Witcher showrunner says they had the choice to end the show after Cavill's departure, but there were 'too many stories left to tell'
Lauren Hissrich sat down and talked witchin' in a recent chat with Total Film.
The world's been drab and grey ever since we learned Henry Cavill—world's most beautiful PC gamer—announced he'd be hanging up his silver sword and departing Netflix's Witcher TV series. With The Witcher season 3 (Cavill's last) about to air, we've got more questions than ever. Will Liam Hemsworth be a decent Geralt? Why is Cavill leaving? Is there even a point continuing the show without him?
Turns out that The Witcher's creative leads had similar questions themselves. In a recent chat with Total Film magazine (via GamesRadar), showrunner Lauren Hissrich revealed that, in the aftermath of Cavill's departure, staff "had the choice to have Geralt exit and to end the show," but it ultimately proved to be something that they weren't "willing to do".
"There's just too many stories left to tell," Hissrich told Total Film, adding that if they had "replaced Geralt with another witcher," it would have meant "going fully away from the books, and I don’t think that’s what anyone wanted either".
Not to be cynical—I don't doubt Hissrich and the rest of the crew care about the thing they've made—but I suspect The Witcher's ability to pull in Netflix subscribers also had something to do with it continuing sans Cavill.
To be honest, I would be incredibly on board with them attempting to make the show about someone other than Geralt just to witness the explosive fan reaction, but I suppose we don't live in that world. Maybe we'll get The Thrilling Adventures of Lambert and Eskel when Liam Hemsworth decides he's had enough, too.
Asked about Cavill's departure, Hissrich said that the show's staff have "all been mourning this in our own way," but that, for Cavill, "it was time for him in his life to move on". She's excited about Hemsworth stepping into the role, though: "He’s got enormous shoes to fill, but also has a lot of energy and a lot of excitement for it," adding that although "there’s a lot of feelings involved," the show's staff are gonna plough ahead because they "love what [they're] doing".
As for season 3, the first half of which releases next month, Hissrich says it's "the point at which our family finally gets a chance to be together for the first time and actually start imagining a future together … But it’s The Witcher… so of course that doesn’t last!"