The Witcher Season 4 has landed on Netflix, ushering in Liam Hemsworth as the new Geralt. But with Henry Cavill’s exit still leading the conversation, Dexerto asked showrunner Lauren Schmidt-Hissrich whether the series could ever survive without its White Wolf.
Cavill made his debut as the monster hunter in 2019, instantly winning over fans of The Witcher games and Andrzej Sapkowski’s books with his gravelly voice and intense stoicism, not to mention his deep respect for the source material.
Fast forward to October 2022, and the former Man of Steel announced that he’d be stepping away from the role to pursue new projects, confirming that Season 3 would be his last. His departure sparked a loud response and plenty of speculation about the future of the show.
Hemsworth stepped up and has taken on the role for Seasons 4 and 5, which will round off the flagship Netflix adaptation for good. Dexerto caught up with Schmidt-Hissrich ahead of the fourth chapter’s release to discuss how the show moved forward after such a major change.
Why The Witcher would never work without Geralt
Given Cavill was such a significant part of The Witcher TV show, we took the opportunity to ask whether there was ever a world in which the series continued without Geralt. Unsurprisingly, the answer was “no”, although the team “talked about everything.”
“When we started the show in Season 1, you start with a single creative vision… If you asked me in Season 1, ‘What is The Witcher about?’ It’s about a found family. It’s about a family that doesn’t think they need anyone else.
“Three people, they find each other, they realize they do need each other, and then they’re ripped apart. And I just don’t think that that’s a story that we could reroute halfway through.”
That said, Schmidt-Hissrich did add, “Trust me, we talked about everything. But the truth is, we felt like we owed it to the audience and the story and the books to keep telling this story of Geralt, Ciri, and Yen.”
The showrunner went on to talk about the development of the story in Season 4, with the trio split apart by the Continent’s war. ”It was a real joy for the actors and us as storytellers to split these characters off into different journeys,” she continued.
“From the very beginning we talked about Geralt, Ciri, and Yen as three independent characters who had to have their own adventures and their own evolutions. And this season really gets to lean into that.”
Lauren Schmidt-Hissrich on taking a “step back” after Season 5
As for what’s next, Dexerto also asked about whether she’d like to continue writing for The Witcher TV universe past Season 5.
Although Schmidt-Hissrich believes there are more stories to be told on screen, for now, the fifth chapter seems like the perfect time to take a step back.
“By the time we wrap Season 5 fully, it will have been nine years of my life. I think there are so many more stories to be told in The Witcher universe, truly. But I also think you have to step back and accept gracefully, what is the end of this story that we’ve been telling?
“Are there more stories? Maybe. But this one has to end at this point, so I think it’s a nice time for all of us to step back a little bit.”
Seasons 4 and 5 were shot back-to-back, with the latter expected to drop sometime in 2026, although a release date is yet to be confirmed.
The fourth chapter’s release on October 30 coincided with the release of prequel movie The Rats: A Witcher Tale, which tells a standalone story about the titular gang Ciri joined at the end of Season 3.
It’s unclear whether there will be other spinoffs in the future, but for now, the new movie and Seasons 1-4 are streaming on Netflix now.
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