On the heels of the announcement of his exit, a new report seemingly indicates why Henry Cavill is leaving The Witcher. Cavill has carried the role of Geralt of Rivia, the titular monster hunter, through two seasons for Netflix chronicling his journeys through the medieval landscape known as The Continent and getting wrapped up in a variety of large-scale events. The Witcher also explores the journeys of Yennefer of Vengerberg, a sorceress in love with Geralt whose own quest for power eventually intervenes with his, and Cirilla, the princess of Cintra whose destiny is tied with Geralt's and has elder blood in her ancestry.
Having been his first major role after departing the DC Universe as Superman, Cavill's turn as Geralt in The Witcher proved to be a well-received adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski's beloved character, even while the plot itself received some mixed reviews. Cavill was notable for being a longtime fan of both the source novels and The Witcher video games, frequently expressing his desire to make the most faithful representation of the fantasy material. The English actor made headlines with his announcement that The Witcher season 3 would be the end for Cavill's tenure as Geralt, and now, audiences are seemingly getting further insight for his decision.
A new report from Deadline has seemingly offered some insight to why Cavill is departing the hit Netflix show, citing his busy schedule and feeling the production on the series was too demanding. Sources also reported that Cavill signed a short-term deal solely to close out his time on The Witcher with season 3. At the time of writing, Cavill has not offered an official explanation for his decision.
All The Potential Reasons For Henry Cavill Leaving The Witcher
The announcement of Cavill's departure came on the heels of his confirmed return as Superman for the DCU with a post-credits appearance in Black Adam, setting up a major fight between the Man of Steel and Dwayne Johnson's antihero. In addition to his return, recent reports indicated that Warner Bros. and DC had begun actively looking for writers for Man of Steel 2, nearly a decade after the original film first hit theaters and launched the interconnected comic book universe. With James Gunn, who was previously courted to direct a Superman movie, now leading DC Studios alongside The Conjuring Universe producer Peter Safran, it seems likely Cavill's schedule as the hero is once again too full to lead as large-scale of a project as Netflix's The Witcher, especially when paired with his recently announced Guy Ritchie reunion, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, and Matthew Vaughn's Argylle.
On the other hand, rumors and speculation have swirled since the show's premiere that Henry Cavill encountered a number of creative differences on The Witcher, namely for their deviations from the source material, of which he was adamant about staying true to. Though Cavill hasn't openly criticized the show's writing, he has previously indicated he pushed for a book-accurate depiction of Geralt in season 2, while former writer Beau DeMayo recently revealed that many writers on the show "actively disliked the books and games", making it possible these reports are true. Regardless of the reason, audiences can look forward to seeing Cavill one more time as Geralt with The Witcher season 3 set for a 2023 premiere.
Source: Deadline