Henry Cavill says that in The Witcher season 2, his character Geralt will be more accurate to the novels. The series, which premiered its first season on Netflix in 2019, follows Cavill's magically-infused monster hunter through a variety of adventures. Although the release of The Witcher season 2 was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as an on-set leg injury for Cavill, it is now set to premiere on December 17, 2021, with The Wicher season 3 already confirmed.
The Witcher is based on the series of fantasy novels of the same name by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, which were mostly published in the late 1990s. The popular video game series The Witcher, which began in 2007, is also based on the same novels. Specifically, season 1 of the Netflix series was based on the short story collections The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny detailing the adventures of Geralt as he comes ever closer to his destiny of being inextricably linked with Freya Allan's Crown Princess Ciri.
Speaking with Total Film, Henry Cavill explained how the new season is going to have Geralt be more accurate to his characterization in the source novels. This includes seeing him "speak more" and come across as "more of an intellectual." This doesn't mean he's going to make a complete character turnaround and become a chipper beacon of positivity, but it was important for Cavill to have the character be more reflective of the series as a whole. Check out the full quote below:
This season, I really wanted to make sure that we represented the book’s Geralt more accurately, and that we saw him speak more. I pushed really, really hard for that. I wouldn’t say cheery. He’s still Geralt of Rivia, but he’s definitely coming across as more of an intellectual. It’s a hard life, monster hunting... I wouldn’t recommend it.
In the novels, Geralt isn't exactly a sunny personality. He is a sober-minded professional who tries to avoid becoming emotionally entangled in the political implications of the world around him. However, Geralt's mentorship of Princess Ciri in The Witcher, which will begin in earnest this season as she continues to develop her powers, will open him up to the more emotional side of things that he has been avoiding for so long.
Henry Cavill's charismatic performance of Geralt was a major component in the success of The Witcher. Given how well Cavill understands the way this character needs to be played, the fact that he's so invested in the direction he's taken in this new season spells very good news for fans of the show. He has proven so far that his decisions can be trusted and having any character hew closer to their original source material is always something that readers are willing to embrace with open arms.
Source: Total Film