@Triksy said:

HC

Some news to share from The Continent…

My journey as Geralt of Rivia has been filled with both monsters and adventures, and alas, I will be laying down my medallion and my swords for Season 4. In my stead, the fantastic Mr Liam Hemsworth will be taking up the mantle of the White Wolf. As with the greatest of literary characters, I pass the torch with reverence for the time spent embodying Geralt and enthusiasm to see Liam's take on this most fascinating and nuanced of men.

Liam, good sir, this character has such a wonderful depth to him, enjoy diving in and seeing what you can find.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CkTv9FyPnNz/

IGN

Netflix's The Witcher: Former Producer Claims Some Writers 'Actively Disliked the Books and Games'

"I've been on show - namely Witcher - where some of the writers were not or actively disliked the books and games (even actively mocking the source material)," DeMayo explained. "It's a recipe for disaster and bad morale. Fandom as a litmus test checks egos, and makes all the long nights worth it. You have to respect the work before you're allowed to add to its legacy."

DeMayo served as a co-producer on two episodes of The Witcher's first season and penned another story in the eight-episode block before returning as a writer on the second episode of Season 2. He didn't mention any names and with several changes on the writing team each season, it's unclear who he is taking aim at and whether those people remain on board.

https://www.ign.com/articles/netflix-the-witcher-some-writers-actively-disliked-books-games-claims-former-producer

THR – Nov 10, 2021

He also has The Witcher season three (which will add more of Cavill’s dry wit, Hissrich says), and the actor remains committed to supporting Hissrich’s vision to keep The Witcher going for at least seven seasons. “Absolutely,” Cavill says. “As long as we can keep telling great stories which honor [author Andrzej] Sapkowski’s work.”

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/feature/henry-cavill-interview-witcher-superman-1235044553/

HardWareZone – Dec 7, 2021

Stepping into the shoes of Geralt again for Season 2, what has changed about how you prepare for the role compared to Season 1?
Henry Cavill: As far as the preparation goes, coming into this, I wanted the character to have a closer relationship to the character in the books, I wanted him to be more book accurate. And so it was more to do with making sure and campaigning for him to sound more intellectual, more philosophical, and to have an emotional side as well, rather than just be a grumpy snowman. Every day I was pushing this stuff as far as prep goes.

The Witcher has already been renewed for a third season, so what are you looking forward to in Geralt’s future?
Henry Cavill: My hope for The Witcher is always the same. I absolutely love the books, and speaking for myself, would love to see a book Geralt represented as accurately as possible onscreen. For me, that’s the thing I'm most keen on seeing, is really really drawing from Sapkowski’s extraordinary work and bringing that nuance and three-dimensional character into the show.

https://www.hardwarezone.com.sg/feature-netflix-witcher-season-2-cast-interview-henry-cavill-wants-talk-more

Forbes

Why Is Henry Cavill Leaving ‘The Witcher?’

Along with the rest of The Witcher fandom, I’ve been mulling over what could possibly cause Cavill to walk away from a dream project like this. The obvious answer, of course, is that he’s returning to the DCU as the Man of Steel. Superman is a big deal, a time-consuming project and one that likely pays better than The Witcher.

The timeline is a bit murky here, but Cavill’s cameo in the mid-credits scene of Black Adam was only filmed a month ago. The Rock’s part of the scene was shot first and they edited it together in the hopes that Warner Bros would approve Cavill’s return, which only happened when The Rock went behind then-DCEU chief Walter Hamada’s back. We can assume that this all came together within the last six to eight weeks.

So when did Cavill decide to leave The Witcher? That’s a big question that we may never know the answer to. We can only make an educated guess. His departure came alongside news that Geralt had already been recast as Liam Hemsworth. We can safely assume that there was some period between Cavill telling Netflix he was stepping down and the decision to carry on with the series and recast Geralt. We can also safely assume that the casting took some time—I doubt they had Hemsworth in their back pocket at this point. If they did, then Cavill’s decision to leave was known even earlier.

All of this suggests—though doesn’t prove—that Cavill was planning to leave the role prior to getting the greenlight on Superman. Granted, the British actor has been hoping to return to the role for some time now, but it seems likely he was at least one foot out The Witcher door when the Superman news came down.

This suggests to me that Cavill was already dissatisfied with the direction of the show before he was confirmed as Superman and had likely already put in notice before being given the go-ahead at Warner Bros/DC.

Cavill is a huge fan of The Witcher books and video games, and as the show drifted further and further away from the source material, there were murmurings that Cavill was unhappy.

Had Netflix put people in charge of the show who were as passionate and knowledgeable about the show as Henry Cavill, he might not be leaving the role. I […] I’m willing to bet that Superman himself would not have been strong enough to pull Cavill away. This was a passion project and one he’d earned a lot of brownie points for from fans.

Sure, Superman will take a lot of time, but actors find ways to work around busy schedules and multiple projects all the time. Walking away from The Witcher is a big deal, and I just don’t think he would have left had the show been closer to his own vision of what a Witcher adaptation should be. In other words, I think it’s both Superman and his dissatisfaction with the show’s creators that led to this point. What a terrible shame.

The lesson here for Hollywood is the same as the disastrous first season of The Rings Of Power: Hire people who want to make adaptations that are as true as possible to the source material. Hire fans. Hire people who have a deeper commitment to crafting an honest adaptation than to political messaging or “modern audiences.” It may be a risk, but try making these shows for the fans who have been here this whole time. New audiences will find their way to the work.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2022/10/31/why-is-henry-cavill-leaving-the-witcher/

Deadline: According to sources, Cavill had made a short-term deal for The Witcher and felt it was time to move on after three seasons on the show, which films overseas and has a demanding production schedule. He already has film and TV projects lined up, including the just announced The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare, in addition to the Superman return. Cavill’s Witcher co-stars renegotiated their contracts heading into Season 4, sources said.

RI – Oct 2, 2020

Director Alik Sakharov explains why he left The Witcher

Alik himself hadn’t really talked about his work in The Witcher before, but he was finally asked about it in his recent inteview with Forbes Russia. Here’s what he had to say:

Forbes: “I’ll be honest, I was blown away by your work in The Witcher.”

Alik Sakharov: “Really? It’s the opposite for me. I judge my work quite critically there.”

Forbes: “Why?”

AS: “You see, in my perception, Eastern-European literature has a completely different pace. It is no coincidence that Andrzej Sapkowski has so many storylines and characters. The producers set the task of setting the adaptation at an action pace and filling it with colorful special effects. That was their vision. My vision was very different and I tried to convey it to them, giving my arguments. Unfortunately, I was not considered convincing enough, so I decided to leave the project.”

Forbes: “Sorry to hear that. During my interview with Henry Cavill, he said you were one of the few directors who has the right approach to actors. You explain things softly, but very clearly.”

AS: “Glad to hear it. By the way, Henry Cavill is the best thing in The Witcher, in my opinion. He absolutely nailed the role. Moreover, he is a very flexible actor who is able to listen and learn. I sincerely hope that he has many interesting and good projects ahead.”

https://redanianintelligence.com/2020/10/02/director-alik-sakharov-explains-why-he-left-the-witcher/

DigitalSpy

Why is Henry Cavill leaving The Witcher after season 3?

"I’m a huge fan of the books and staying loyal to them," reiterated Cavill on The Witcher's YouTube channel. "It’s about making sure that story happens without too much in the way of diversions or side things going on to muddy the waters."

But did the waters start to get a bit too muddy?

Henry himself has actively fought to keep Netflix's The Witcher faithful to the books. While promoting season two, Cavill told Total Film: "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."

That's really commendable and also reassuring for fans to hear, but on the flip side of that, why did Henry have to push "really, really hard" for this kind of accuracy in the first place?

During our own exclusive chat for Digital Spy, Cavill told us "it was such a shame" that "a lovely bit" from 'Blood of Elves' had been left out of season two, so he took a key quote from that story and improvised it in Roach's death scene instead.

Not only does this serve as a strong reminder of Henry's reverence for the material, but it also reminds us yet again that his vision for the show wasn't exactly aligned with what ended up on screen.

That in of itself is not necessarily a bad thing. Writers and actors aren't always going to agree, and sometimes, the writers room might have a wider vision that even someone as involved as Cavill might not be privy to at first.

However, when you also factor in the multiple changes this show has already made to Sapkowski's books — think the season two ending, for example — it's likely that Cavill wasn't happy with Geralt's direction overall, regardless of whether DeMayo's claims [suggest that some of The Witcher team might not respect the source material] are true or not.

https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a41818071/witcher-henry-cavill-quit-explained/

@Triksy said:

@Triksy said:

HC

Some news to share from The Continent…

My journey as Geralt of Rivia has been filled with both monsters and adventures, and alas, I will be laying down my medallion and my swords for Season 4. In my stead, the fantastic Mr Liam Hemsworth will be taking up the mantle of the White Wolf. As with the greatest of literary characters, I pass the torch with reverence for the time spent embodying Geralt and enthusiasm to see Liam's take on this most fascinating and nuanced of men.

Liam, good sir, this character has such a wonderful depth to him, enjoy diving in and seeing what you can find.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CkTv9FyPnNz/

IGN

Netflix's The Witcher: Former Producer Claims Some Writers 'Actively Disliked the Books and Games'

"I've been on show - namely Witcher - where some of the writers were not or actively disliked the books and games (even actively mocking the source material)," DeMayo explained. "It's a recipe for disaster and bad morale. Fandom as a litmus test checks egos, and makes all the long nights worth it. You have to respect the work before you're allowed to add to its legacy."

DeMayo served as a co-producer on two episodes of The Witcher's first season and penned another story in the eight-episode block before returning as a writer on the second episode of Season 2. He didn't mention any names and with several changes on the writing team each season, it's unclear who he is taking aim at and whether those people remain on board.

https://www.ign.com/articles/netflix-the-witcher-some-writers-actively-disliked-books-games-claims-former-producer

THR – Nov 10, 2021

He also has The Witcher season three (which will add more of Cavill’s dry wit, Hissrich says), and the actor remains committed to supporting Hissrich’s vision to keep The Witcher going for at least seven seasons. “Absolutely,” Cavill says. “As long as we can keep telling great stories which honor [author Andrzej] Sapkowski’s work.”

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/feature/henry-cavill-interview-witcher-superman-1235044553/

HardWareZone – Dec 7, 2021

Stepping into the shoes of Geralt again for Season 2, what has changed about how you prepare for the role compared to Season 1?
Henry Cavill: As far as the preparation goes, coming into this, I wanted the character to have a closer relationship to the character in the books, I wanted him to be more book accurate. And so it was more to do with making sure and campaigning for him to sound more intellectual, more philosophical, and to have an emotional side as well, rather than just be a grumpy snowman. Every day I was pushing this stuff as far as prep goes.

The Witcher has already been renewed for a third season, so what are you looking forward to in Geralt’s future?
Henry Cavill: My hope for The Witcher is always the same. I absolutely love the books, and speaking for myself, would love to see a book Geralt represented as accurately as possible onscreen. For me, that’s the thing I'm most keen on seeing, is really really drawing from Sapkowski’s extraordinary work and bringing that nuance and three-dimensional character into the show.

https://www.hardwarezone.com.sg/feature-netflix-witcher-season-2-cast-interview-henry-cavill-wants-talk-more

Forbes

Why Is Henry Cavill Leaving ‘The Witcher?’

Along with the rest of The Witcher fandom, I’ve been mulling over what could possibly cause Cavill to walk away from a dream project like this. The obvious answer, of course, is that he’s returning to the DCU as the Man of Steel. Superman is a big deal, a time-consuming project and one that likely pays better than The Witcher.

The timeline is a bit murky here, but Cavill’s cameo in the mid-credits scene of Black Adam was only filmed a month ago. The Rock’s part of the scene was shot first and they edited it together in the hopes that Warner Bros would approve Cavill’s return, which only happened when The Rock went behind then-DCEU chief Walter Hamada’s back. We can assume that this all came together within the last six to eight weeks.

So when did Cavill decide to leave The Witcher? That’s a big question that we may never know the answer to. We can only make an educated guess. His departure came alongside news that Geralt had already been recast as Liam Hemsworth. We can safely assume that there was some period between Cavill telling Netflix he was stepping down and the decision to carry on with the series and recast Geralt. We can also safely assume that the casting took some time—I doubt they had Hemsworth in their back pocket at this point. If they did, then Cavill’s decision to leave was known even earlier.

All of this suggests—though doesn’t prove—that Cavill was planning to leave the role prior to getting the greenlight on Superman. Granted, the British actor has been hoping to return to the role for some time now, but it seems likely he was at least one foot out The Witcher door when the Superman news came down.

This suggests to me that Cavill was already dissatisfied with the direction of the show before he was confirmed as Superman and had likely already put in notice before being given the go-ahead at Warner Bros/DC.

Cavill is a huge fan of The Witcher books and video games, and as the show drifted further and further away from the source material, there were murmurings that Cavill was unhappy.

Had Netflix put people in charge of the show who were as passionate and knowledgeable about the show as Henry Cavill, he might not be leaving the role. I […] I’m willing to bet that Superman himself would not have been strong enough to pull Cavill away. This was a passion project and one he’d earned a lot of brownie points for from fans.

Sure, Superman will take a lot of time, but actors find ways to work around busy schedules and multiple projects all the time. Walking away from The Witcher is a big deal, and I just don’t think he would have left had the show been closer to his own vision of what a Witcher adaptation should be. In other words, I think it’s both Superman and his dissatisfaction with the show’s creators that led to this point. What a terrible shame.

The lesson here for Hollywood is the same as the disastrous first season of The Rings Of Power: Hire people who want to make adaptations that are as true as possible to the source material. Hire fans. Hire people who have a deeper commitment to crafting an honest adaptation than to political messaging or “modern audiences.” It may be a risk, but try making these shows for the fans who have been here this whole time. New audiences will find their way to the work.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2022/10/31/why-is-henry-cavill-leaving-the-witcher/

Deadline: According to sources, Cavill had made a short-term deal for The Witcher and felt it was time to move on after three seasons on the show, which films overseas and has a demanding production schedule. He already has film and TV projects lined up, including the just announced The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare, in addition to the Superman return. Cavill’s Witcher co-stars renegotiated their contracts heading into Season 4, sources said.

RI – Oct 2, 2020

Director Alik Sakharov explains why he left The Witcher

Alik himself hadn’t really talked about his work in The Witcher before, but he was finally asked about it in his recent inteview with Forbes Russia. Here’s what he had to say:

Forbes: “I’ll be honest, I was blown away by your work in The Witcher.”

Alik Sakharov: “Really? It’s the opposite for me. I judge my work quite critically there.”

Forbes: “Why?”

AS: “You see, in my perception, Eastern-European literature has a completely different pace. It is no coincidence that Andrzej Sapkowski has so many storylines and characters. The producers set the task of setting the adaptation at an action pace and filling it with colorful special effects. That was their vision. My vision was very different and I tried to convey it to them, giving my arguments. Unfortunately, I was not considered convincing enough, so I decided to leave the project.”

Forbes: “Sorry to hear that. During my interview with Henry Cavill, he said you were one of the few directors who has the right approach to actors. You explain things softly, but very clearly.”

AS: “Glad to hear it. By the way, Henry Cavill is the best thing in The Witcher, in my opinion. He absolutely nailed the role. Moreover, he is a very flexible actor who is able to listen and learn. I sincerely hope that he has many interesting and good projects ahead.”

https://redanianintelligence.com/2020/10/02/director-alik-sakharov-explains-why-he-left-the-witcher/

DigitalSpy

Why is Henry Cavill leaving The Witcher after season 3?

"I’m a huge fan of the books and staying loyal to them," reiterated Cavill on The Witcher's YouTube channel. "It’s about making sure that story happens without too much in the way of diversions or side things going on to muddy the waters."

But did the waters start to get a bit too muddy?

Henry himself has actively fought to keep Netflix's The Witcher faithful to the books. While promoting season two, Cavill told Total Film: "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."

That's really commendable and also reassuring for fans to hear, but on the flip side of that, why did Henry have to push "really, really hard" for this kind of accuracy in the first place?

