Netflix's The Witcher may have wrapped its time with star Henry Cavill, but the hit fantasy series is still set to come back for a Season 4.
Overall, Season 3 saw a dip in viewership when compared to past installments, but the show will look to rebound in the incoming fourth season with new series lead Liam Hemsworth.
When Will The Witcher Season 4 Release?
Original reports stated that Season 4 of The Witcher would get started right away and begin filming by September 2023.
However, thanks to the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) strikes that dominated much of 2023, production for the upcoming season was delayed from its planned start date.
With the strikes having now ended, The Witcher (along with some of Netflix's other big names) is a priority for the streamer.
According to reporting from Redanian Intelligence, pre-production for Season 4 is set to kick off in January 2024, with filming following closely behind.
The first three seasons of the show were released two years apart from one another, with Season 1 coming out in 2019, Season 2 releasing in 2021, and Season 3 in 2023.
If Season 4 does start filming relatively early on in 2024, then a late 2025 release window would be probable.
Is Henry Cavill Being Replaced in The Witcher Season 4?
To the disappointment of many, Henry Cavill is being replaced in Season 4 of The Witcher.
The actor coming into the role for Season 4 will be Liam Hemsworth.
Tomek Baginski, one of the show's executive producers, stated that Hemsworth "will be a new Geralt" for the series and that the crew is handling it in a "very lore-accurate" way.
The news that Cavill would be leaving the show broke on October 29, 2022, when the actor announced via Instagram that Season 3 would be his last time playing the character.
The reason for his departure was not specified, but reports stated that he and showrunner Lauren D. Hissrich often disagreed over the direction to take the show.
Cavill wanted to stay true to the source material, which is a series of novels by author Andrzej Sapkowski; however, Hissrich desired a show that wasn't "a 1:1 adaptation."
It is also important to note that Cavill's departure came just after he made a cameo appearance in Black Adam as Superman and thought that he would be returning as the Man of Steel.
That could have also played a role in Cavill's decision to leave The Witcher, as playing a character like Superman in a franchise as big as the DCU would be time-consuming.
However, it was eventually announced by co-CEO of DC Studios James Gunn that the actor would not be coming back to play Superman and that he would instead be casting a younger name to portray the Last Son of Krypton (which turned out to be David Corenswet).
This resulted in Netflix officially casting Liam Hemsworth in the role, who will undoubtedly try to pick up where Cavill left off and bring a fresh start to Geralt of Rivia in Season 4.
The Witcher Season 4 Cast: Who Will Return?
After Part 2 of Season 3, not every character from the previous installment will be returning for Season 4.
However, a lot of the main characters will be coming back, and it is a little easier to predict exactly who will be featured in major roles since the upcoming season will be based on the fifth book in Sapkowski's series, Baptism of Fire.
Liam Hemsworth - Geralt of Rivia
Of course, the show's lead actor will have a huge role in the upcoming series.
After many fans were displeased about how little Geralt was seen in Season 3, they can expect him to be back in full force for Season 4 as the Baptism of Fire novel features Geralt going all out to get Ciri back into his care.
This will put Hemsworth's ability to show the angrier side of Geralt on display, and fans can expect there to be plenty of action.
Anya Chalotra - Yennefer of Vengerberg
Since her introduction in Season 1, Yennefer has become just as important as any character in the entire series.
However, if the show does stay true to Baptism of Fire, Yennefer won't be in Season 4 as much as she was in previous seasons. That doesn't mean that when she does appear it won't be scenes of extreme importance, though.
It is entirely possible that Yennefer's story will be changed from the book and that her relationship with Geralt will be more deeply explored in Season 4.
Freya Allan - Princess Cirilla of Cintra
After figuring out that the real Ciri was not with Emhyr, all fans know is that Geralt and Jaskier are leaving Brokilon Forest in order to find her and seek out revenge on Emhyr.
Since she is such a big focus for Geralt in Baptism of Fire, fans can expect Ciri to be a major character in Season 4, and viewers will likely get to see her grow leaps and bounds as a character since she is currently out on her own.
Joey Batey - Jaskier
Due to the fact that Jaskier is setting out with Geralt to find and rescue Ciri at the end of Season 3, it is safe to assume that he will have a lot of screen time in Season 4.
Geralt will be exacting his revenge on anyone in his path during Season 4, and Jaskier will likely be right by his side for the most part.
Mahesh Jadu - Vilgefortz of Roggeveen
Showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich stated that Vilgefortz is "the most powerful mage" in the entire Continent, and that will definitely be shown during Season 4.
After learning that Vilgefortz is in league with Emhyr and Nilfgaard, in Season 4, he may turn out to be one of the show's main antagonists.
Bart Edwards - Emhyr
One of The Witcher's biggest plot twists was that Nilfgaard's Emperor Emhyr is actually Ciri's birth father, especially since the forces of Nilfgaard were introduced as the villains of the show.
Emhyr will have a major role in Season 4 and will definitely be featured front and center in a way that viewers haven't seen before.
What Will Happen in The Witcher Season 4?
If Season 4 of The Witcher does end up following the events of Baptism of Fire fairly closely, then it will be an extremely Geralt-focused story.
That may be exactly what the show needs to get its viewership numbers back on track, and it would allow fans to become accustomed to seeing Liam Hemsworth in the role.
Season 4 will feature a lot of action in the form of Geralt going on a revenge rampage, but it will also likely feature the war between Nilfgaard and the Northern Kingdoms, a conflict that has been building up for some time now.
It is also safe to assume that Vilgefortz will be the main villain for the upcoming installment. Viewers will likely find out his true motives and reasonings for his actions, and he will be a more prominent on-screen figure.
It wouldn't be a surprise if he crossed paths with Geralt and Yennefer at some point in Season 4, greatly putting his abilities on display.
The first three seasons of The Witcher are available to stream on Netflix.
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