The Witcher Showrunner Breaks Her Silence Over Henry Cavill's Exit

"The Witcher" live-action series smashed records when it landed on Netflix in late 2019. The Netflix series brought fresh fans into the world of Andrzej Sapkowski's "The Witcher" franchise, interesting them in the original book series and game adaptations. For many, the show's standout performance came from Henry Cavill as the titular character. Though there are differences between Netflix's adaptation and the games or books it's based on, fans of the "Witcher" games series specifically adored Cavill as the white-haired monster hunter — as the actor previously expressed his interest in gaming and his love for "Witcher 3" (per IGN).

So, it was a crushing blow to fans to hear that Liam Helmsworth would be taking over the role from Cavill in the fourth season of the series. Theories soon cropped up about why the actor chose to leave the series, but nothing was confirmed. Now the showrunner has spoken out about the departure and has a message to fans. Here's what they had to say about the ordeal and why they think fans shouldn't count "The Witcher" out yet.

In an interview with Techradar about the upcoming spin-off series titled "The Witcher: Blood Origin," showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich broke the silence about Henry Cavill's departure from the series. Hissrich sympathized with the outcry from fans about the recasting, stating that she understood why fans were displeased. However, Hissrich urged fans to continue to support the franchise. She specifically expressed that she didn't want Cavill's departure from "The Witcher" to negatively affect "The Witcher: Blood Origins," a project Cavill was never a part of.

Hissrich explained that Cavill leaving was a big deal for those behind the scenes as well. She stated, "there's a lot of talk and rumors about and we fully understand why fans are going there." Seemingly, Hissrich was referring fan rumors that claim Cavill's passion for "The Witcher" source material led to creative differences. Before continuing her discussion about "The Witcher: Blood Origin," Hissrich pleaded with fans one last time to "What I will say is please come back for The Witcher season three so that we can continue to do this." 

There is much in store for the Witcher universe. With Netflix dabbling in "The Witcher" animated projects, the live-action prequel, and Netflix DLC for the "Witcher 3" there's more than enough content for "The Witcher" fans to feast on while they wait for Season 3 of the Netflix series.