During our own exclusive chat for Digital Spy, Cavill told us "it was such a shame" that "a lovely bit" from 'Blood of Elves' had been left out of season two, so he took a key quote from that story and improvised it in Roach's death scene instead.

Not only does this serve as a strong reminder of Henry's reverence for the material, but it also reminds us yet again that his vision for the show wasn't exactly aligned with what ended up on screen.

That in of itself is not necessarily a bad thing. Writers and actors aren't always going to agree, and sometimes, the writers room might have a wider vision that even someone as involved as Cavill might not be privy to at first.

However, when you also factor in the multiple changes this show has already made to Sapkowski's books — think the season two ending, for example — it's likely that Cavill wasn't happy with Geralt's direction overall, regardless of whether DeMayo's claims [suggest that some of The Witcher team might not respect the source material] are true or not.

https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a41818071/witcher-henry-cavill-quit-explained/

RI

Henry Cavill’s Departure from The Witcher Originated in Season 2

Back in Summer 2021, when The Witcher Season 2 was in post-production and Season 3 hadn’t been renewed yet, we heard from a source that recasting Geralt was a growing possibility at Netflix. The reason for that was that Henry Cavill was considering leaving the series after Season 2 because he and the producers “weren’t seeing eye to eye” regarding content and Geralt’s role in the The Witcher.

At the time we believed Henry wasn’t 100% serious about it and would not really go through with leaving the series since he fought so hard to get that role. So instead of reporting on it, we chose to sit on this information and see where it goes.

And indeed, our beliefs were solidified when Season 3 was officially confirmed in September 2021 and a little later, in November, a report from The Hollywood Reporter appeared saying Cavill had “just renewed” his contract and would be getting $1 Million per episode for Season 3 as opposed to $400K, his earlier The Witcher salary.

After that chronologically came The Witcher Season 2 promo tour. Cavill made it very well known during that tour that he had been pushing for a more book-accurate Geralt as he kept saying a variation of that in almost every interview he gave.

Knowing about him considering leaving the series just a few months earlier, made the impression that while Henry was returning for Season 3, his frustrations weren’t completely gone since he made that a constant talking point during that time. Here’s just one example:

“The toughest part for me was finding that balance between the showrunners’ vision and my love for the books, and trying to bring that Geralt to the showrunners’ vision. It’s about treading a fine line there. It’s the showrunners’ story and so it’s an adaptation. The tricky bit for me was finding Geralt from the books’ place within that and being able to serve both as much as I could.

The things that I pushed for, it was not necessarily just more dialogue. It was bringing a more book-accurate Geralt to the screen. […] All of my asks and requests were along the lines of just being faithful to the source material.”

Nevertheless, we believed that whatever issues Henry had, Netflix solved it with the renewal of his contract. the matter was closed, Henry Cavill made peace with his role and would still be Geralt of Rivia until the end of the series.

Now, however, Deadline reported that “Cavill had made a short-term deal for The Witcher and felt it was time to move on after three seasons on the show”.

With the context of the previous report about his “new deal”, it looks like Cavill agreed to stay at least for one more season after Season 2 and chose not to renew his contract for further seasons when the time came this year.

Meanwhile, the Superman opportunity appeared again. Dwayne Johnson claimed that he and his manager Dany Garcia, who is also the manager for Cavill, have been trying to get Henry Cavill’s Superman back in the DCEU for six years, but were constantly rejected by the old Warner Bros management, while under the new management they finally succeeded in the recent months.

One recent report by The Hollywood Reporter says that a new Superman film is in very early development without any writers or directors attached.

On the other hand, writing for The Witcher Season 4 had just started and filming could get underway in the second half of 2023.

A schedule conflict between Superman and The Witcher isn’t impossible, but Cavill himself said in a 2019 interview that he could manage both, when asked that question:

“You’ve got to keep in mind that regardless of what movies I’ll be doing over the next few years, you can fit two projects into one year.”

In the same round-table, he expressed his desire and hope to reprise the role of Superman and said he had still much to give to the character.

All in all, the various pieces create a picture, as incomplete as it might be.

Henry Cavill was at first very enthusiastic to play Geralt and was willing to make efforts to combine both Superman and The Witcher in his schedule. Even before he landed the role of Geralt, according to Dwayne Johnson, his return as Superman was already being pushed behind the scenes, albeit unsuccessfully.

Then in 2020 and 2021, Cavill was working on Season 2 of The Witcher and was constantly having disagreements with the producers over the work he was doing. After Season 2 wrapped, he seriously considered leaving The Witcher, but was offered more money and decided to stay for at least one more season.

Even then, during an interview, he said he was “absolutely” committed to seeing all of the seasons of The Witcher through, but “as long as we can keep telling great stories which honor Sapkowski’s work”. With the current news, it appears that this was less of a wish and more of a condition.

During the filming for The Witcher Season 3, we did notice that some within the Witcher production started following Liam Hemsworth on social media. Naturally, we didn’t think anything of it, but now it appears that the new Geralt auditions may have taken place while Season 3 was still in production.

By the time Season 3 was in its final stages of production, major changes were happening to Warner Bros and DC with the new bosses being open to having Henry Cavill as Superman again. As a result, during that time Cavill filmed his Black Adam cameo.

In the end, it appears that Henry Cavill’s heart was no longer in the Netflix’s iteration of The Witcher for a considerable amount of time and he has slowly been making up his mind ever since Season 2 finished production, before all those Warner Bros and DC changes.

His return as Superman had a perfect timing this year and may likely have been that one final push towards not renewing his contract for Season 4 of The Witcher.

Cavill may have had a commentary about this situation a few days ago in his interview with Josh Horowitz.

“It’s just about belief. If you believe what you’re doing then you’ll be able to keep on doing it. It’s also important to know that if you realize you’re doing the wrong thing, that’s when you stop doing the wrong thing. You don’t just keep on going just because. Because that leads down a dark path.”

Cavill doesn’t name The Witcher at this point, as his departure was a secret at the time, but one can easily assume that this was his philosophy when deciding to quit the series.

https://redanianintelligence.com/2022/11/01/henry-cavills-departure-from-witcher-originated-in-s2/

@AnnaB said:

@Triksy said:

@Triksy said:

HC

Some news to share from The Continent…

My journey as Geralt of Rivia has been filled with both monsters and adventures, and alas, I will be laying down my medallion and my swords for Season 4. In my stead, the fantastic Mr Liam Hemsworth will be taking up the mantle of the White Wolf. As with the greatest of literary characters, I pass the torch with reverence for the time spent embodying Geralt and enthusiasm to see Liam's take on this most fascinating and nuanced of men.

Liam, good sir, this character has such a wonderful depth to him, enjoy diving in and seeing what you can find.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CkTv9FyPnNz/

IGN

Netflix's The Witcher: Former Producer Claims Some Writers 'Actively Disliked the Books and Games'

"I've been on show - namely Witcher - where some of the writers were not or actively disliked the books and games (even actively mocking the source material)," DeMayo explained. "It's a recipe for disaster and bad morale. Fandom as a litmus test checks egos, and makes all the long nights worth it. You have to respect the work before you're allowed to add to its legacy."

DeMayo served as a co-producer on two episodes of The Witcher's first season and penned another story in the eight-episode block before returning as a writer on the second episode of Season 2. He didn't mention any names and with several changes on the writing team each season, it's unclear who he is taking aim at and whether those people remain on board.

https://www.ign.com/articles/netflix-the-witcher-some-writers-actively-disliked-books-games-claims-former-producer

THR – Nov 10, 2021

He also has The Witcher season three (which will add more of Cavill’s dry wit, Hissrich says), and the actor remains committed to supporting Hissrich’s vision to keep The Witcher going for at least seven seasons. “Absolutely,” Cavill says. “As long as we can keep telling great stories which honor [author Andrzej] Sapkowski’s work.”

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/feature/henry-cavill-interview-witcher-superman-1235044553/

HardWareZone – Dec 7, 2021

Stepping into the shoes of Geralt again for Season 2, what has changed about how you prepare for the role compared to Season 1?
Henry Cavill: As far as the preparation goes, coming into this, I wanted the character to have a closer relationship to the character in the books, I wanted him to be more book accurate. And so it was more to do with making sure and campaigning for him to sound more intellectual, more philosophical, and to have an emotional side as well, rather than just be a grumpy snowman. Every day I was pushing this stuff as far as prep goes.

The Witcher has already been renewed for a third season, so what are you looking forward to in Geralt’s future?
Henry Cavill: My hope for The Witcher is always the same. I absolutely love the books, and speaking for myself, would love to see a book Geralt represented as accurately as possible onscreen. For me, that’s the thing I'm most keen on seeing, is really really drawing from Sapkowski’s extraordinary work and bringing that nuance and three-dimensional character into the show.

https://www.hardwarezone.com.sg/feature-netflix-witcher-season-2-cast-interview-henry-cavill-wants-talk-more

Forbes

Why Is Henry Cavill Leaving ‘The Witcher?’

Along with the rest of The Witcher fandom, I’ve been mulling over what could possibly cause Cavill to walk away from a dream project like this. The obvious answer, of course, is that he’s returning to the DCU as the Man of Steel. Superman is a big deal, a time-consuming project and one that likely pays better than The Witcher.

The timeline is a bit murky here, but Cavill’s cameo in the mid-credits scene of Black Adam was only filmed a month ago. The Rock’s part of the scene was shot first and they edited it together in the hopes that Warner Bros would approve Cavill’s return, which only happened when The Rock went behind then-DCEU chief Walter Hamada’s back. We can assume that this all came together within the last six to eight weeks.

So when did Cavill decide to leave The Witcher? That’s a big question that we may never know the answer to. We can only make an educated guess. His departure came alongside news that Geralt had already been recast as Liam Hemsworth. We can safely assume that there was some period between Cavill telling Netflix he was stepping down and the decision to carry on with the series and recast Geralt. We can also safely assume that the casting took some time—I doubt they had Hemsworth in their back pocket at this point. If they did, then Cavill’s decision to leave was known even earlier.

All of this suggests—though doesn’t prove—that Cavill was planning to leave the role prior to getting the greenlight on Superman. Granted, the British actor has been hoping to return to the role for some time now, but it seems likely he was at least one foot out The Witcher door when the Superman news came down.

This suggests to me that Cavill was already dissatisfied with the direction of the show before he was confirmed as Superman and had likely already put in notice before being given the go-ahead at Warner Bros/DC.

Cavill is a huge fan of The Witcher books and video games, and as the show drifted further and further away from the source material, there were murmurings that Cavill was unhappy.

Had Netflix put people in charge of the show who were as passionate and knowledgeable about the show as Henry Cavill, he might not be leaving the role. I […] I’m willing to bet that Superman himself would not have been strong enough to pull Cavill away. This was a passion project and one he’d earned a lot of brownie points for from fans.

Sure, Superman will take a lot of time, but actors find ways to work around busy schedules and multiple projects all the time. Walking away from The Witcher is a big deal, and I just don’t think he would have left had the show been closer to his own vision of what a Witcher adaptation should be. In other words, I think it’s both Superman and his dissatisfaction with the show’s creators that led to this point. What a terrible shame.

The lesson here for Hollywood is the same as the disastrous first season of The Rings Of Power: Hire people who want to make adaptations that are as true as possible to the source material. Hire fans. Hire people who have a deeper commitment to crafting an honest adaptation than to political messaging or “modern audiences.” It may be a risk, but try making these shows for the fans who have been here this whole time. New audiences will find their way to the work.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2022/10/31/why-is-henry-cavill-leaving-the-witcher/

Deadline: According to sources, Cavill had made a short-term deal for The Witcher and felt it was time to move on after three seasons on the show, which films overseas and has a demanding production schedule. He already has film and TV projects lined up, including the just announced The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare, in addition to the Superman return. Cavill’s Witcher co-stars renegotiated their contracts heading into Season 4, sources said.

RI – Oct 2, 2020

Director Alik Sakharov explains why he left The Witcher

Alik himself hadn’t really talked about his work in The Witcher before, but he was finally asked about it in his recent inteview with Forbes Russia. Here’s what he had to say:

Forbes: “I’ll be honest, I was blown away by your work in The Witcher.”

Alik Sakharov: “Really? It’s the opposite for me. I judge my work quite critically there.”

Forbes: “Why?”

AS: “You see, in my perception, Eastern-European literature has a completely different pace. It is no coincidence that Andrzej Sapkowski has so many storylines and characters. The producers set the task of setting the adaptation at an action pace and filling it with colorful special effects. That was their vision. My vision was very different and I tried to convey it to them, giving my arguments. Unfortunately, I was not considered convincing enough, so I decided to leave the project.”

Forbes: “Sorry to hear that. During my interview with Henry Cavill, he said you were one of the few directors who has the right approach to actors. You explain things softly, but very clearly.”

AS: “Glad to hear it. By the way, Henry Cavill is the best thing in The Witcher, in my opinion. He absolutely nailed the role. Moreover, he is a very flexible actor who is able to listen and learn. I sincerely hope that he has many interesting and good projects ahead.”

https://redanianintelligence.com/2020/10/02/director-alik-sakharov-explains-why-he-left-the-witcher/

DigitalSpy

Why is Henry Cavill leaving The Witcher after season 3?

"I’m a huge fan of the books and staying loyal to them," reiterated Cavill on The Witcher's YouTube channel. "It’s about making sure that story happens without too much in the way of diversions or side things going on to muddy the waters."

But did the waters start to get a bit too muddy?

Henry himself has actively fought to keep Netflix's The Witcher faithful to the books. While promoting season two, Cavill told Total Film: "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."

That's really commendable and also reassuring for fans to hear, but on the flip side of that, why did Henry have to push "really, really hard" for this kind of accuracy in the first place?

During our own exclusive chat for Digital Spy, Cavill told us "it was such a shame" that "a lovely bit" from 'Blood of Elves' had been left out of season two, so he took a key quote from that story and improvised it in Roach's death scene instead.

Not only does this serve as a strong reminder of Henry's reverence for the material, but it also reminds us yet again that his vision for the show wasn't exactly aligned with what ended up on screen.

That in of itself is not necessarily a bad thing. Writers and actors aren't always going to agree, and sometimes, the writers room might have a wider vision that even someone as involved as Cavill might not be privy to at first.

However, when you also factor in the multiple changes this show has already made to Sapkowski's books — think the season two ending, for example — it's likely that Cavill wasn't happy with Geralt's direction overall, regardless of whether DeMayo's claims [suggest that some of The Witcher team might not respect the source material] are true or not.

https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a41818071/witcher-henry-cavill-quit-explained/

RI

Henry Cavill’s Departure from The Witcher Originated in Season 2

Back in Summer 2021, when The Witcher Season 2 was in post-production and Season 3 hadn’t been renewed yet, we heard from a source that recasting Geralt was a growing possibility at Netflix. The reason for that was that Henry Cavill was considering leaving the series after Season 2 because he and the producers “weren’t seeing eye to eye” regarding content and Geralt’s role in the The Witcher.

At the time we believed Henry wasn’t 100% serious about it and would not really go through with leaving the series since he fought so hard to get that role. So instead of reporting on it, we chose to sit on this information and see where it goes.

And indeed, our beliefs were solidified when Season 3 was officially confirmed in September 2021 and a little later, in November, a report from The Hollywood Reporter appeared saying Cavill had “just renewed” his contract and would be getting $1 Million per episode for Season 3 as opposed to $400K, his earlier The Witcher salary.

After that chronologically came The Witcher Season 2 promo tour. Cavill made it very well known during that tour that he had been pushing for a more book-accurate Geralt as he kept saying a variation of that in almost every interview he gave.

Knowing about him considering leaving the series just a few months earlier, made the impression that while Henry was returning for Season 3, his frustrations weren’t completely gone since he made that a constant talking point during that time. Here’s just one example:

“The toughest part for me was finding that balance between the showrunners’ vision and my love for the books, and trying to bring that Geralt to the showrunners’ vision. It’s about treading a fine line there. It’s the showrunners’ story and so it’s an adaptation. The tricky bit for me was finding Geralt from the books’ place within that and being able to serve both as much as I could.

