Henry Cavill is officially Superman no more, but that doesn’t mean he’s going back to Netflix’s “The Witcher.” Variety has confirmed that “The Witcher” Season 4 is moving forward unchanged, meaning Liam Hemsworth will star as Geralt of Rivia. Cavill played the part for three seasons, but he confirmed his exit from the series in October shortly after announcing his return as Superman in Warner Bros.’ DC Universe. With Cavill’s Superman run officially over, fans were left wondering if he’d return to “The Witcher.” That won’t be the case.
Cavill returned as Superman in the credits scene of “Black Adam.” While Warner Bros. was courting writers for a new Cavill-led Superman movie to be produced by Charles Roven, the plan got upended when James Gunn and Peter Safran took over DC Studios in November. The duo are overhauling the DC Universe, starting with a new Gunn-scripted Superman movie that will not star Cavill.
“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 announced Dec. 15 on Twitter.
“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.”
Insiders told Variety that Gunn’s script will focus on Superman’s life as a cub reporter in the fictional city of Metropolis. Audiences will encounter him meeting key characters, like colleague Lois Lane. Because Gunn’s Superman is younger, there was never a chance of Cavill playing the role.
“It’s sad news, everyone. I will, after all, not be returning as Superman,” Cavill wrote on Instagram following the news. “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. 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.”
“The Witcher” fans were not too thrilled when Cavill announced his exit and the series confirmed Liam Hemsworth would be taking over the role. In an interview with Variety, Netflix’s head of U.S. and Canada scripted series Peter Friedlander assured fans Hemsworth was the right choice.
“Henry is an extraordinary Geralt and I think Liam will continue and also be an extraordinary Geralt,” Friedlander said. “There has been a legacy of 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.”