I’m relieved that I no longer have to watch The Witcher

When Netflix announced The Witcher six years ago, I knew next to nothing about the fantasy series created by Andrzej Sapkowski that the series is based on. To be honest, I only knew about The Witcher because of the video games. That was crucial for that grim face on the covers and the hype surrounding Wild Hunt. I haven’t played it until today. The series still piqued my curiosity.

The announcement of The Witcher came at a time when every streaming service and broadcaster was looking for the next Game of Thrones. thanks to the extensive template the film adaptation of the witcher saga was a favorite from the start. But what really made The Witcher interesting was the casting of Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia. And now he’s leaving the series.

Without Henry Cavill, The Witcher is one of countless interchangeable Netflix series

Since October, we’ve known that The Witcher season 3 will be the last to star Cavill. The ex-Superman actor says goodbye to his second iconic part in a few weeks when the new episodes arrive on Netflix. After that, Liam Hemsworth takes over. Although this one was the second choice in the original Geralt casting, for me it’s a massive downgrade. I can hardly imagine that the series survives the change.

You can watch the trailer for The Witcher Season 3 here:

While we’ve seen quite a few changes in the cast of major franchises in recent years (like Mads Mikkelsen replacing Johnny Depp in Fantastic Beasts), Cavill’s departure from The Witcher is of a different caliber. It’s about the Leading role in one of the biggest Netflix series. What’s more, The Witcher is an incredibly valuable brand for the streaming service.

A cinematic universe is to be created here that will bind fans to their subscription in the long term. The Witcher has already spawned two spin-offs. However, there is a reason nobody is talking about The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf and The Witcher: Blood Origin: The offshoots lack thatwhich holds The Witcher together even in the face of disjointed scripts and an interchangeable staging: Henry Cavill.

Starting with the grumpy “Hm”, which he whispers into the camera, to the physicality with which he even gives cut-up action scenes a clear focus: Cavill fulfills the role convincingly – and not just in terms of his physique. The exhausting fight against his (own) demons, Cavill’s Geralt is written all over his face at all times. One wonders immediately what he has already experienced.

Big fantasy blockbuster on Netflix: Henry Cavill has benefited enormously from The Witcher

Cavill’s casting has always set The Witcher apart from the many fantasy series that have competed to be Game of Thrones sequels. Netflix signaled with the cast, that they are serious: The Witcher will not be the next original production forgotten after two weeks, but a blockbuster event with one of the most prominent faces of the DC Universe at the helm.

How much Cavill can stand on his own two feet as a star is debatable. After Superman and his villain in Mission: Impossible – Fallout, which earned him extremely good reviews, Geralt of Rivia is undoubtedly the one most important role in his career. A fan favorite and Netflix’s incredible reach, Cavills has climbed the star ladder thanks to The Witcher.

At the end of the day, however, Netflix has benefited more from Cavill. His exit clearly proves that: Before The Witcher finally degenerates into fantasy trash, Cavill leaves the sinking shipto invest the newly acquired star power in more robust Hollywood projects. Netflix, meanwhile, continues to cling to The Witcher, which is one of its few recognizable franchises alongside Stranger Things.

The Witcher is shockingly empty – and Henry Cavill was the only one who could hide that

Whether The Witcher can survive without Cavill or how once promising projects like Resident Evil, Cowboy Bebop and Jupiter’s Legacy in the insignificance sinks, will only become apparent with the first Hemsworth season. For my part, I’m just relieved to be able to cross a series off my overflowing watchlist. The Witcher hasn’t given me a reason to return yet.

After two seasons and two spin-offs, creatives have failed to define The Witcher’s identity as a series, as a franchise, and as a universe. The continent is a patchwork quilt of random fantasy tropes and no formulated world, which I can enter like Middle-earth and Westeros. Without reference to the book template and the video games, there is little left for me as a casual viewer.

The Witcher loses its main argument why I got into the series back then – apart from general curiosity. Although I found Season 2 even better than the opening, Blood Origin showed me in four episodes, how shockingly empty this franchise is. I don’t have the enthusiasm for Hemsworth as a witch. Cavill was my entry point into the world of The Witcher and he will probably be my exit point as well.

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