The things that I pushed for, it was not necessarily just more dialogue. It was bringing a more book-accurate Geralt to the screen. […] All of my asks and requests were along the lines of just being faithful to the source material.”

Nevertheless, we believed that whatever issues Henry had, Netflix solved it with the renewal of his contract. the matter was closed, Henry Cavill made peace with his role and would still be Geralt of Rivia until the end of the series.

Now, however, Deadline reported that “Cavill had made a short-term deal for The Witcher and felt it was time to move on after three seasons on the show”.

With the context of the previous report about his “new deal”, it looks like Cavill agreed to stay at least for one more season after Season 2 and chose not to renew his contract for further seasons when the time came this year.

Meanwhile, the Superman opportunity appeared again. Dwayne Johnson claimed that he and his manager Dany Garcia, who is also the manager for Cavill, have been trying to get Henry Cavill’s Superman back in the DCEU for six years, but were constantly rejected by the old Warner Bros management, while under the new management they finally succeeded in the recent months.

One recent report by The Hollywood Reporter says that a new Superman film is in very early development without any writers or directors attached.

On the other hand, writing for The Witcher Season 4 had just started and filming could get underway in the second half of 2023.

A schedule conflict between Superman and The Witcher isn’t impossible, but Cavill himself said in a 2019 interview that he could manage both, when asked that question:

“You’ve got to keep in mind that regardless of what movies I’ll be doing over the next few years, you can fit two projects into one year.”

In the same round-table, he expressed his desire and hope to reprise the role of Superman and said he had still much to give to the character.

All in all, the various pieces create a picture, as incomplete as it might be.

Henry Cavill was at first very enthusiastic to play Geralt and was willing to make efforts to combine both Superman and The Witcher in his schedule. Even before he landed the role of Geralt, according to Dwayne Johnson, his return as Superman was already being pushed behind the scenes, albeit unsuccessfully.

Then in 2020 and 2021, Cavill was working on Season 2 of The Witcher and was constantly having disagreements with the producers over the work he was doing. After Season 2 wrapped, he seriously considered leaving The Witcher, but was offered more money and decided to stay for at least one more season.

Even then, during an interview, he said he was “absolutely” committed to seeing all of the seasons of The Witcher through, but “as long as we can keep telling great stories which honor Sapkowski’s work”. With the current news, it appears that this was less of a wish and more of a condition.

During the filming for The Witcher Season 3, we did notice that some within the Witcher production started following Liam Hemsworth on social media. Naturally, we didn’t think anything of it, but now it appears that the new Geralt auditions may have taken place while Season 3 was still in production.

By the time Season 3 was in its final stages of production, major changes were happening to Warner Bros and DC with the new bosses being open to having Henry Cavill as Superman again. As a result, during that time Cavill filmed his Black Adam cameo.

In the end, it appears that Henry Cavill’s heart was no longer in the Netflix’s iteration of The Witcher for a considerable amount of time and he has slowly been making up his mind ever since Season 2 finished production, before all those Warner Bros and DC changes.

His return as Superman had a perfect timing this year and may likely have been that one final push towards not renewing his contract for Season 4 of The Witcher.

Cavill may have had a commentary about this situation a few days ago in his interview with Josh Horowitz.

“It’s just about belief. If you believe what you’re doing then you’ll be able to keep on doing it. It’s also important to know that if you realize you’re doing the wrong thing, that’s when you stop doing the wrong thing. You don’t just keep on going just because. Because that leads down a dark path.”

Cavill doesn’t name The Witcher at this point, as his departure was a secret at the time, but one can easily assume that this was his philosophy when deciding to quit the series.

https://redanianintelligence.com/2022/11/01/henry-cavills-departure-from-witcher-originated-in-s2/

Eurogamer

Geralt voice actor sad about Henry Cavill leaving The Witcher Netflix show

"Well I think it's really sad," Doug Cockle told me during the latest episode of my podcast One-to-One, available everywhere now (look for "Eurogamer Podcasts").

"And there's a lot of people speculating on the reasons why he's decided to leave, but whatever the reason is, I think it is sad, because Henry, he did a fabulous job as Geralt of Rivia."

The pair met when Cavill invited Cockle to see the premiere of The Witcher Netflix series in London, Cockle said. It was where Cockle first saw what Cavill had done with the role he knew so well. They apparently spoke for a long time afterwards about it. "We spent a good, I don't know, an hour or two, chatting about the Witcher world and being Geralt of Rivia," he said.

When I asked if he remembered what they talked about, he smiled. "You know, Rob," he said, "I have a little memory of our conversation. I remember bits and snatches of conversation, but I think I was quite nervous! And I'd had a beer and it was one of those evenings where I felt a bit like a fish out of water, because it was at the premiere afterparty, and the vast majority of the people there were people involved in the production so they knew each other.

"And it was lovely to be there," he said, "absolutely lovely to be there and to celebrate, especially having seen what they produced, but my conversation with Henry was in the context of me feeling a little bit out of place for obvious reasons. And it not being about me. So it wasn't like we were on our own in a cafe sipping coffee, it was a very charged environment."

But Cockle did remember them having similar ideas about Geralt as a character. "I do remember we talked about Superman, we talked about Geralt and The Witcher. We had some similar thoughts about Geralt if I remember correctly," he said. "He felt the same way I do about him not being an emotionless being, and I think we can see that in his performance.

https://www.eurogamer.net/geralt-voice-actor-sad-about-henry-cavill-leaving-the-witcher-netflix-show

@Triksy said:

@AnnaB said:

@Triksy said:

@Triksy said:

HC

Some news to share from The Continent…

My journey as Geralt of Rivia has been filled with both monsters and adventures, and alas, I will be laying down my medallion and my swords for Season 4. In my stead, the fantastic Mr Liam Hemsworth will be taking up the mantle of the White Wolf. As with the greatest of literary characters, I pass the torch with reverence for the time spent embodying Geralt and enthusiasm to see Liam's take on this most fascinating and nuanced of men.

Liam, good sir, this character has such a wonderful depth to him, enjoy diving in and seeing what you can find.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CkTv9FyPnNz/

IGN

Netflix's The Witcher: Former Producer Claims Some Writers 'Actively Disliked the Books and Games'

"I've been on show - namely Witcher - where some of the writers were not or actively disliked the books and games (even actively mocking the source material)," DeMayo explained. "It's a recipe for disaster and bad morale. Fandom as a litmus test checks egos, and makes all the long nights worth it. You have to respect the work before you're allowed to add to its legacy."

DeMayo served as a co-producer on two episodes of The Witcher's first season and penned another story in the eight-episode block before returning as a writer on the second episode of Season 2. He didn't mention any names and with several changes on the writing team each season, it's unclear who he is taking aim at and whether those people remain on board.

https://www.ign.com/articles/netflix-the-witcher-some-writers-actively-disliked-books-games-claims-former-producer

THR – Nov 10, 2021

He also has The Witcher season three (which will add more of Cavill’s dry wit, Hissrich says), and the actor remains committed to supporting Hissrich’s vision to keep The Witcher going for at least seven seasons. “Absolutely,” Cavill says. “As long as we can keep telling great stories which honor [author Andrzej] Sapkowski’s work.”

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/feature/henry-cavill-interview-witcher-superman-1235044553/

HardWareZone – Dec 7, 2021

Stepping into the shoes of Geralt again for Season 2, what has changed about how you prepare for the role compared to Season 1?
Henry Cavill: As far as the preparation goes, coming into this, I wanted the character to have a closer relationship to the character in the books, I wanted him to be more book accurate. And so it was more to do with making sure and campaigning for him to sound more intellectual, more philosophical, and to have an emotional side as well, rather than just be a grumpy snowman. Every day I was pushing this stuff as far as prep goes.

The Witcher has already been renewed for a third season, so what are you looking forward to in Geralt’s future?
Henry Cavill: My hope for The Witcher is always the same. I absolutely love the books, and speaking for myself, would love to see a book Geralt represented as accurately as possible onscreen. For me, that’s the thing I'm most keen on seeing, is really really drawing from Sapkowski’s extraordinary work and bringing that nuance and three-dimensional character into the show.

https://www.hardwarezone.com.sg/feature-netflix-witcher-season-2-cast-interview-henry-cavill-wants-talk-more

Forbes

Why Is Henry Cavill Leaving ‘The Witcher?’

Along with the rest of The Witcher fandom, I’ve been mulling over what could possibly cause Cavill to walk away from a dream project like this. The obvious answer, of course, is that he’s returning to the DCU as the Man of Steel. Superman is a big deal, a time-consuming project and one that likely pays better than The Witcher.

The timeline is a bit murky here, but Cavill’s cameo in the mid-credits scene of Black Adam was only filmed a month ago. The Rock’s part of the scene was shot first and they edited it together in the hopes that Warner Bros would approve Cavill’s return, which only happened when The Rock went behind then-DCEU chief Walter Hamada’s back. We can assume that this all came together within the last six to eight weeks.

So when did Cavill decide to leave The Witcher? That’s a big question that we may never know the answer to. We can only make an educated guess. His departure came alongside news that Geralt had already been recast as Liam Hemsworth. We can safely assume that there was some period between Cavill telling Netflix he was stepping down and the decision to carry on with the series and recast Geralt. We can also safely assume that the casting took some time—I doubt they had Hemsworth in their back pocket at this point. If they did, then Cavill’s decision to leave was known even earlier.

All of this suggests—though doesn’t prove—that Cavill was planning to leave the role prior to getting the greenlight on Superman. Granted, the British actor has been hoping to return to the role for some time now, but it seems likely he was at least one foot out The Witcher door when the Superman news came down.

This suggests to me that Cavill was already dissatisfied with the direction of the show before he was confirmed as Superman and had likely already put in notice before being given the go-ahead at Warner Bros/DC.

Cavill is a huge fan of The Witcher books and video games, and as the show drifted further and further away from the source material, there were murmurings that Cavill was unhappy.

Had Netflix put people in charge of the show who were as passionate and knowledgeable about the show as Henry Cavill, he might not be leaving the role. I […] I’m willing to bet that Superman himself would not have been strong enough to pull Cavill away. This was a passion project and one he’d earned a lot of brownie points for from fans.

Sure, Superman will take a lot of time, but actors find ways to work around busy schedules and multiple projects all the time. Walking away from The Witcher is a big deal, and I just don’t think he would have left had the show been closer to his own vision of what a Witcher adaptation should be. In other words, I think it’s both Superman and his dissatisfaction with the show’s creators that led to this point. What a terrible shame.

The lesson here for Hollywood is the same as the disastrous first season of The Rings Of Power: Hire people who want to make adaptations that are as true as possible to the source material. Hire fans. Hire people who have a deeper commitment to crafting an honest adaptation than to political messaging or “modern audiences.” It may be a risk, but try making these shows for the fans who have been here this whole time. New audiences will find their way to the work.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2022/10/31/why-is-henry-cavill-leaving-the-witcher/

Deadline: According to sources, Cavill had made a short-term deal for The Witcher and felt it was time to move on after three seasons on the show, which films overseas and has a demanding production schedule. He already has film and TV projects lined up, including the just announced The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare, in addition to the Superman return. Cavill’s Witcher co-stars renegotiated their contracts heading into Season 4, sources said.

RI – Oct 2, 2020

Director Alik Sakharov explains why he left The Witcher

Alik himself hadn’t really talked about his work in The Witcher before, but he was finally asked about it in his recent inteview with Forbes Russia. Here’s what he had to say:

Forbes: “I’ll be honest, I was blown away by your work in The Witcher.”

Alik Sakharov: “Really? It’s the opposite for me. I judge my work quite critically there.”

Forbes: “Why?”

AS: “You see, in my perception, Eastern-European literature has a completely different pace. It is no coincidence that Andrzej Sapkowski has so many storylines and characters. The producers set the task of setting the adaptation at an action pace and filling it with colorful special effects. That was their vision. My vision was very different and I tried to convey it to them, giving my arguments. Unfortunately, I was not considered convincing enough, so I decided to leave the project.”

Forbes: “Sorry to hear that. During my interview with Henry Cavill, he said you were one of the few directors who has the right approach to actors. You explain things softly, but very clearly.”

AS: “Glad to hear it. By the way, Henry Cavill is the best thing in The Witcher, in my opinion. He absolutely nailed the role. Moreover, he is a very flexible actor who is able to listen and learn. I sincerely hope that he has many interesting and good projects ahead.”

https://redanianintelligence.com/2020/10/02/director-alik-sakharov-explains-why-he-left-the-witcher/

DigitalSpy

Why is Henry Cavill leaving The Witcher after season 3?

"I’m a huge fan of the books and staying loyal to them," reiterated Cavill on The Witcher's YouTube channel. "It’s about making sure that story happens without too much in the way of diversions or side things going on to muddy the waters."

But did the waters start to get a bit too muddy?

Henry himself has actively fought to keep Netflix's The Witcher faithful to the books. While promoting season two, Cavill told Total Film: "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."

That's really commendable and also reassuring for fans to hear, but on the flip side of that, why did Henry have to push "really, really hard" for this kind of accuracy in the first place?

During our own exclusive chat for Digital Spy, Cavill told us "it was such a shame" that "a lovely bit" from 'Blood of Elves' had been left out of season two, so he took a key quote from that story and improvised it in Roach's death scene instead.

Not only does this serve as a strong reminder of Henry's reverence for the material, but it also reminds us yet again that his vision for the show wasn't exactly aligned with what ended up on screen.

That in of itself is not necessarily a bad thing. Writers and actors aren't always going to agree, and sometimes, the writers room might have a wider vision that even someone as involved as Cavill might not be privy to at first.

However, when you also factor in the multiple changes this show has already made to Sapkowski's books — think the season two ending, for example — it's likely that Cavill wasn't happy with Geralt's direction overall, regardless of whether DeMayo's claims [suggest that some of The Witcher team might not respect the source material] are true or not.

https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a41818071/witcher-henry-cavill-quit-explained/

RI

Henry Cavill’s Departure from The Witcher Originated in Season 2

Back in Summer 2021, when The Witcher Season 2 was in post-production and Season 3 hadn’t been renewed yet, we heard from a source that recasting Geralt was a growing possibility at Netflix. The reason for that was that Henry Cavill was considering leaving the series after Season 2 because he and the producers “weren’t seeing eye to eye” regarding content and Geralt’s role in the The Witcher.

At the time we believed Henry wasn’t 100% serious about it and would not really go through with leaving the series since he fought so hard to get that role. So instead of reporting on it, we chose to sit on this information and see where it goes.

And indeed, our beliefs were solidified when Season 3 was officially confirmed in September 2021 and a little later, in November, a report from The Hollywood Reporter appeared saying Cavill had “just renewed” his contract and would be getting $1 Million per episode for Season 3 as opposed to $400K, his earlier The Witcher salary.

After that chronologically came The Witcher Season 2 promo tour. Cavill made it very well known during that tour that he had been pushing for a more book-accurate Geralt as he kept saying a variation of that in almost every interview he gave.

Knowing about him considering leaving the series just a few months earlier, made the impression that while Henry was returning for Season 3, his frustrations weren’t completely gone since he made that a constant talking point during that time. Here’s just one example:

“The toughest part for me was finding that balance between the showrunners’ vision and my love for the books, and trying to bring that Geralt to the showrunners’ vision. It’s about treading a fine line there. It’s the showrunners’ story and so it’s an adaptation. The tricky bit for me was finding Geralt from the books’ place within that and being able to serve both as much as I could.

The things that I pushed for, it was not necessarily just more dialogue. It was bringing a more book-accurate Geralt to the screen. […] All of my asks and requests were along the lines of just being faithful to the source material.”

Nevertheless, we believed that whatever issues Henry had, Netflix solved it with the renewal of his contract. the matter was closed, Henry Cavill made peace with his role and would still be Geralt of Rivia until the end of the series.

Now, however, Deadline reported that “Cavill had made a short-term deal for The Witcher and felt it was time to move on after three seasons on the show”.

With the context of the previous report about his “new deal”, it looks like Cavill agreed to stay at least for one more season after Season 2 and chose not to renew his contract for further seasons when the time came this year.

