It was confirmed that yet another major character has been recast in The Witcher Season 4 in addition to series lead Henry Cavill. For the first three seasons of the hit Netflix show, Cavill led the fantasy epic as the mysterious yet dangerous monster hunter Geralt of Rivia. He then decided to step back from the series heading into Season 4, with Hunger Games actor Liam Hemsworth set to take over the role.
However, Cavill is just the tip of the recast iceberg for the latest entry into the long-running streaming show. Vesemir actor Kim Bodnia will not be back for the show's penultimate fourth season, marking the second major actor to leave The Witcher heading into its long-gestating Season 4. Redanian Intelligence confirmed the news, announcing that Peter Mullan will take over the role of Geralt's beloved monster-hunting mentor in The Witcher's fourth season.
Bodnia's departure from the Vesemir role was first reported last year; however, fans have not known who would take over the role until now. Scheduling conflicts have been cited as the sole reason for this change (via RadioTimes):
"Kim will not return as Vesemir as his current shooting diary didn’t fit in with Netflix’s shooting schedule of 'The Witcher' Season 4."
Mullan is a Scottish actor best known for his work as Syd in Children of Men, King Durin III in The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, and Jacob Snell in Netflix's Ozark. He recently appeared in the hit Starz series Outlander: Blood of My Blood as the ill-fated chieftain of Castle Leoch, Red Jacob MacKenzie (read more about the Outlander: Blood of My Blood family tree here).
Despite being more than two years since the show's last season, The Witcher Season 4 still has no publicly listed release date. It is expected to hit Netflix before the end of the year, but nothing official has been confirmed.
The Witcher Season 4 will mark the Netflix show's second-to-last, following the continued adventures of monster hunter Geralt of Rivia (played by Liam Hemsworth). In Season 4, Hemsworth will take over the Geralt role from former Superman actor Henry Cavill, alongside Mullan, Anya Chalotra, and Freya Allan.
How Will The Witcher Season 4 Be Different?
The Witcher Season 4 will look and feel quite different from the rest of the hit video game adaptation to this point.
This differentiation will be primarily caused by the show's primary lead, who served as the series' figurehead, will no longer be part of its epic fantasy story.
Henry Cavill led the series for its first three seasons, bringing to life the beloved Geralt of Rivia in his quest to help train the young Ciri (played by Freya Allen). However, heading into Season 4, it was announced that Cavill would be leaving the show's next season, citing creative differences between his vision of Geralt and that of the creative team behind the series.
Swapping out our leading man four seasons into a TV series is a big deal, so it will be fascinating to see if newcomer Liam Hemsworth can grab the baton from the outgoing Geralt actor to make the transition as seamless as possible.
Hemsworth has a tall task ahead of him, though, as he will not only have to put his stamp on the Geralt character but also get audiences to buy into his version as he heads toward the show's eventual endgame.
It is not as though Hemsworth is stepping in with several seasons on the horizon to build upon what Cavill left for him. Seasons 4 and 5 will be the last two in the show's Netflix run, meaning he is taking over the role right as it is coming to an end. This is a tricky task even for the most accomplished actor.
