10 actors who are better replacements for Henry Cavill's Geralt in The Witcher

The Witcher has been a prominent title on Netflix since it was released on the streaming platform in 2019. It is a fantasy action drama series, with its roots in Polish author, Andrzej Sapkowski's, novel series of the same name.

Developed by Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, The Witcher has already streamed three seasons till date. The series also has two more seasons in the works, which are set to conclude its run. The cast featured Henry Cavill in the eponymous role alongside Anya Chalotra, Freya Allen, Eamon Farren, Joey Batey, Anna Shaffer, and others in pivotal roles.

The official synopsis for the series reads as follows:

"Geralt of Rivia, a mutated monster-hunter for hire, journeys toward his destiny in a turbulent world where people often prove more wicked than beasts."

However, from the next season, The Witcher is set to see one major change. The central role, previously played by Henry Cavill, has been passed on to Liam Hemsworth. Cavill had acclimatized himself to the character of Geralt of Rivia, a bit too well even. Being a gaming nerd himself, Cavill had extensive knowledge of his character and did a great job, even earning him praise from loyal Witcher fans.

Liam Hemsworth is set to be the next Geralt of Rivia (Image via Getty)

With everybody looking forward to seeing if Liam Hemsworth fares justice to the character of The Witcher, the shoes to fill are big and the pressure is high on him. Keeping this change of cast in mind, we explore some other options that the casting team could have looked at while replacing Henry Cavill's Witcher.

Note: This article reflects the author's opinion and is listed in no particular order.

10 actors who could have made a great witcher

1) Mads Mikkelsen

Mads Mikkelsen at 19th Zurich Film Festival (Image via Getty)

Yes, Henry Cavill did an amazing job as Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher series. But, let's all agree that Mads Mikkelsen would have been a perfect rendition of the stoic monster-fighter.

And it's not just us who think that Mads Mikkelsen would be perfect for the role, but also the author himself. During a public interview at the 2014 Fantasy Days convention, Andrzej Sapkowski talked about how his personal preference for an actor to play the central character would be Mads Mikkelsen.

2) Viggo Mortensen

Viggo Mortensen at The 69th Annual Cannes Film Festival (Image via Getty)

Viggo Mortensen is another very prominent name on this list who could have played The Witcher. With his iconic role as Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, Mortensen had already shown us his proficiency and suitability with a sword and long hair. Also, with age, he cleaned up pretty nice and has the perfect intensity to play the character of Geralt.

3) Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is popular for his iconic role as Ser Jaime Lannister in Game of Thrones. While a younger Jaime may not have fit the character traits of Geralt of Rivia, his performance and look in the later seasons of the HBO show makes a compelling argument on his behalf. Coster-Waldau has sharp features and a demanding screen-presence alongside being an exemplary actor.

He was also one of the fan favorite options to play the lead role in The Witcher.

4) Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Aaron Taylor-Johnson has become one of the more action-oriented actors in Hollywood in recent times. Having played his roles in movies like Kick-Ass (2010), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), The Bullet Train (2022) or the upcoming film Kraven the Hunter (2024), he has shown time and again that he knows his way around the action genre.

While these were more modern action flicks, Aaron Taylor-Johnson has also wielded a sword in Outlaw King (2018). We think he could have been a great option for the role.

5) Alexander Skarsgård

While witchers are supposed to be sword and spell-wielding fighters in a world of monsters and magic, Vikings are known to be some of the most powerful warriors among us mortal humans. Alexander Skarsgård played a very convincing Viking warrior prince in Robert Eggers' 2022 action drama, The Northman.

Capable of reproducing such intensity and ferocity in his action sequences, makes him a great choice for the role. Also, he has a very versatile acting prowess, having done roles like Ray in Hidden (2015), Derek in Disconnect (2012), and Perry in Big Little Lies (2017-19) alongside Tarzan (2016) and The Stand (2020-21).

6) Robert Pattinson

We can all agree that Robert Pattinson has been pleasantly surprising us with the variety and the nuance of his performances in recent years. Previously known for his role in the Twilight franchise, Pattinson has since outgrown his persona of Edward and played some praiseworthy work in critically acclaimed movies.

His performances in films like Good Time (2017), The Lighthouse (2019), Tenet (2020), and The Batman (2022) have set him as a foremost actor in Hollywood. We have also gotten to see him in a medieval setting in The King (2019). So we know that The Witcher universe won't be too alien for him. It could have been another one of his unexpected performances where he makes the role his own.

7) Idris Elba

Playing the character of Geralt of Rivia is not all about accurately matching the look, but also requires a lot of gravitas, charisma, and screen presence. While a black man playing the character of the "White Wolf', that is Geralt, may not be very accurate to what Sapkowski's book described him, the Netflix series has also wandered off quite a bit.

The books describe Geralt to be a slim, almost lanky figure, with an ugly face and a fiendish smile that would make anybody uncomfortable. Henry Cavill's Geralt is a far call from all that. A black witcher with flowing silver hair could also have been an option worth exploring, considering how good Idris Elba looked while playing Heimdall in the MCU.

8) Luke Evans

Luke Evans is not at all new to the fantasy genre. He has been a pivotal cast member in The Hobbit trilogy (2012-14) and Dracula Untold (2014), both prominent titles, under the fantasy action genre. Also, Evans has rugged facial features and a rich voice which would go great in playing the character of Geralt.

9) Mahershala Ali

Mahershala Ali is another black actor who we think could have been an interesting choice for playing the white-haired witcher. Ali is an extremely talented actor with two Academy Awards under his belt, which leaves no question about his acting prowess.

He is also set to debut in the MCU as the rebooted version of the sword-wielding vampire-killer, Blade. This would mean that Ali is very much suited for action scenarios, making him one of the most interesting names on this list.

10) Richard Armitage

Richard Armitage is another cast member from The Hobbit trilogy who we think could have been a great choice of actor to play the role of Geralt of Rivia in Netflix's The Witcher. He has unquestionable screen presence, a baritone voice, looks good in long hair, has sword-wielding experience from his previous works, and has the physique to match.

These are our picks of actors who we think could have made a great Geralt of Rivia for Netflix's The Witcher series. Now that Cavill has rescinded his role as the legendary witcher, it has been given to Liam Hemsworth.

While fans are still unsure about the casting choice, they are eagerly looking forward to how Hemsworth makes the role his own in the upcoming seasons.

Edited by Bharath S