Meanwhile, the Superman opportunity appeared again. Dwayne Johnson claimed that he and his manager Dany Garcia, who is also the manager for Cavill, have been trying to get Henry Cavill’s Superman back in the DCEU for six years, but were constantly rejected by the old Warner Bros management, while under the new management they finally succeeded in the recent months.

One recent report by The Hollywood Reporter says that a new Superman film is in very early development without any writers or directors attached.

On the other hand, writing for The Witcher Season 4 had just started and filming could get underway in the second half of 2023.

A schedule conflict between Superman and The Witcher isn’t impossible, but Cavill himself said in a 2019 interview that he could manage both, when asked that question:

“You’ve got to keep in mind that regardless of what movies I’ll be doing over the next few years, you can fit two projects into one year.”

In the same round-table, he expressed his desire and hope to reprise the role of Superman and said he had still much to give to the character.

All in all, the various pieces create a picture, as incomplete as it might be.

Henry Cavill was at first very enthusiastic to play Geralt and was willing to make efforts to combine both Superman and The Witcher in his schedule. Even before he landed the role of Geralt, according to Dwayne Johnson, his return as Superman was already being pushed behind the scenes, albeit unsuccessfully.

Then in 2020 and 2021, Cavill was working on Season 2 of The Witcher and was constantly having disagreements with the producers over the work he was doing. After Season 2 wrapped, he seriously considered leaving The Witcher, but was offered more money and decided to stay for at least one more season.

Even then, during an interview, he said he was “absolutely” committed to seeing all of the seasons of The Witcher through, but “as long as we can keep telling great stories which honor Sapkowski’s work”. With the current news, it appears that this was less of a wish and more of a condition.

During the filming for The Witcher Season 3, we did notice that some within the Witcher production started following Liam Hemsworth on social media. Naturally, we didn’t think anything of it, but now it appears that the new Geralt auditions may have taken place while Season 3 was still in production.

By the time Season 3 was in its final stages of production, major changes were happening to Warner Bros and DC with the new bosses being open to having Henry Cavill as Superman again. As a result, during that time Cavill filmed his Black Adam cameo.

In the end, it appears that Henry Cavill’s heart was no longer in the Netflix’s iteration of The Witcher for a considerable amount of time and he has slowly been making up his mind ever since Season 2 finished production, before all those Warner Bros and DC changes.

His return as Superman had a perfect timing this year and may likely have been that one final push towards not renewing his contract for Season 4 of The Witcher.

Cavill may have had a commentary about this situation a few days ago in his interview with Josh Horowitz.

“It’s just about belief. If you believe what you’re doing then you’ll be able to keep on doing it. It’s also important to know that if you realize you’re doing the wrong thing, that’s when you stop doing the wrong thing. You don’t just keep on going just because. Because that leads down a dark path.”

Cavill doesn’t name The Witcher at this point, as his departure was a secret at the time, but one can easily assume that this was his philosophy when deciding to quit the series.

https://redanianintelligence.com/2022/11/01/henry-cavills-departure-from-witcher-originated-in-s2/

Eurogamer

Geralt voice actor sad about Henry Cavill leaving The Witcher Netflix show

"Well I think it's really sad," Doug Cockle told me during the latest episode of my podcast One-to-One, available everywhere now (look for "Eurogamer Podcasts").

"And there's a lot of people speculating on the reasons why he's decided to leave, but whatever the reason is, I think it is sad, because Henry, he did a fabulous job as Geralt of Rivia."

The pair met when Cavill invited Cockle to see the premiere of The Witcher Netflix series in London, Cockle said. It was where Cockle first saw what Cavill had done with the role he knew so well. They apparently spoke for a long time afterwards about it. "We spent a good, I don't know, an hour or two, chatting about the Witcher world and being Geralt of Rivia," he said.

When I asked if he remembered what they talked about, he smiled. "You know, Rob," he said, "I have a little memory of our conversation. I remember bits and snatches of conversation, but I think I was quite nervous! And I'd had a beer and it was one of those evenings where I felt a bit like a fish out of water, because it was at the premiere afterparty, and the vast majority of the people there were people involved in the production so they knew each other.

"And it was lovely to be there," he said, "absolutely lovely to be there and to celebrate, especially having seen what they produced, but my conversation with Henry was in the context of me feeling a little bit out of place for obvious reasons. And it not being about me. So it wasn't like we were on our own in a cafe sipping coffee, it was a very charged environment."

But Cockle did remember them having similar ideas about Geralt as a character. "I do remember we talked about Superman, we talked about Geralt and The Witcher. We had some similar thoughts about Geralt if I remember correctly," he said. "He felt the same way I do about him not being an emotionless being, and I think we can see that in his performance.

https://www.eurogamer.net/geralt-voice-actor-sad-about-henry-cavill-leaving-the-witcher-netflix-show

Thanks to LSH’s dumbarse, we know now that SM is not the reason HC left TW. Why can’t these so-called adults stay quiet?

TechRadar: The Witcher showrunner 'fully understands' fan concerns over Henry Cavill's departure
"It's a big deal for us, too," Hissrich admitted when TechRadar mentioned how fans had negatively responded to Cavill's impending depature. "And that's the thing – there's a lot of talk and rumors about and we fully understand why fans are going there.
"What I will say is please come back for The Witcher season three so that we can continue to do this. Obviously, that [Cavill's departure] is huge news. But what I don't want to do is – this has to stay about Blood Origin, Declan [de Barra, Blood Origin's showrunner], the cast, and the crew. This is their time in the spotlight."

If HC left because of SM, LSH could/would have said so. There is absolutely no need to beat around the bush. It’s not TW’s fault. Fans would have no reason to blame and boycott the show. To keep it amicable and/or professional (nobody wants drama to overshadow things), she could add that she understands his choice and wishes him the best of luck and success. Maybe joke that the TW team can’t wait to see him in the SM blue tights.

Now, LSH used lots of words to say something without saying anything. The fact that she waited so long to say anything is very telling too. But if you’re not going to tell the truth, don’t say anything at all. Just say it should stay about Blood Origin. Let everybody speculate. Now, everybody knows it wasn’t SM or anything simple or HC's fault. Blood Origin will suffer because LSH couldn't stay quiet.

@Sue-Yin said:

@Triksy said:

@AnnaB said:

@Triksy said:

@Triksy said:

HC

Some news to share from The Continent…

My journey as Geralt of Rivia has been filled with both monsters and adventures, and alas, I will be laying down my medallion and my swords for Season 4. In my stead, the fantastic Mr Liam Hemsworth will be taking up the mantle of the White Wolf. As with the greatest of literary characters, I pass the torch with reverence for the time spent embodying Geralt and enthusiasm to see Liam's take on this most fascinating and nuanced of men.

Liam, good sir, this character has such a wonderful depth to him, enjoy diving in and seeing what you can find.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CkTv9FyPnNz/

IGN

Netflix's The Witcher: Former Producer Claims Some Writers 'Actively Disliked the Books and Games'

"I've been on show - namely Witcher - where some of the writers were not or actively disliked the books and games (even actively mocking the source material)," DeMayo explained. "It's a recipe for disaster and bad morale. Fandom as a litmus test checks egos, and makes all the long nights worth it. You have to respect the work before you're allowed to add to its legacy."

DeMayo served as a co-producer on two episodes of The Witcher's first season and penned another story in the eight-episode block before returning as a writer on the second episode of Season 2. He didn't mention any names and with several changes on the writing team each season, it's unclear who he is taking aim at and whether those people remain on board.

https://www.ign.com/articles/netflix-the-witcher-some-writers-actively-disliked-books-games-claims-former-producer

THR – Nov 10, 2021

He also has The Witcher season three (which will add more of Cavill’s dry wit, Hissrich says), and the actor remains committed to supporting Hissrich’s vision to keep The Witcher going for at least seven seasons. “Absolutely,” Cavill says. “As long as we can keep telling great stories which honor [author Andrzej] Sapkowski’s work.”

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/feature/henry-cavill-interview-witcher-superman-1235044553/

HardWareZone – Dec 7, 2021

Stepping into the shoes of Geralt again for Season 2, what has changed about how you prepare for the role compared to Season 1?
Henry Cavill: As far as the preparation goes, coming into this, I wanted the character to have a closer relationship to the character in the books, I wanted him to be more book accurate. And so it was more to do with making sure and campaigning for him to sound more intellectual, more philosophical, and to have an emotional side as well, rather than just be a grumpy snowman. Every day I was pushing this stuff as far as prep goes.

The Witcher has already been renewed for a third season, so what are you looking forward to in Geralt’s future?
Henry Cavill: My hope for The Witcher is always the same. I absolutely love the books, and speaking for myself, would love to see a book Geralt represented as accurately as possible onscreen. For me, that’s the thing I'm most keen on seeing, is really really drawing from Sapkowski’s extraordinary work and bringing that nuance and three-dimensional character into the show.

https://www.hardwarezone.com.sg/feature-netflix-witcher-season-2-cast-interview-henry-cavill-wants-talk-more

Forbes

Why Is Henry Cavill Leaving ‘The Witcher?’

Along with the rest of The Witcher fandom, I’ve been mulling over what could possibly cause Cavill to walk away from a dream project like this. The obvious answer, of course, is that he’s returning to the DCU as the Man of Steel. Superman is a big deal, a time-consuming project and one that likely pays better than The Witcher.

The timeline is a bit murky here, but Cavill’s cameo in the mid-credits scene of Black Adam was only filmed a month ago. The Rock’s part of the scene was shot first and they edited it together in the hopes that Warner Bros would approve Cavill’s return, which only happened when The Rock went behind then-DCEU chief Walter Hamada’s back. We can assume that this all came together within the last six to eight weeks.

So when did Cavill decide to leave The Witcher? That’s a big question that we may never know the answer to. We can only make an educated guess. His departure came alongside news that Geralt had already been recast as Liam Hemsworth. We can safely assume that there was some period between Cavill telling Netflix he was stepping down and the decision to carry on with the series and recast Geralt. We can also safely assume that the casting took some time—I doubt they had Hemsworth in their back pocket at this point. If they did, then Cavill’s decision to leave was known even earlier.

All of this suggests—though doesn’t prove—that Cavill was planning to leave the role prior to getting the greenlight on Superman. Granted, the British actor has been hoping to return to the role for some time now, but it seems likely he was at least one foot out The Witcher door when the Superman news came down.

This suggests to me that Cavill was already dissatisfied with the direction of the show before he was confirmed as Superman and had likely already put in notice before being given the go-ahead at Warner Bros/DC.

Cavill is a huge fan of The Witcher books and video games, and as the show drifted further and further away from the source material, there were murmurings that Cavill was unhappy.

Had Netflix put people in charge of the show who were as passionate and knowledgeable about the show as Henry Cavill, he might not be leaving the role. I […] I’m willing to bet that Superman himself would not have been strong enough to pull Cavill away. This was a passion project and one he’d earned a lot of brownie points for from fans.

Sure, Superman will take a lot of time, but actors find ways to work around busy schedules and multiple projects all the time. Walking away from The Witcher is a big deal, and I just don’t think he would have left had the show been closer to his own vision of what a Witcher adaptation should be. In other words, I think it’s both Superman and his dissatisfaction with the show’s creators that led to this point. What a terrible shame.

The lesson here for Hollywood is the same as the disastrous first season of The Rings Of Power: Hire people who want to make adaptations that are as true as possible to the source material. Hire fans. Hire people who have a deeper commitment to crafting an honest adaptation than to political messaging or “modern audiences.” It may be a risk, but try making these shows for the fans who have been here this whole time. New audiences will find their way to the work.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2022/10/31/why-is-henry-cavill-leaving-the-witcher/

Deadline: According to sources, Cavill had made a short-term deal for The Witcher and felt it was time to move on after three seasons on the show, which films overseas and has a demanding production schedule. He already has film and TV projects lined up, including the just announced The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare, in addition to the Superman return. Cavill’s Witcher co-stars renegotiated their contracts heading into Season 4, sources said.

DigitalSpy

Why is Henry Cavill leaving The Witcher after season 3?

"I’m a huge fan of the books and staying loyal to them," reiterated Cavill on The Witcher's YouTube channel. "It’s about making sure that story happens without too much in the way of diversions or side things going on to muddy the waters."

But did the waters start to get a bit too muddy?

Henry himself has actively fought to keep Netflix's The Witcher faithful to the books. While promoting season two, Cavill told Total Film: "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."

That's really commendable and also reassuring for fans to hear, but on the flip side of that, why did Henry have to push "really, really hard" for this kind of accuracy in the first place?

During our own exclusive chat for Digital Spy, Cavill told us "it was such a shame" that "a lovely bit" from 'Blood of Elves' had been left out of season two, so he took a key quote from that story and improvised it in Roach's death scene instead.

Not only does this serve as a strong reminder of Henry's reverence for the material, but it also reminds us yet again that his vision for the show wasn't exactly aligned with what ended up on screen.

That in of itself is not necessarily a bad thing. Writers and actors aren't always going to agree, and sometimes, the writers room might have a wider vision that even someone as involved as Cavill might not be privy to at first.

However, when you also factor in the multiple changes this show has already made to Sapkowski's books — think the season two ending, for example — it's likely that Cavill wasn't happy with Geralt's direction overall, regardless of whether DeMayo's claims [suggest that some of The Witcher team might not respect the source material] are true or not.

https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a41818071/witcher-henry-cavill-quit-explained/

RI

Henry Cavill’s Departure from The Witcher Originated in Season 2

Back in Summer 2021, when The Witcher Season 2 was in post-production and Season 3 hadn’t been renewed yet, we heard from a source that recasting Geralt was a growing possibility at Netflix. The reason for that was that Henry Cavill was considering leaving the series after Season 2 because he and the producers “weren’t seeing eye to eye” regarding content and Geralt’s role in the The Witcher.

At the time we believed Henry wasn’t 100% serious about it and would not really go through with leaving the series since he fought so hard to get that role. So instead of reporting on it, we chose to sit on this information and see where it goes.

And indeed, our beliefs were solidified when Season 3 was officially confirmed in September 2021 and a little later, in November, a report from The Hollywood Reporter appeared saying Cavill had “just renewed” his contract and would be getting $1 Million per episode for Season 3 as opposed to $400K, his earlier The Witcher salary.

After that chronologically came The Witcher Season 2 promo tour. Cavill made it very well known during that tour that he had been pushing for a more book-accurate Geralt as he kept saying a variation of that in almost every interview he gave.

Knowing about him considering leaving the series just a few months earlier, made the impression that while Henry was returning for Season 3, his frustrations weren’t completely gone since he made that a constant talking point during that time. Here’s just one example:

“The toughest part for me was finding that balance between the showrunners’ vision and my love for the books, and trying to bring that Geralt to the showrunners’ vision. It’s about treading a fine line there. It’s the showrunners’ story and so it’s an adaptation. The tricky bit for me was finding Geralt from the books’ place within that and being able to serve both as much as I could.

The things that I pushed for, it was not necessarily just more dialogue. It was bringing a more book-accurate Geralt to the screen. […] All of my asks and requests were along the lines of just being faithful to the source material.”

Nevertheless, we believed that whatever issues Henry had, Netflix solved it with the renewal of his contract. the matter was closed, Henry Cavill made peace with his role and would still be Geralt of Rivia until the end of the series.

Now, however, Deadline reported that “Cavill had made a short-term deal for The Witcher and felt it was time to move on after three seasons on the show”.

With the context of the previous report about his “new deal”, it looks like Cavill agreed to stay at least for one more season after Season 2 and chose not to renew his contract for further seasons when the time came this year.

Meanwhile, the Superman opportunity appeared again. Dwayne Johnson claimed that he and his manager Dany Garcia, who is also the manager for Cavill, have been trying to get Henry Cavill’s Superman back in the DCEU for six years, but were constantly rejected by the old Warner Bros management, while under the new management they finally succeeded in the recent months.

One recent report by The Hollywood Reporter says that a new Superman film is in very early development without any writers or directors attached.

On the other hand, writing for The Witcher Season 4 had just started and filming could get underway in the second half of 2023.

