Highlights

  • New Witcher seasons features Liam Hemsworth in redesigned Geralt outfit.
  • Behind-the-scenes photo reveals Hemsworth's stunt double, Joel Adrian.
  • Fans skeptical of show's respect for source material following Cavill's departure.

The Witcher fans have gotten an early look at the show’s main character, who has gotten a bit of a redesign following the role being recast after the departure of the former leading man under unclear circumstances.

The Witcher, originally a series of books by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, chronicling the adventures of the Witcher Geralt of RIvia, a member of a group of superhuman monster hunters tasked with tackling creatures too dangerous for normal men. The book series would garner a cult following in Poland and the surrounding Eastern European area, gaining enough momentum to become a full-fledged multimedia franchise, complete with a television series and an award-winning video game series. The video games would prove especially successful at bringing the franchise to English-speaking audiences, and Netflix would create another fantasy live-action adaptation for the Game of Thrones crowd

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The show would see a fair bit of success throughout its first three seasons before it was announced that The Witcher would be recasting Henry Cavill's Geralt for season 4 on Netflix, eventually settling on Liam Hemsworth as the new leading man. This was also accompanied by a rework of the character’s design, the first look of which fans can now see, with a catch. Recently, Redainian Intelligence posted an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the outfit, which shows off a black leather jacket and a new wig, updating Geralt’s look for the new era of the show sans Cavill. With no official first-look images yet, this gives fans early access to the visuals of the new main character going forward. However, there is a caveat to this exciting early look.

The star in the picture is not Liam Hemsworth but is actually Joel Adrian, his talented stunt double for season 4 who previously played another Witcher in season 2 and did stunt work on the set of season 3. The image, which features Adrian holding a blood sword on set, is from a scene in the upcoming season that sees Geralt dispatch some bandits and was filmed near Midhurst, West Sussex. Seeing the production up and running is a good sign, as The Witcher season 4 suffered delays in production stemming from the strike action last year despite being largely uninhibited by them. The switch-up in style might be one fruit of the musings taken on over the break and will be an interesting way to usher in a new star that might fit differently into Cavill’s shoes, figuratively and literally.

The style is certainly not the main focus of many fans going into the new season, as the show seems positioned to make an even bigger mess of the source material now that Henry Cavill has stepped away from the production. Many were of the opinion that the lack of respect for the source material was what made Cavill, an avid fan of both the book series and the video game adaptations, call it quits with the role before his contract was properly up. This viewpoint was only reinforced when The Witcher’s original author admitted that the Netflix show ignored his input, seemingly justifying backstage reports that the showrunners didn’t value the source material or understand its appeal. No matter how one cuts it, Hemsworth certainly has a massive uphill battle to face if he intends to take on the role and make it work long-term.

It’s clear that The Witcher franchise is burning the candle at both ends since it started making headway with English fans and recasting the lead on the show without missing a beat might be a sign that the trend will continue unhindered. Fans can only wait and see if Hemsworth is able to overcome the odds and return people to the world of Geralt without losing a step.

The Witcher series is currently available to stream on Netflix.

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Source: Redainian Intelligence