The Witcher is about to return to Netflix with the fourth season, the first without Henry Cavill, and fans can’t wait any longer: all the news.
Born thanks to the fantasy books of the Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher saga has long been the exclusive knowledge and interest of a small circle of readers. Like other fantasy sagas that have become famous globally, in fact, The Witcher also took years to spread and achieved full notoriety only when it was transposed onto another medium.
For example, for Game of Thrones it was the TV series produced by HBO, while in this case credit goes to CD Projekt Red and the videogame saga of the same name. The video games based on the books have distanced themselves greatly from the original plot but have embodied its spirit, managing to transpose the essence of Sapkowski’s books and captivate fantasy lovers.
So when The Witcher 3 has become a global success, Netflix decided to create a series that was as similar as possible to the original stories. A project that worked halfway as regards the production and narrative aspect of the three series aired so far and which could detach itself from the original idea of fidelity in the fourth season.
Apparently, in fact, the reason for the farewell of Henry Cavill (the beloved Geralt of the first three seasons) would be precisely due to the inconsistency between the evolution of the plot of the series and that of the original work. However, the details of the plot have not yet been communicated and none of the parties involved have confirmed this indiscretion, so these are mere suppositions.
The Witcher 4 is about to arrive: all the news that emerged during the presentation
The protagonist’s farewell initially created disappointment and displeasure among fans of the TV series, however the fact that he was replaced with a big name like Liam Hemsworth and that the showrunners revealed that on a plot level everything will be explained and coherent with the nature of the Witcher and with Sapkowski’s books he calmed the most heated spirits.
As to why Geralt changes his face on a narrative level, the showrunners have not offered any other indications and we will have to wait for the fourth season to find out (those who have read the books probably already know the possible explanation). However, during the recent presentation of the fourth season in which the production made the cast that will be part of it known to the press and public, some more details emerged about what we will see.
At the end of last season Yennefer, Geralt and Ciri were separated and the latter has given up her powers, choosing to move on and hide her true identity. Many wonder if this decision of hers will lead to definitive implications, if she really has lost her powers and if she really will be able to escape the aims of Emhyr and the Wild Hunt.
In the press conference, screenwriter Schmidt Hissrich explained that Ciri has decided to look to the future and erase the past, but that this decision could clash with the inevitable confrontation with destiny. There will therefore be events that could lead Ciri to reconsider the choices she has made.
In the meantime, Geralt will continue to search for her and Yennefer, determined to put his family back together even if this will inevitably lead him to abandon the Witcher code and political neutrality. The witcher will choose where to take sides and will be transported there by love, a feeling that in theory should be alien to every Witcher, eradicated during their years of training through a cruel and inhuman ritual that makes them “mutants”.
As for the news within the cast, in addition to the already heralded Laurence Fishburne (Morfeus from The Matrix) in the role of Regis – and obviously Liam Hemsworth in the role of Geralt – in this fourth season we will also see Sharlto Copley in the role of Leo Bonhart; James Purefoy as Skellen and Danny Woodburn as the dwarf Zoltan.
Finally it was confirmed that The Witcher will have a fifth season with the same actors and that at the end of this this journey will end. The authors explained that between the fourth and fifth seasons the transposition of Sapkowski’s three books will be completed The baptism of fire, The Tower of the Swallow and The Lady of the Lake, with which the saga concerning Ciri and the Wild Hunt also ends.