A schedule conflict between Superman and The Witcher isn’t impossible, but Cavill himself said in a 2019 interview that he could manage both, when asked that question:

“You’ve got to keep in mind that regardless of what movies I’ll be doing over the next few years, you can fit two projects into one year.”

In the same round-table, he expressed his desire and hope to reprise the role of Superman and said he had still much to give to the character.

All in all, the various pieces create a picture, as incomplete as it might be.

Henry Cavill was at first very enthusiastic to play Geralt and was willing to make efforts to combine both Superman and The Witcher in his schedule. Even before he landed the role of Geralt, according to Dwayne Johnson, his return as Superman was already being pushed behind the scenes, albeit unsuccessfully.

Then in 2020 and 2021, Cavill was working on Season 2 of The Witcher and was constantly having disagreements with the producers over the work he was doing. After Season 2 wrapped, he seriously considered leaving The Witcher, but was offered more money and decided to stay for at least one more season.

Even then, during an interview, he said he was “absolutely” committed to seeing all of the seasons of The Witcher through, but “as long as we can keep telling great stories which honor Sapkowski’s work”. With the current news, it appears that this was less of a wish and more of a condition.

During the filming for The Witcher Season 3, we did notice that some within the Witcher production started following Liam Hemsworth on social media. Naturally, we didn’t think anything of it, but now it appears that the new Geralt auditions may have taken place while Season 3 was still in production.

By the time Season 3 was in its final stages of production, major changes were happening to Warner Bros and DC with the new bosses being open to having Henry Cavill as Superman again. As a result, during that time Cavill filmed his Black Adam cameo.

In the end, it appears that Henry Cavill’s heart was no longer in the Netflix’s iteration of The Witcher for a considerable amount of time and he has slowly been making up his mind ever since Season 2 finished production, before all those Warner Bros and DC changes.

His return as Superman had a perfect timing this year and may likely have been that one final push towards not renewing his contract for Season 4 of The Witcher.

Cavill may have had a commentary about this situation a few days ago in his interview with Josh Horowitz.

“It’s just about belief. If you believe what you’re doing then you’ll be able to keep on doing it. It’s also important to know that if you realize you’re doing the wrong thing, that’s when you stop doing the wrong thing. You don’t just keep on going just because. Because that leads down a dark path.”

Cavill doesn’t name The Witcher at this point, as his departure was a secret at the time, but one can easily assume that this was his philosophy when deciding to quit the series.

https://redanianintelligence.com/2022/11/01/henry-cavills-departure-from-witcher-originated-in-s2/

Eurogamer

Geralt voice actor sad about Henry Cavill leaving The Witcher Netflix show

"Well I think it's really sad," Doug Cockle told me during the latest episode of my podcast One-to-One, available everywhere now (look for "Eurogamer Podcasts").

"And there's a lot of people speculating on the reasons why he's decided to leave, but whatever the reason is, I think it is sad, because Henry, he did a fabulous job as Geralt of Rivia."

The pair met when Cavill invited Cockle to see the premiere of The Witcher Netflix series in London, Cockle said. It was where Cockle first saw what Cavill had done with the role he knew so well. They apparently spoke for a long time afterwards about it. "We spent a good, I don't know, an hour or two, chatting about the Witcher world and being Geralt of Rivia," he said.

When I asked if he remembered what they talked about, he smiled. "You know, Rob," he said, "I have a little memory of our conversation. I remember bits and snatches of conversation, but I think I was quite nervous! And I'd had a beer and it was one of those evenings where I felt a bit like a fish out of water, because it was at the premiere afterparty, and the vast majority of the people there were people involved in the production so they knew each other.

"And it was lovely to be there," he said, "absolutely lovely to be there and to celebrate, especially having seen what they produced, but my conversation with Henry was in the context of me feeling a little bit out of place for obvious reasons. And it not being about me. So it wasn't like we were on our own in a cafe sipping coffee, it was a very charged environment."

But Cockle did remember them having similar ideas about Geralt as a character. "I do remember we talked about Superman, we talked about Geralt and The Witcher. We had some similar thoughts about Geralt if I remember correctly," he said. "He felt the same way I do about him not being an emotionless being, and I think we can see that in his performance.

https://www.eurogamer.net/geralt-voice-actor-sad-about-henry-cavill-leaving-the-witcher-netflix-show

Thanks to LSH’s dumbarse, we know now that SM is not the reason HC left TW. Why can’t these so-called adults stay quiet?

TechRadar: The Witcher showrunner 'fully understands' fan concerns over Henry Cavill's departure
"It's a big deal for us, too," Hissrich admitted when TechRadar mentioned how fans had negatively responded to Cavill's impending depature. "And that's the thing – there's a lot of talk and rumors about and we fully understand why fans are going there.
"What I will say is please come back for The Witcher season three so that we can continue to do this. Obviously, that [Cavill's departure] is huge news. But what I don't want to do is – this has to stay about Blood Origin, Declan [de Barra, Blood Origin's showrunner], the cast, and the crew. This is their time in the spotlight."

If HC left because of SM, LSH could/would have said so. There is absolutely no need to beat around the bush. It’s not TW’s fault. Fans would have no reason to blame and boycott the show. To keep it amicable and/or professional (nobody wants drama to overshadow things), she could add that she understands his choice and wishes him the best of luck and success. Maybe joke that the TW team can’t wait to see him in the SM blue tights.

Now, LSH used lots of words to say something without saying anything. The fact that she waited so long to say anything is very telling too. But if you’re not going to tell the truth, don’t say anything at all. Just say it should stay about Blood Origin. Let everybody speculate. Now, everybody knows it wasn’t SM or anything simple or HC's fault. Blood Origin will suffer because LSH couldn't stay quiet.

Again, LSH couldn’t stay quiet. It’s also not the first time that she uses a lot of words to say something without saying anything.

Redanian Intelligence: What was the story behind Alik Sakharov's departure? Did his vision of the episodes not fit somehow into the overall intended style of the show?

LSH: Alik was an amazing partner and is an amazing friend, without whom this show never would have been the success it is. We made the decision mutually -- and privately -- based on the episodes we did together. To this day, the vision of the show definitely owes much to him.

LSH doesn’t say why Alik Sakharo left. She says it’s private, so that she doesn’t have to tell the truth. If it was private, then Alik didn’t get the memo.

Redanian Intelligence – Oct 2, 2020

Director Alik Sakharov explains why he left The Witcher

First, to quickly recap what happened for those who don’t know: Alik Sakharov was supposed to direct episodes 1, 2, 7 and 8, but ended up doing only the second episode in full. Marc Jobst reshot the entire Blaviken storyline for the first episode and took over the last two. Moreover, Emma Appleton and Packy Lee replaced Millie Brady and Shane Attwooll as Renfri and Nohorn respectively.

Alik himself hadn’t really talked about his work in The Witcher before, but he was finally asked about it in his recent inteview with Forbes Russia. Here’s what he had to say:

Forbes: “I’ll be honest, I was blown away by your work inThe Witcher.”

Alik: “Really? It’s the opposite for me. I judge my work quite critically there.”

Forbes: “Why?”

Alik: “You see, in my perception, Eastern-European literature has a completely different pace. It is no coincidence that Andrzej Sapkowski has so many storylines and characters. The producers set the task of setting the adaptation at an action pace and filling it with colorful special effects. That was their vision. My vision was very different and I tried to convey it to them, giving my arguments. Unfortunately, I was not considered convincing enough, so I decided to leave the project.”

Forbes: “Sorry to hear that. During my interview with Henry Cavill, he said you were one of the few directors who has the right approach to actors. You explain things softly, but very clearly.”

Alik: “Glad to hear it. By the way, Henry Cavill is the best thing in The Witcher, in my opinion. He absolutely nailed the role. Moreover, he is a very flexible actor who is able to listen and learn. I sincerely hope that he has many interesting and good projects ahead.”

This sounds like a classic Hollywod story about creative differences that we’ve heard about countless times, but it would be interesting to see “The Sakharov Cut” one day. 

Again, LSH uses a lot of words to say something without saying anything. This time, she implies that HC left due to many reasons and that’s why she can never or will never get into exactly why he left. She’s just hiding behind reasons, so that she doesn’t have to tell the truth. All the reasons can’t be main reasons. That would be really bad, if it was all TW’s fault.

NME: Did Cavill, a book devotee, put his foot down and demand no more changes to the source material? Or was it a simple schedule clash with his proposed (and since cancelled) return as Superman? Naturally, we ask Hissrich.
“We’re going to try and talk about that next year,” comes the firm reply, not from Hissrich, but a strategically placed publicist sitting in on the call. They seem to have expected the question.
“That’s exactly what I was going to say!” chips in Hissrich. “I do have a lot to say and I think that there’s a lot of, you know… we’ll obviously never get into exactly why Henry left, all of the reasons, but I can say it’s been a mutually respectful relationship… So please, please, please come back in six months when we can talk.”

The PR person was there to keep LSH from talking, but she rambled on and made things worse. Again, she confirms that it’s not HC’s fault. There’s absolutely no reason to beat around the bush, if it was scheduling conflict (SM, TMOUW, Highlander, TRP) or if he simply left to pursue other stuff (W40k Cinematic Universe aka WCU). All the reasons that HC had to leave, had in all likelihood to do with TW. Work environment/conditions? G’s storyline? The whole season’s story?

Many want to know why HC left. If you can’t tell them that, why should they care about what you have to say?

And three more things.

One, to those busy with the smear campaign against HC, you should have let LSH know what you’re planning. By saying that her relationship with HC it’s been a mutually respectful relationship, she debunked your claims that HC constantly did things to disrespect her authority as showrunner on set. Maybe it’s good that she rambled on. Now, people can’t say that she’s behind the smear campaign. Heck, maybe she ignored the PR person on purpose to clear herself, because she knew that there were plans to do a smear campaign.

Two, if the smear campaign is meant to make the audience dislike HC and watch the show, you dumbarses are doing a horrible job. Book geeks want the show to be close to the books. Game geeks want the show to respect the lore. So far, the show has disappointed both groups. By painting HC as a crazy book/lore purist on set, you’re making the book and game geeks love him even more. He wouldn’t have to do that, if the show respected the source material.

Three, maybe NX isn’t behind the smear campaign. HC fans, who don’t care about who he dates, have seen this kind of crap many times. A few women on boards like Tumblre, WDW etc. really don’t like his gf (or any of his gf’s) and keep making stuff up. They run hate IG pages or send fake stories to gossip pages hungry for clicks. They like to ask YouTubers, TikTokers or bloggers they know to post so-called blind items, do readings or say a reliable source send them a certain info.

@Sue-Yin said:

@Sue-Yin said:

@Triksy said:

@AnnaB said:

@Triksy said:

@Triksy said:

HC

Some news to share from The Continent…

My journey as Geralt of Rivia has been filled with both monsters and adventures, and alas, I will be laying down my medallion and my swords for Season 4. In my stead, the fantastic Mr Liam Hemsworth will be taking up the mantle of the White Wolf. As with the greatest of literary characters, I pass the torch with reverence for the time spent embodying Geralt and enthusiasm to see Liam's take on this most fascinating and nuanced of men.

Liam, good sir, this character has such a wonderful depth to him, enjoy diving in and seeing what you can find.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CkTv9FyPnNz/

IGN

Netflix's The Witcher: Former Producer Claims Some Writers 'Actively Disliked the Books and Games'

"I've been on show - namely Witcher - where some of the writers were not or actively disliked the books and games (even actively mocking the source material)," DeMayo explained. "It's a recipe for disaster and bad morale. Fandom as a litmus test checks egos, and makes all the long nights worth it. You have to respect the work before you're allowed to add to its legacy."

DeMayo served as a co-producer on two episodes of The Witcher's first season and penned another story in the eight-episode block before returning as a writer on the second episode of Season 2. He didn't mention any names and with several changes on the writing team each season, it's unclear who he is taking aim at and whether those people remain on board.

https://www.ign.com/articles/netflix-the-witcher-some-writers-actively-disliked-books-games-claims-former-producer

THR – Nov 10, 2021

He also has The Witcher season three (which will add more of Cavill’s dry wit, Hissrich says), and the actor remains committed to supporting Hissrich’s vision to keep The Witcher going for at least seven seasons. “Absolutely,” Cavill says. “As long as we can keep telling great stories which honor [author Andrzej] Sapkowski’s work.”

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/feature/henry-cavill-interview-witcher-superman-1235044553/

HardWareZone – Dec 7, 2021

Stepping into the shoes of Geralt again for Season 2, what has changed about how you prepare for the role compared to Season 1?
Henry Cavill: As far as the preparation goes, coming into this, I wanted the character to have a closer relationship to the character in the books, I wanted him to be more book accurate. And so it was more to do with making sure and campaigning for him to sound more intellectual, more philosophical, and to have an emotional side as well, rather than just be a grumpy snowman. Every day I was pushing this stuff as far as prep goes.

The Witcher has already been renewed for a third season, so what are you looking forward to in Geralt’s future?
Henry Cavill: My hope for The Witcher is always the same. I absolutely love the books, and speaking for myself, would love to see a book Geralt represented as accurately as possible onscreen. For me, that’s the thing I'm most keen on seeing, is really really drawing from Sapkowski’s extraordinary work and bringing that nuance and three-dimensional character into the show.

https://www.hardwarezone.com.sg/feature-netflix-witcher-season-2-cast-interview-henry-cavill-wants-talk-more

Forbes

Why Is Henry Cavill Leaving ‘The Witcher?’

Along with the rest of The Witcher fandom, I’ve been mulling over what could possibly cause Cavill to walk away from a dream project like this. The obvious answer, of course, is that he’s returning to the DCU as the Man of Steel. Superman is a big deal, a time-consuming project and one that likely pays better than The Witcher.

The timeline is a bit murky here, but Cavill’s cameo in the mid-credits scene of Black Adam was only filmed a month ago. The Rock’s part of the scene was shot first and they edited it together in the hopes that Warner Bros would approve Cavill’s return, which only happened when The Rock went behind then-DCEU chief Walter Hamada’s back. We can assume that this all came together within the last six to eight weeks.

So when did Cavill decide to leave The Witcher? That’s a big question that we may never know the answer to. We can only make an educated guess. His departure came alongside news that Geralt had already been recast as Liam Hemsworth. We can safely assume that there was some period between Cavill telling Netflix he was stepping down and the decision to carry on with the series and recast Geralt. We can also safely assume that the casting took some time—I doubt they had Hemsworth in their back pocket at this point. If they did, then Cavill’s decision to leave was known even earlier.

All of this suggests—though doesn’t prove—that Cavill was planning to leave the role prior to getting the greenlight on Superman. Granted, the British actor has been hoping to return to the role for some time now, but it seems likely he was at least one foot out The Witcher door when the Superman news came down.

This suggests to me that Cavill was already dissatisfied with the direction of the show before he was confirmed as Superman and had likely already put in notice before being given the go-ahead at Warner Bros/DC.

Cavill is a huge fan of The Witcher books and video games, and as the show drifted further and further away from the source material, there were murmurings that Cavill was unhappy.

Had Netflix put people in charge of the show who were as passionate and knowledgeable about the show as Henry Cavill, he might not be leaving the role. I […] I’m willing to bet that Superman himself would not have been strong enough to pull Cavill away. This was a passion project and one he’d earned a lot of brownie points for from fans.

Sure, Superman will take a lot of time, but actors find ways to work around busy schedules and multiple projects all the time. Walking away from The Witcher is a big deal, and I just don’t think he would have left had the show been closer to his own vision of what a Witcher adaptation should be. In other words, I think it’s both Superman and his dissatisfaction with the show’s creators that led to this point. What a terrible shame.

The lesson here for Hollywood is the same as the disastrous first season of The Rings Of Power: Hire people who want to make adaptations that are as true as possible to the source material. Hire fans. Hire people who have a deeper commitment to crafting an honest adaptation than to political messaging or “modern audiences.” It may be a risk, but try making these shows for the fans who have been here this whole time. New audiences will find their way to the work.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2022/10/31/why-is-henry-cavill-leaving-the-witcher/

Deadline: According to sources, Cavill had made a short-term deal for The Witcher and felt it was time to move on after three seasons on the show, which films overseas and has a demanding production schedule. He already has film and TV projects lined up, including the just announced The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare, in addition to the Superman return. Cavill’s Witcher co-stars renegotiated their contracts heading into Season 4, sources said.

