of the process, and the team has undoubtedly done a great job.
2) Henry Cavill almost missed the role
The fact that Henry Cavill was indispensable in The Witcher's success is not saying too much. The highly sought-after actor has done an excellent job portraying the lead character of Geralt of Rivia, with his silent and brooding demeanor abiding by the source material.
However, the fan-favorite casting went through quite the rollercoaster. Cavill is originally a gaming enthusiast and had previously played and loved the franchise. When he heard about an adaptation of the series, he instantly wanted to be involved, even throwing his hat in before the pilot was written.
Creator Hissrich talked about how Cavill's persistence almost became annoying. However, she could not get his rendition out of her head after an audition and gravitated back toward him playing the White Wolf.
3) Cavill wanted to maintain the authenticity of the source material
Henry Cavill loves to play video games in his spare time and is a huge gaming enthusiast. He had already played The Witcher video game and had loved it, ultimately leading him to play the character of Geralt in the series as well.
Expectedly, Cavill already had an understanding of the basic story and its elements. He was such a dedicated fan of the franchise that he wanted to maintain the authenticity of the visual adaptation to the source material as much as possible.
Cavill even adapted a line from Sapkowski's second short story collection, Sword of Destiny, during the death of Geralt's horse Roach in season two.
4) Joey Batey knew how to play the lute before getting cast, but actually hates the song he sang now
Joey Batey has taken up quite the spotlight with his flamboyant and nuanced character of Jaskier the bard, who often accompanies Geralt on his travels, bringing back the stories of his exploits through his songs.
Being a bard by profession, playing the lute was an inevitable part of Jaskier's character that the actor had to master. However, learning a new musical instrument is not so easy. Hence, the fact that Joey Batey already knew how to play the lute played a huge advantage for him. It ultimately led to the now iconic song Toss a Coin to Your Witcher in the second season.
5) Neither Henry Cavill nor Anya Chalotra used doubles
Henry Cavill is an extremely talented actor who goes above and beyond for his roles in different projects. Just like he trained to become DCEU's Kryptonian superhero, Cavill also put in a lot of work to internalize the character of Geralt of Rivia. Besides putting time in the gym to get in shape, he also got very comfortable with swords, using three at home and four more at his workplace.
During an interview at the 2019 Comic Con, Cavill talked about how he wanted to get comfortable with the weight of a sword so that it wouldn't seem unnatural for his character. The actor also did all the stunts, denying using a stunt double. Cavil said:
"That is correct. It’s very important to me that when you see Geralt on screen that you know it’s Geralt. And that it’s not ‘some guy’ that can do the Geralt stuff and I’m just the actor. For me, the character involves all of that."
Like Cavill, actress Anya Chalotra didn't use body doubles in the series. She opted to do the nude and intimate scenes herself, as seeing somebody else portray Yennefer made her feel conflicted.
Chalotra said:
"I didn’t feel comfortable anyone else portraying Yennefer, because it’s still acting isn’t it?"
These were some interesting tidbits about The Witcher series that you may not have known. The series' third season is set to arrive on Netflix soon, with the first five episodes coming out on June 29, 2023, and the last three releasing on July 27, 2023.
At the end of the third season, Cavill is set to walk out of his role and relinquish the character to Liam Hemsworth. While some fans are disappointed with the news, others are excited to see how the actor fits in the role.
In an interview with British newspaper Metro, executive producers Steve Gaub and Tomasz Baginski talked about how Hemsworth's entry as Geralt would actually be in accordance with The Witcher's lore. The fourth season will apparently be based on the fifth book in the series.