DigitalSpy

Why is Henry Cavill leaving The Witcher after season 3?

"I’m a huge fan of the books and staying loyal to them," reiterated Cavill on The Witcher's YouTube channel. "It’s about making sure that story happens without too much in the way of diversions or side things going on to muddy the waters."

But did the waters start to get a bit too muddy?

Henry himself has actively fought to keep Netflix's The Witcher faithful to the books. While promoting season two, Cavill told Total Film: "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."

That's really commendable and also reassuring for fans to hear, but on the flip side of that, why did Henry have to push "really, really hard" for this kind of accuracy in the first place?

During our own exclusive chat for Digital Spy, Cavill told us "it was such a shame" that "a lovely bit" from 'Blood of Elves' had been left out of season two, so he took a key quote from that story and improvised it in Roach's death scene instead.

Not only does this serve as a strong reminder of Henry's reverence for the material, but it also reminds us yet again that his vision for the show wasn't exactly aligned with what ended up on screen.

That in of itself is not necessarily a bad thing. Writers and actors aren't always going to agree, and sometimes, the writers room might have a wider vision that even someone as involved as Cavill might not be privy to at first.

However, when you also factor in the multiple changes this show has already made to Sapkowski's books — think the season two ending, for example — it's likely that Cavill wasn't happy with Geralt's direction overall, regardless of whether DeMayo's claims [suggest that some of The Witcher team might not respect the source material] are true or not.

https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a41818071/witcher-henry-cavill-quit-explained/

RI

Henry Cavill’s Departure from The Witcher Originated in Season 2

Back in Summer 2021, when The Witcher Season 2 was in post-production and Season 3 hadn’t been renewed yet, we heard from a source that recasting Geralt was a growing possibility at Netflix. The reason for that was that Henry Cavill was considering leaving the series after Season 2 because he and the producers “weren’t seeing eye to eye” regarding content and Geralt’s role in the The Witcher.

At the time we believed Henry wasn’t 100% serious about it and would not really go through with leaving the series since he fought so hard to get that role. So instead of reporting on it, we chose to sit on this information and see where it goes.

And indeed, our beliefs were solidified when Season 3 was officially confirmed in September 2021 and a little later, in November, a report from The Hollywood Reporter appeared saying Cavill had “just renewed” his contract and would be getting $1 Million per episode for Season 3 as opposed to $400K, his earlier The Witcher salary.

After that chronologically came The Witcher Season 2 promo tour. Cavill made it very well known during that tour that he had been pushing for a more book-accurate Geralt as he kept saying a variation of that in almost every interview he gave.

Knowing about him considering leaving the series just a few months earlier, made the impression that while Henry was returning for Season 3, his frustrations weren’t completely gone since he made that a constant talking point during that time. Here’s just one example:

“The toughest part for me was finding that balance between the showrunners’ vision and my love for the books, and trying to bring that Geralt to the showrunners’ vision. It’s about treading a fine line there. It’s the showrunners’ story and so it’s an adaptation. The tricky bit for me was finding Geralt from the books’ place within that and being able to serve both as much as I could.

The things that I pushed for, it was not necessarily just more dialogue. It was bringing a more book-accurate Geralt to the screen. […] All of my asks and requests were along the lines of just being faithful to the source material.”

Nevertheless, we believed that whatever issues Henry had, Netflix solved it with the renewal of his contract. the matter was closed, Henry Cavill made peace with his role and would still be Geralt of Rivia until the end of the series.

Now, however, Deadline reported that “Cavill had made a short-term deal for The Witcher and felt it was time to move on after three seasons on the show”.

With the context of the previous report about his “new deal”, it looks like Cavill agreed to stay at least for one more season after Season 2 and chose not to renew his contract for further seasons when the time came this year.

Meanwhile, the Superman opportunity appeared again. Dwayne Johnson claimed that he and his manager Dany Garcia, who is also the manager for Cavill, have been trying to get Henry Cavill’s Superman back in the DCEU for six years, but were constantly rejected by the old Warner Bros management, while under the new management they finally succeeded in the recent months.

One recent report by The Hollywood Reporter says that a new Superman film is in very early development without any writers or directors attached.

On the other hand, writing for The Witcher Season 4 had just started and filming could get underway in the second half of 2023.

A schedule conflict between Superman and The Witcher isn’t impossible, but Cavill himself said in a 2019 interview that he could manage both, when asked that question:

“You’ve got to keep in mind that regardless of what movies I’ll be doing over the next few years, you can fit two projects into one year.”

In the same round-table, he expressed his desire and hope to reprise the role of Superman and said he had still much to give to the character.

All in all, the various pieces create a picture, as incomplete as it might be.

Henry Cavill was at first very enthusiastic to play Geralt and was willing to make efforts to combine both Superman and The Witcher in his schedule. Even before he landed the role of Geralt, according to Dwayne Johnson, his return as Superman was already being pushed behind the scenes, albeit unsuccessfully.

Then in 2020 and 2021, Cavill was working on Season 2 of The Witcher and was constantly having disagreements with the producers over the work he was doing. After Season 2 wrapped, he seriously considered leaving The Witcher, but was offered more money and decided to stay for at least one more season.

Even then, during an interview, he said he was “absolutely” committed to seeing all of the seasons of The Witcher through, but “as long as we can keep telling great stories which honor Sapkowski’s work”. With the current news, it appears that this was less of a wish and more of a condition.

During the filming for The Witcher Season 3, we did notice that some within the Witcher production started following Liam Hemsworth on social media. Naturally, we didn’t think anything of it, but now it appears that the new Geralt auditions may have taken place while Season 3 was still in production.

By the time Season 3 was in its final stages of production, major changes were happening to Warner Bros and DC with the new bosses being open to having Henry Cavill as Superman again. As a result, during that time Cavill filmed his Black Adam cameo.

In the end, it appears that Henry Cavill’s heart was no longer in the Netflix’s iteration of The Witcher for a considerable amount of time and he has slowly been making up his mind ever since Season 2 finished production, before all those Warner Bros and DC changes.

His return as Superman had a perfect timing this year and may likely have been that one final push towards not renewing his contract for Season 4 of The Witcher.

Cavill may have had a commentary about this situation a few days ago in his interview with Josh Horowitz.

“It’s just about belief. If you believe what you’re doing then you’ll be able to keep on doing it. It’s also important to know that if you realize you’re doing the wrong thing, that’s when you stop doing the wrong thing. You don’t just keep on going just because. Because that leads down a dark path.”

Cavill doesn’t name The Witcher at this point, as his departure was a secret at the time, but one can easily assume that this was his philosophy when deciding to quit the series.

https://redanianintelligence.com/2022/11/01/henry-cavills-departure-from-witcher-originated-in-s2/

Eurogamer

Geralt voice actor sad about Henry Cavill leaving The Witcher Netflix show

"Well I think it's really sad," Doug Cockle told me during the latest episode of my podcast One-to-One, available everywhere now (look for "Eurogamer Podcasts").

"And there's a lot of people speculating on the reasons why he's decided to leave, but whatever the reason is, I think it is sad, because Henry, he did a fabulous job as Geralt of Rivia."

The pair met when Cavill invited Cockle to see the premiere of The Witcher Netflix series in London, Cockle said. It was where Cockle first saw what Cavill had done with the role he knew so well. They apparently spoke for a long time afterwards about it. "We spent a good, I don't know, an hour or two, chatting about the Witcher world and being Geralt of Rivia," he said.

When I asked if he remembered what they talked about, he smiled. "You know, Rob," he said, "I have a little memory of our conversation. I remember bits and snatches of conversation, but I think I was quite nervous! And I'd had a beer and it was one of those evenings where I felt a bit like a fish out of water, because it was at the premiere afterparty, and the vast majority of the people there were people involved in the production so they knew each other.

"And it was lovely to be there," he said, "absolutely lovely to be there and to celebrate, especially having seen what they produced, but my conversation with Henry was in the context of me feeling a little bit out of place for obvious reasons. And it not being about me. So it wasn't like we were on our own in a cafe sipping coffee, it was a very charged environment."

But Cockle did remember them having similar ideas about Geralt as a character. "I do remember we talked about Superman, we talked about Geralt and The Witcher. We had some similar thoughts about Geralt if I remember correctly," he said. "He felt the same way I do about him not being an emotionless being, and I think we can see that in his performance.

https://www.eurogamer.net/geralt-voice-actor-sad-about-henry-cavill-leaving-the-witcher-netflix-show

Thanks to LSH’s dumbarse, we know now that SM is not the reason HC left TW. Why can’t these so-called adults stay quiet?

TechRadar: The Witcher showrunner 'fully understands' fan concerns over Henry Cavill's departure
"It's a big deal for us, too," Hissrich admitted when TechRadar mentioned how fans had negatively responded to Cavill's impending depature. "And that's the thing – there's a lot of talk and rumors about and we fully understand why fans are going there.
"What I will say is please come back for The Witcher season three so that we can continue to do this. Obviously, that [Cavill's departure] is huge news. But what I don't want to do is – this has to stay about Blood Origin, Declan [de Barra, Blood Origin's showrunner], the cast, and the crew. This is their time in the spotlight."

If HC left because of SM, LSH could/would have said so. There is absolutely no need to beat around the bush. It’s not TW’s fault. Fans would have no reason to blame and boycott the show. To keep it amicable and/or professional (nobody wants drama to overshadow things), she could add that she understands his choice and wishes him the best of luck and success. Maybe joke that the TW team can’t wait to see him in the SM blue tights.

Now, LSH used lots of words to say something without saying anything. The fact that she waited so long to say anything is very telling too. But if you’re not going to tell the truth, don’t say anything at all. Just say it should stay about Blood Origin. Let everybody speculate. Now, everybody knows it wasn’t SM or anything simple or HC's fault. Blood Origin will suffer because LSH couldn't stay quiet.

Again, LSH couldn’t stay quiet. It’s also not the first time that she uses a lot of words to say something without saying anything.

Redanian Intelligence: What was the story behind Alik Sakharov's departure? Did his vision of the episodes not fit somehow into the overall intended style of the show?

LSH: Alik was an amazing partner and is an amazing friend, without whom this show never would have been the success it is. We made the decision mutually -- and privately -- based on the episodes we did together. To this day, the vision of the show definitely owes much to him.

LSH doesn’t say why Alik Sakharo left. She says it’s private, so that she doesn’t have to tell the truth. If it was private, then Alik didn’t get the memo.

Redanian Intelligence – Oct 2, 2020

Director Alik Sakharov explains why he left The Witcher

First, to quickly recap what happened for those who don’t know: Alik Sakharov was supposed to direct episodes 1, 2, 7 and 8, but ended up doing only the second episode in full. Marc Jobst reshot the entire Blaviken storyline for the first episode and took over the last two. Moreover, Emma Appleton and Packy Lee replaced Millie Brady and Shane Attwooll as Renfri and Nohorn respectively.

Alik himself hadn’t really talked about his work in The Witcher before, but he was finally asked about it in his recent inteview with Forbes Russia. Here’s what he had to say:

Forbes: “I’ll be honest, I was blown away by your work inThe Witcher.”

Alik: “Really? It’s the opposite for me. I judge my work quite critically there.”

Forbes: “Why?”

Alik: “You see, in my perception, Eastern-European literature has a completely different pace. It is no coincidence that Andrzej Sapkowski has so many storylines and characters. The producers set the task of setting the adaptation at an action pace and filling it with colorful special effects. That was their vision. My vision was very different and I tried to convey it to them, giving my arguments. Unfortunately, I was not considered convincing enough, so I decided to leave the project.”

Forbes: “Sorry to hear that. During my interview with Henry Cavill, he said you were one of the few directors who has the right approach to actors. You explain things softly, but very clearly.”

Alik: “Glad to hear it. By the way, Henry Cavill is the best thing in The Witcher, in my opinion. He absolutely nailed the role. Moreover, he is a very flexible actor who is able to listen and learn. I sincerely hope that he has many interesting and good projects ahead.”

This sounds like a classic Hollywod story about creative differences that we’ve heard about countless times, but it would be interesting to see “The Sakharov Cut” one day. 

Again, LSH uses a lot of words to say something without saying anything. This time, she implies that HC left due to many reasons and that’s why she can never or will never get into exactly why he left. She’s just hiding behind reasons, so that she doesn’t have to tell the truth. All the reasons can’t be main reasons. That would be really bad, if it was all TW’s fault.

NME: Did Cavill, a book devotee, put his foot down and demand no more changes to the source material? Or was it a simple schedule clash with his proposed (and since cancelled) return as Superman? Naturally, we ask Hissrich.
“We’re going to try and talk about that next year,” comes the firm reply, not from Hissrich, but a strategically placed publicist sitting in on the call. They seem to have expected the question.
“That’s exactly what I was going to say!” chips in Hissrich. “I do have a lot to say and I think that there’s a lot of, you know… we’ll obviously never get into exactly why Henry left, all of the reasons, but I can say it’s been a mutually respectful relationship… So please, please, please come back in six months when we can talk.”

The PR person was there to keep LSH from talking, but she rambled on and made things worse. Again, she confirms that it’s not HC’s fault. There’s absolutely no reason to beat around the bush, if it was scheduling conflict (SM, TMOUW, Highlander, TRP) or if he simply left to pursue other stuff (W40k Cinematic Universe aka WCU). All the reasons that HC had to leave, had in all likelihood to do with TW. Work environment/conditions? G’s storyline? The whole season’s story?

Many want to know why HC left. If you can’t tell them that, why should they care about what you have to say?

And three more things.

One, to those busy with the smear campaign against HC, you should have let LSH know what you’re planning. By saying that her relationship with HC it’s been a mutually respectful relationship, she debunked your claims that HC constantly did things to disrespect her authority as showrunner on set. Maybe it’s good that she rambled on. Now, people can’t say that she’s behind the smear campaign. Heck, maybe she ignored the PR person on purpose to clear herself, because she knew that there were plans to do a smear campaign.

Two, if the smear campaign is meant to make the audience dislike HC and watch the show, you dumbarses are doing a horrible job. Book geeks want the show to be close to the books. Game geeks want the show to respect the lore. So far, the show has disappointed both groups. By painting HC as a crazy book/lore purist on set, you’re making the book and game geeks love him even more. He wouldn’t have to do that, if the show respected the source material.

Three, maybe NX isn’t behind the smear campaign. HC fans, who don’t care about who he dates, have seen this kind of crap many times. A few women on boards like Tumblre, WDW etc. really don’t like his gf (or any of his gf’s) and keep making stuff up. They run hate IG pages or send fake stories to gossip pages hungry for clicks. They like to ask YouTubers, TikTokers or bloggers they know to post so-called blind items, do readings or say a reliable source send them a certain info.

EW

The Witcher boss calls season 3 'the most heroic sendoff' for Henry Cavill before recasting

"Henry has given so much to the show and so we want to honor that appropriately," Hissrich tells EW. She points to Time of Contempt, the fourth book in author Andrzej Sapkowski's Witcher series that the writers' room partly adapted for the season 3 story.

The writer-producer continues, "Geralt's big turn is about giving up neutrality and doing anything that he has to do to get to Ciri. And to me, it's the most heroic sendoff that we could have, even though it wasn't written to be that. Geralt has a new mission in mind when we come back to him in season 4. He's a slightly different Geralt than we expected. Now, by the way, that's an understatement."

https://ew.com/tv/the-witcher-season-3-henry-cavill-heroic-sendoff-before-recasting

Even Minnie Driver is surprised she's in The Witcher: Blood Origin

Perhaps Driver's future in The Witcher could involve sharing the screen with actor Henry Cavill, with whom she has a history — her brother went to school with Cavill. "I've known Henry since he was a teenager. I love him," she says. "He has been the loveliest person, I can attest, since he was a young man. He is divine." Driver hasn't yet had the opportunity to speak with Cavill about her Witcher role, but imagines that conversation will take place at their next meeting.

https://ew.com/tv/minnie-driver-the-witcher-blood-origin-interview/

Philipp Weber (@PhiWeber – acting Narrative Director/Lead Quest Designer at #CDProjektRED on #TheWitcher, previously on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk 2077)

With the sad news about Henry Cavill's Superman role today, it's nice that we got a little opportunity to show our appreciation for the great passion and enthusiasm Henry showed for #TheWitcher

xLetalis

Here's a reference to Henry Cavil / his dog in the Devil's pit! Kal settles down in the area several days after you get one of the "good" endings in the new quest from the Witcher 3's Next-Gen edition. @witchergame

I wanna thank @PhiWeber for confirming the reference :)

https://twitter.com/PhiWeber/status/1603373961299038209

MAX

The cast are going to miss #HenryCavill massively #joeybatey gave me details on what Season 3 the final one #TheWitcher with Henry will look like! 🎉🎉🎉

https://twitter.com/ThisIsMax/status/1602473620042911744

RI

Joey Batey Comments on Henry Cavill Leaving The Witcher and Welcomes Liam Hemsworth

In a new interview published by Culture Crave as part of The Witcher: Blood Origin press junket, Joey Batey (Jaskier) was asked about Henry Cavill leaving The Witcher and whether the two spoke after the news. Batey revealed that they did indeed.

“I spoke to both of them, actually. I spoke to Henry last week, we text a fair bit. He’s a very good friend. I sent him a message just saying how much everyone in the show would miss him, myself more so than most because Henry and I are very good pals and we’ve spent the past four years carving out these stories.”

Batey then said he reached out to Liam Hemsworth as well, welcoming him to the show:

https://redanianintelligence.com/2022/12/01/joey-batey-comments-on-henry-cavill-leaving-the-witcher-and-welcomes-liam-hemsworth/

naEKRANIEpl

Joey Batey comments on Henry Cavill's departure in a funny way

00:02:50 VIDEO INTERVIEW

Nice little message of Paul Bullion (plays witcher Lambert) and Yasen Atour (plays witcher Coën)

Vid of Doug Cockle, Geralt's voice in the witcher’s games: Henry hasn’t said it himself, yet. But the chat says that he’s leaving, because he doesn’t agree with the storylines that the writers have been developing. And if that's the case, I can completely understand that, because Henry is such a huge fan of the games and the books and the writers on the Netflix series have chosen, for whatever reason they did so, to deviate quite severely from the books and the games. Whether that's good or not, that's down to what you like, you know? I personally don't understand the choice, but there you go. […] I think that's why Henry's leaving.

HC (Teaser vid)

Witcher Season 3 #Netflix

https://www.instagram.com/p/CreDJvhup7s/

HC as G in TW S03
https://twitter.com/updatesofHC/status/1650902939165245445

Official TW S03 poster
https://twitter.com/RedanianIntel/status/1650864997692772356

TW S03 teaser poster
https://twitter.com/RedanianIntel/status/1650549166500720667

EW

The Witcher season 3 is 'when everything changes in the series'

Showrunner Lauren Hissrich tells EW she received a lot of feedback from viewers about Yennefer's acts last season. "'How could you do that to these characters?' 'They'll never be able to forgive her.' Well, that just becomes a story problem for us," she says. "How do two characters forgive each other?" Her mind immediately went to Beltane, a festival during which both Yen and Ciri were born. Viewers will see the enchantress' "romantic reconnections" with Geralt play out here, Hissrich teases.

Speaking to Yennefer's past sins, Chalotra points out that, "She puts a lot of time and energy and effort into making it up to them at the beginning of season 3. That quite quickly and quite organically evolves into a real family dynamic."

The biggest change, though, is that season 3 is now Cavill's final season playing Geralt, a role that will be recast with The Hunger Games star Liam Hemsworth starting with season 4. News of the switch came down after filming had already wrapped on season 3.

"All we knew were the feelings that we have when any season comes to an end. It's full of pride and love and accomplishment for what we've done," Chalotra says. "So, we stayed in that moment rather than anything else. The news was... yeah, it's hard to take because he's a crucial part of the show and we all adore him. So, we're gonna miss him a lot. I wish him all the best."

https://ew.com/tv/the-witcher-season-3-preview-anya-chalotra-lauren-hissrich/

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RI

How The Witcher Will Fix Geralt and Yennefer’s Relationship in Season 3

Showrunner Lauren Hissrich tells EW she received a lot of feedback from viewers about Yennefer's acts last season. "'How could you do that to these characters?' 'They'll never be able to forgive her.' Well, that just becomes a story problem for us," she says. "How do two characters forgive each other?"

The second season of Netflix’s The Witcher has been criticized for many of its departures from the source material. Perhaps the most significant one in terms of having long-lasting effects was the entirety of Yennefer’s arc and alterations to her character and her relationship with Geralt and Ciri.

Instead of spending a good amount of time mentoring Ciri at the Temple of Melitele and building a mother-daughter relationship with her, Yennefer was written to be manipulated by the ancient entity Voleth Meir and to fully intend to trade Ciri’s life for getting her powers back, only to regret and revert that in the last moment.

Needless to say, Geralt, Ciri as well as many readers weren’t happy at the end of it all. And the big question is, how will Netflix mend the relationship between them?

Geralt and Yennefer’s relationship status will be a mini-arc in the earliest episodes of The Witcher Season 3. As far as we know, it will start by Geralt entirely refusing to talk to Yennefer, which prompts her to pass written notes to him, calling him “friend”.

Throughout this mini-arc that spans either one or two first episodes, Geralt will be slowly warming up to Yennefer, with various little moments helping him trust the sorceress more and more. At one point he starts talking to Yen again.

We’ll also note that our trio attends the Belleteyn festival, so that should help things as well.

At the culmination of this mini-arc, Geralt gives a full letter to Yennefer, a reply to her “Dear Friend” notes. In it, he writes Yen that he can now entrust her with taking care of Ciri, without the fear of betrayal. After that they part ways, with Yennefer taking Ciri to Aretuza.

How will all of this relationship mending look in the end and will it be believable, earned and not rushed, that we’ll have to wait and see this summer.

https://redanianintelligence.com/2023/04/23/how-witcher-will-fix-geralt-and-yennefer-relationship-in-season-3/

Netflix

1. We consider each season of a series and each film on their own, so you might see both Stranger Things seasons 2 and 3 in the Top 10.
   
2. Some TV shows have multiple premiere dates, whether weekly or in parts, and therefore the runtime increases over time. For the weekly lists, we show the views based on the total hours viewed during the week divided by the total runtime available at the end of the week.
   

Point 1 doesn’t apply to TW S03. Also, S03p2 doesn’t have a four-day opening weekend (OW).

S03 – #1 – 456m – 59,000,000hv – 7,800,000v

The hv consists of a full week (Monday-Sunday) of S03p1 (289m) + four days (Thursday-Sunday) of S03p2 (167m). NX divides the total seven-day hv with the total runtime (456m) while three days had only 289m for subs to watch.

Anyway, 7,800,000v is unbelievably low. S03p1 had 15,200,000v in its four-day OW and 13,800,000v in its first full week. Keep in mind that the new metric is views. A longer runtime doesn’t really matter. Of course, more days can add more hv. You can say that S03p2’s first week had three extra days to get hv. Well, it still had a 49% drop from S03p1’s four-day OW.

Samba TV

Are fans already bracing themselves for #HenryCavill's exit?

Viewership of part two of #TheWitcher was down by 33% from part one. 597k US households tuned in for the part two drop on Netflix over the weekend.

597k US households watched the first episode of season three’s part two of The Witcher over its first four days on Netflix.

(#)SambaTVInsights #TheWitcher3

https://twitter.com/samba_tv/status/1686116948848041985

The Direct

The Witcher: New Data Reveals [from Samba TV] Viewership for Henry Cavill's Goodbye

Some major hits Netflix has seen across that same four-day period include Stranger Things 4 (2.9 million), Outer Banks Season 3 (1.6 million), Bridgerton Season 2 (1.6 million), Extraction 2 (2.1 million), and The Gray Man (3.5 million).

• 3.5M film The Gray Man
  
• 2.9M Stranger Things S04
  
• 2.1M film Extraction
  
• 1.6M Outer Banks S03
  
• 1.6M Bridgerton S02
  
• 0.9M TW S03p1 (885,000) calculated & added
  
• 0.6M TW S03p2 (597,000) added
  

https://thedirect.com/article/the-witcher-henry-cavill-goodbye-viewership

Amount of NX (subs)cribers per (q)uarter, release date, amount of (ep)isodes and runtime in (m)inutes

221.8M-Q4 2021 – 12/17/2021 – 8ep – 461m – S02 Friday             
238.4M-Q2 2023 – 06/29/2023 – 5ep – 289m – S03p1 Thursday
238.4M-Q2 2023 – 07/27/2023 – 3ep – 167m – S03p2 Thursday 

S03 compared with S02

S02’s OW (Friday–Sunday) had 142,40,000hv (142,430,000hv.)

S03 – #1 – 289m – 073,000,000hv – 15,200,000v – Thursday – 18% drop
S02 – #1 – 461m – 142,400,000hv – 18,500,000v – Friday

S02’s first week had 168,500,000 (168,460,000hv).

S03 – #1 – 289m – 066,500,000hv – 13,800,000v – 37% drop
S02 – #1 – 461m – 168,500,000hv – 21,900,000v

S02’s second week had 94,300,000hv (94,270,000hv).

S03 – #2 – 289m – 32,100,000hv – 06,700,000v – 46% drop
S02 – #2 – 461m – 94,300,000hv – 12,300,000v

S02’s third week had 57,300,000hv (57,340,000hv).

S03 – #3 – 289m – 20,100,000hv – 4,200,000v – 44% drop
S02 – #3 – 461m – 57,300,000hv – 7,500,000v

S02’s fourth week (Monday to Thursday) had 34,400,000hv (34,350,000hv).

S03 – #1 – 456m – 59,000,000hv – 7,800,000v (3 new eps (167m) released on Thursday)
S02 – #3 – 461m – 34,400,000hv – 4,500,000v (last 4 days to close its 28 days run)

S01 and S02 back in the Global Weekly Top 10 (GWT-10) when S03 was released.

Week before S03p1 premiered
17,200,000hv – 2,200,000v – S01 – #10 – S03p1 released on Thursday
20,900,000hv – 2,600,000v – S01 – #06 – S03p1’s first whole week
18,200,000hv – 2,400,000v – S02 – #07 – S03p1’s first whole week
S03p1’s second week
S03p1’s third week
S03p1’s fourth week + S03p2

S01 back in the GWT-10 when S02 was released.

14,200,000hv – 1,800,000v – S01 – #06 – Week before S02 premiered (14,180,000hv)
49,200,000hv – 6,200,000v – S01 – #02 – S02 released on Friday (49,180,000hv)
60,700,000hv – 7,600,000v – S01 – #03 – S02’s first whole week (60,670,000hv)
42,900,000hv – 5,400,000v – S01 – #04 – S02’s second week (42,890,000hv)
28,500,000hv – 3,600,000v – S01 – #06 – S02’s third week (28,510,000hv)
18,600,000hv – 2,300,000v – S01 – #08 – S02’s last 4 days to close its 28 days run (18,580,000hv)

Rotten Tomatoes score

All Critics – Top Critics – Audience
68% (91) – 42% (24) – 89% (10,000+) – S01
95% (63) – 82% (17) – 56% (05,000+) – S02
77% (43) – 88% (08) – 22% (01,000+) – S03

Meta Critic score

Critics – Audience
54 (17) – 7.5 (2,680) – S01
69 (23) – 3.9 (0,798) – S02
71 (14) – 2.1 (0,222) – S03

Audience score per ep       

Season – ep 1 – ep 2 – ep 3 – ep 4 – ep 5 – ep 6 – ep 7 – ep 8

S01 – 5.9 (059) – 5.3 (046) – 5.4 (048) – 5.4 (046) – 5.3 (044) – 5.0 (045) – 5.1 (045) – 5.2 (048)          
S02 – 6.0 (150) – 2.4 (171) – 2.7 (129) – 2.9 (121) – 3.0 (113) – 2.4 (125) – 2.5 (126) – 2.4 (166)         
S03 – 1.4 (014) – 1.0 (012) – 1.2 (014) – 1.8 (013) – 1.5 (022) – ? () – ? () – ? ()        

IMDb score

Audience score per ep    

Season – ep 1 – ep 2 – ep 3 – ep 4 – ep 5 – ep 6 – ep 7 – ep 8  

S01 – 8.2 (25,516) – 7.7 (21,616) – 8.6 (21,370) – 8.4 (19,658) – 8.3 (18,419) – 8.1 (18,230) – 8.3 (17,934) – 8.8 (21,119)         
S02 – 8.5 (14,461) – 7.6 (11,937) – 7.7 (10,476) – 7.7 (10,068) – 7.9 (09,752) – 8.0 (09,665) – 8.2 (09,747) – 8.4 (11,980)        
S03 – 6.8 (06,388) – 6.1 (05,428) – 5.7 (05,253) – 5.4 (05,315) – 5.9 (05,659) – 6.8 (03,398) – 4.2 (03,909) – 5.2 (03,148)          

Movieweb.com

The Witcher Season 3 Suffers Unexpected Ratings Plunge Amid Henry Cavill's Departure

Debuting on June 29, the season's first five episodes landed a modest 49 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Hopes for a grand second half were dashed when the subsequent episodes, presented on July 27, further declined in ratings. Currently, the season's audience score hovers at a dismal 22 percent.

While Cavill's decision to hang up his Witcher boots undeniably added fuel to the fire, a deeper analysis suggests a myriad of reasons for the audience's dissatisfaction. Rewinding to season two, the warning signs were already there; the Rotten Tomatoes audience score dipped to 56 percent. This was long before whispers of Cavill's departure were in the air, indicating underlying issues with the series.

A common bone of contention among the dedicated fanbase is the series' noticeable shift away from its literary roots. Andrzej Sapkowski's cherished book series laid the groundwork for the world of The Witcher, and many feel that season three has strayed too far from the path. It’s rumored that this very deviation played a pivotal role in Cavill's decision to leave the series.

Additionally, Rotten Tomatoes reviews shed light on another point of concern: the perceived decline in character depth and world-building in the third season.

https://movieweb.com/the-witcher-season-3-ratings-henry-cavill-departure/

Startefacts.com

The Witcher's Score Sinks to an All-Time Low as Season 3 Ends

It always seemed inevitable that Henry Cavill’s exit and the showrunner’s attitude would lead to The Witcher sinking, just…not this low, you know?

The Witcher from Netflix was largely anticipated when it was first announced […]

This picture-perfect scenario quickly fell apart with the first season’s arrival. It was largely stated that Henry Cavill was borderline the only silver lining in the entire show as it deviated horrifically from the source books, made a ton of questionable choices plot-wise and design-wise and turned out to be consumed in an internal conflict.

Fast-forward a few years, and here we are. Henry Cavill left the series after his conflict with the showrunner became absolutely unbearable; the production team kept dressing their medieval fantasy characters in Zara clothes; and The Witcher lost the vast majority of its initial fan base due to constant mistakes and ignorance.

https://startefacts.com/news/the-witcher-s-score-sinks-to-an-all-time-low-as-season-3-ends_a132

Screenrant.com

The Witcher's Rotten Tomatoes Woes Will Only Get Worse After Sinking To Shocking 22% Low

When The Witcher season 1 was first released in 2019, it was seen as a success, earning an impressive 89% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Although the series wasn't entirely accurate to the source material, its fantasy world had plenty of riveting elements and Henry Cavill's Geralt charmed audiences. Then, The Witcher season 2 saw a stark drop in audience score: 56%. Fans disliked how far the show strayed from Sapkowski's books and the questionable choices it made for beloved characters. Finally, with The Witcher season 3, part 2 finally streaming, the series has reached an abysmal 22%.

The Witcher season 3's Rotten Tomatoes score isn't entirely surprising given the incredible amount of controversy the show has seen in the last year. The first and foremost reason behind this is Henry Cavill's exit from the series.

Furthermore, The Witcher's biggest problem remains its inaccuracy to the books. As the seasons have gone on, the show has moved farther and farther away from the source material, adding new characters and new arcs that don't make sense or counteract what was originally written by Sapkowski.

https://screenrant.com/the-witcher-season-3-4-rotten-tomatoes-audience-score-worse/

Bleedingcool

The Witcher Producer on True Main Character: "It's Ciri's Story"

"One of the more important things about Ciri is that we will slowly discover that she is the main character of the Witcher saga. Not Geralt, not Yennefer. It's Ciri's story," executive producer Baginski shared in a new Netflix featurette that dropped on Thursday along with the rest of the three episodes of The Witcher season three. The subtext here is that it shouldn't matter as much that Geralt will be played by Liam Hemsworth starting next season.

https://bleedingcool.com/tv/the-witcher-producer-on-true-main-character-its-ciris-story/

Game geeks read that and said: Oh, it’s about Ciri? OK, bye.

The hv&v numbers for S03p2 plummeted.

A summary of what the book geeks have to say about the matter.

• Season of Storms – standalone prequel novel about G – C’s not in this book
  

1. The Last Wish – seven short stories about G – C’s not in them
2. Sword of Destiny – six short stories about G – C’s introduced in the fifth story and appears in the sixth story too
3. Blood of Elves – More G than C
4. Time of Contempt – More G than C
5. Baptism of Fire – More G than C
6. The Tower of the Swallow – More C than G
7. The Lady of the Lake – G & C equal

The story’s told from G’s perspective.

It's C’s story told through the perspective of G.

No G, no story.
No C, no plot (C’s the reason of all chaos).

The story’s about G and C’s the plot, G’s main quest.

The author confirmed that G’s the protagonist and the story’s about him protecting and raising C.

The saga is called The Witcher. There are no female witchers. C’s mistakenly called a witcher. She refers to herself as the witcheress, because the witchers trained her, but she never took the potion to change into a mutated human like all witchers.

Looper

The Witcher Season 3 Loses The Netflix #1 Spot To An Unexpected Show

As Forbes recently observed, it took just one week after the release of "The Witcher" Season 3 Volume 2 for the popular series to be knocked out of the #1 spot on Netflix's [USA] Top 10 list. In case that wasn't bad enough, the show was dethroned by none other than "Sweet Magnolias," which released its latest season a week before "The Witcher" dropped its final Season 3 episodes. "Sweet Magnolias" is, notably, not just another pre-existing Netflix original. It's also a much smaller and, therefore, cheaper show than "The Witcher," which just makes its ability to so easily dethrone the high-budget fantasy drama all the more surprising.

https://www.looper.com/1358545/the-witcher-season-3-vol-2-loses-netflix-1-sweet-magnolias/

Forbes

‘The Witcher’ Dethroned Again In Netflix’s Top 10 List By A New Show

While The Witcher resurfaced at #1 on Netflix’s Top 10 list once its final three episodes were released, it didn’t stay there for very long.

Even worse is the show that’s replacing isn’t even a new #1. It’s Sweet Magnolias, which again has risen to top the list. No “part 2” here, people are just still watching season 3 in droves, as the series continues to be one of Netflix’s big, cheap sleeper hits. And a polar opposite audience from The Witcher, I imagine.

One of the most compelling stories of the Top 10 list over the past month now has been Suits, with a Netflix licensing deal grabbing all eight seasons of the USA Original (does USA even still exist anymore?), which says to me that people are missing those kind of funny, engaging dramas with a whole lot of episodes that don’t require big budgets.

The rest of the list has A Perfect Story, a mature-rated romance from Spain, How to Become a Cult Leader, a doc based on historic cults, and a weekly anime release, My Happy Marriage. A second anime on the list is Baki Hanma, which has been there a while now.

1. Sweet Magnolias
2. The Witcher
3. Suits
4. A Perfect Story, a mature-rated romance from Spain
5. How to Become a Cult Leader, a doc based on historic cults
6. My Happy Marriage, a weekly anime release
7. Baki Hanma, a second anime, which has been on the list for a while now

https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2023/08/03/the-witcher-dethroned-again-in-netflixs-top-10-list-by-a-new-show/?sh=20a7614c5eac

Yes! I get to post the headlines this time. OMG, I couldn’t believe my eyes and I couldn’t stop laughing. Tomek Bagiński has lost his damn mind.

1. Comic Book Movie – THE WITCHER Producer Thinks Dumb Americans Are To Blame For Show's Simplification Of The Books
2. Forbes – ‘The Witcher’ Producer Blames Stupid Americans And Emotional Young People For The Show’s Failures
3. Bam Smack Pow – The Witcher producer says they had to dumb down the show for American fans
4. PopCulture.com – 'The Witcher' Was Dumbed Down for Americans, Producer Says
5. Bounding Into Comics – Netflix’s ‘The Witcher’ EP Tomek Bagiński Says Series Made “Simplifications” To The Source Material Primarily Because American Audiences Would Not Grasp A “Higher Level Of Nuance And Complexity”
6. Giant Freakin Robot – The Witcher On Netflix Is Dumbed Down Because Of Americans And Young People According To Producer
7. Metro UK – The Witcher producer claims it's become 'too complicated' for Americans
8. CBR – The Witcher Producer Blames US Audiences for Controversial Story Changes
9. NME – 'The Witcher' producer blames simplified plot on Americans' inability to follow complex storylines
10. PC Gamer – The Witcher producer blames Americans and impatient young people for the Netflix show's simplified plot
11. California18 – The producer of The Witcher blames the American public for the changes and the simplicity of the series
12. Escapist Magazine – The Witcher Producer Says Americans are to Blame for Plot Simplifications
13. AS USA – The Witcher’s Netflix producer blames young American viewers for the simplification of the plot
14. The Gamer – The Witcher Executive Producer Blames Show Quality On TikTok And Americans
15. The Wrap – ‘The Witcher' EP Slammed for Blaming Americans for Simplified Season
16. Just Jared – 'The Witcher' Producer Called Out After Saying The Show Is 'Simplified' For American Audiences
17. MovieWeb – The Witcher Producer Blames Netflix Show's "Painful" Simplified Plot on American Audiences
18. Winteriscoming.net – The Witcher producer says the show simplified the story for Americans
19. Daily Express – The Witcher producer slammed over claims series had to be ‘simplified’ for American fans
20. Eurogamer – The Witcher producer blames Americans and social media for Netflix series' simplified plot

Meanwhile, in the US of A, some crazy hotheaded American men are interpreting Tomek Bagiński’s words in their own way.

• Somewhere in the central, some “cracker” is scratching his head wondering: That Euro terrorist trash didn’t call me an illiterate inbreed, did he?
  
• Somewhere in the northeastern hills, some “hillbilly” is pointing his finger at the computer screen yelling: That Nazi son of b*tch just called me a dumb f*ck!
  
• Somewhere in the south, some “redneck” is beyond shocked with his hands in his hair asking: Did that Polish mother f*cker say something about my mama?
  

PS There’s no such thing as crazy, hotheaded women.

@Triksy said:

S03 – #1 – 456m – 59,000,000hv – 7,800,000v

The hv consists of a full week (Monday-Sunday) of S03p1 (289m) + four days (Thursday-Sunday) of S03p2 (167m). NX divides the total seven-day hv with the total runtime (456m) while three days had only 289m for subs to watch.

Anyway, 7,800,000v is unbelievably low. S03p1 had 15,200,000v in its four-day OW and 13,800,000v in its first full week. Keep in mind that the new metric is views. A longer runtime doesn’t really matter. Of course, more days can add more hv. You can say that S03p2’s first week had three extra days to get hv. Well, it still had a 49% drop from S03p1’s four-day OW.

Didn’t the NX board maggots say that S03p1’s hv&v numbers were low because subs were waiting for S03p2 to binge it all? So, what’s with the 49% drop and further extremly low hv&v numbers?

Variety

‘Wednesday’ and ‘The Witcher’ Casting Director Sophie Holland on Seeking Diversity and the Power of Casting to Change People’s Perceptions

Are there specific examples where you found someone or fought for them in a role?
I mean, that has become sort of a calling card of mine. I am always the first to champion diversity in all its glory. One that springs to mind was the character of Yennefer on “The Witcher.” Lauren Schmidt Hissrich is the showrunner and we work so well together and she’s so open to conversations. In the book, she’s described as the most beautiful woman in the world. This was a few years ago and I’d like to think things have changed. But when you think about people’s unconscious bias – especially in the fantasy world, it felt like these worlds were predominantly white. And I remember saying, “I feel like we need to challenge what people think of as the standard of beauty. And having a woman of color in this role does incredibly powerful things to the people watching.

https://variety.com/2023/artisans/features/wednesday-the-witcher-casting-director-sophie-holland-1235677927/

Only actresses should challenge beauty standards. Let’s choose a very gorgeous actor who’s the male beauty standard to carry the show while we experiment with the actresses. Insert HC.

Oh… let’s cast a few more male beauty standards in main roles. You know… just to be on the safe side. Let’s cast Joey Batey (Jaskier) and Eamon Farren (Cahir). They’re all white, tall, handsome, with hot abs and dreamy blue eyes.

@Sue-Yin said:

The Witcher Producer on True Main Character: "It's Ciri's Story"

"One of the more important things about Ciri is that we will slowly discover that she is the main character of the Witcher saga. Not Geralt, not Yennefer. It's Ciri's story," executive producer Baginski shared in a new Netflix featurette that dropped on Thursday along with the rest of the three episodes of The Witcher season three. The subtext here is that it shouldn't matter as much that Geralt will be played by Liam Hemsworth starting next season.

This is the second time that these fools have offended Liam.

OMG, I couldn’t believe my eyes and I couldn’t stop laughing. Tomek Bagiński has lost his damn mind.

If ever there was a good reason to call someone a dumbarse, this is it.

• Somewhere in the central, some “cracker” is scratching his head wondering: That Euro terrorist trash didn’t call me an illiterate inbreed, did he?
  
• Somewhere in the northeastern hills, some “hillbilly” is pointing his finger at the computer screen yelling: That Nazi son of b*tch just called me a dumb f*ck!
  

• Somewhere in the south, some “redneck” is beyond shocked with his hands in his hair asking: Did that Polish mother f*cker say something about my mama?

That’s not interpretation, Sue. That’s… reading things that aren’t there.

@Sue-Yin said:

• Somewhere in the central, some “cracker” is scratching his head wondering: That Euro terrorist trash didn’t call me an illiterate inbreed, did he?
  
• Somewhere in the northeastern hills, some “hillbilly” is pointing his finger at the computer screen yelling: That Nazi son of b*tch just called me a dumb f*ck!
  
• Somewhere in the south, some “redneck” is beyond shocked with his hands in his hair asking: Did that Polish mother f*cker say something about my mama?
  

BTW, are you sure it’s OK for non-Americans to use those words? American geeks call each other all kinds of things. Non-Americans should be careful.

@Cashmere said:

Only actresses should challenge beauty standards.

AC’s features challenge white beauty standard? She only has a tan. White people risk skin cancer by sunbathing or going to tanning salons to get her skin tone. Her skin tone is beautiful when you get it, not when you’re born with it.

@Sue-Yin said:

The hv&v numbers for S03p2 plummeted.

TW is dead. Bury it. lol Subs should un-sub. NX wants to replace people with AI. Well, let AI replace subs too. Let’s see if AI have an algorithm that generates subscription fee. lol

The Intercept: AS ACTORS STRIKE FOR AI PROTECTIONS, NETFLIX LISTS $900,000 AI JOB
AS HOLLYWOOD EXECUTIVES insist it is “just not realistic” to pay actors — 87 percent of whom earn less than $26,000 — more, they are spending lavishly on AI programs.
In one case, Netflix is offering as much as $900,000 for a single AI product manager.
“So $900k/yr per soldier in their godless AI army when that amount of earnings could qualify thirty-five actors and their families for SAG-AFTRA health insurance is just ghoulish,” actor Rob Delaney, who had a lead role in the “Black Mirror” episode, told The Intercept.
Netflix’s posting for a $900,000-a-year AI product manager job makes clear that the AI goes beyond just the algorithms that determine what shows are recommended to users.
The listing points to AI’s uses for content creation:“Artificial Intelligence is powering innovation in all areas of the business,” including by helping them to “create great content.” Netflix’s AI product manager posting alludes to a sprawling effort by the business to embrace AI, referring to its “Machine Learning Platform” involving AI specialists “across Netflix.”
A research section on Netflix’s website describes its machine learning platform, noting that while it was historically used for things like recommendations, it is now being applied to content creation. “Historically, personalization has been the most well-known area, where machine learning powers our recommendation algorithms. We’re also using machine learning to help shape our catalog of movies and TV shows by learning characteristics that make content successful. We use it to optimize the production of original movies and TV shows in Netflix’s rapidly growing studio.”
Netflix is already putting the AI technology to work. On July 6, the streaming service premiered a new Spanish reality dating series, “Deep Fake Love,” in which scans of contestants’ faces and bodies are used to create AI-generated “deepfake” simulations of themselves.
In another job posting, Netflix seeks a technical director for generative AI in its research and development tech lab for its gaming studio. (Video games often employ voice actors and writers.)
Generative AI is the type of AI that can produce text, images, and video from input data — a key component of original content creation but which can also be used for other purposes like advertising. Generative AI is distinct from older, more familiar AI models that provide things like algorithmic recommendations or genre tags.
Netflix offers up to $650,000 for its generative AI technical director role.
Video game writers have expressed concerns about losing work to generative AI, with one major game developer, Ubisoft, saying that it is already using generative AI to write dialogue for nonplayer characters.
Netflix, for its part, advertises that one of its games, a narrative-driven adventure game called “Scriptic: Crime Stories,” centered around crime stories, “uses generative AI to help tell them.”

1. Comic Book Movie – THE WITCHER Producer Thinks Dumb Americans Are To Blame For Show's Simplification Of The Books
2. Forbes – ‘The Witcher’ Producer Blames Stupid Americans And Emotional Young People For The Show’s Failures

• Somewhere in the central, some “cracker” is scratching his head wondering: That Euro terrorist trash didn’t call me an illiterate inbreed, did he?
  
• Somewhere in the northeastern hills, some “hillbilly” is pointing his finger at the computer screen yelling: That Nazi son of b*tch just called me a dumb f*ck!
  
• Somewhere in the south, some “redneck” is beyond shocked with his hands in his hair asking: Did that Polish mother f*cker say something about my mama?
  

@HCFan said:

BTW, are you sure it’s OK for non-Americans to use those words?

They called Europeans terrorist and Nazis. Tomek Bagiński is Polish. Narrow it down to him or Poland.

@Sue-Yin said:

1. The Last Wish – seven short stories about G – C’s not in them
2. Sword of Destiny – six short stories about G – C’s introduced in the fifth story and appears in the sixth story too
3. Blood of Elves – More G than C
4. Time of Contempt – More G than C
5. Baptism of Fire – More G than C
6. The Tower of the Swallow – More C than G
7. The Lady of the Lake – G & C equal

I wonder what the RI geeks think about that.

Yes! I get to post the headlines this time.

And you could have updated the numbers. There isn’t much going on, but you all found a lot to talk about.

• Somewhere in the south, some “redneck” is beyond shocked with his hands in his hair asking: Did that Polish mother f*cker say something about my mama?
  

PS There’s no such thing as crazy, hotheaded women.

Didn’t the NX board maggots say that S03p1’s hv&v numbers were low because subs were waiting for S03p2 to binge it all? So, what’s with the 49% drop and further extremly low hv&v numbers?

Tomek Bagiński and Sophie Holland may be the reason fewer subs watched S03p2.

@Sue-Yin said:

• Somewhere in the south, some “redneck” is beyond shocked with his hands in his hair asking: Did that Polish mother f*cker say something about my mama?

That’s not interpretation, Sue. That’s… reading things that aren’t there.

Tomek Bagiński is blaming others for the writers’ incompetence.