Netflix has released a very short teaser trailer for The Witcher’s fourth season. This is the first season with Henry Cavill gone and Liam Hemsworth taking on the role of Geralt of Rivia.
We saw leaked images of Hemsworth in costume on the set of Season 4 recently, but this is our first glimpse of Geralt’s new iteration that’s official. Frankly, Hemsworth looks pretty good—though both Hemsworth and Cavill are likely far too good-looking to play a character who is never described as such (handsome, sure, but sinewy and somewhat frightening—more like in The Witcher 2: Assassins Of Kings perhaps, or even Witcher 3). But everyone is prettier on the screen.
Here’s the trailer:
It’s clear that Hemsworth is doing his best to carry himself like Cavill and doing a fine job at it, though obviously this teaser isn’t enough to form any meaningful opinions.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I do not envy Hemsworth’s position. He’s filling a very large pair of shoes. Cavill was (and is) quite popular among Witcher fans, and especially among detractors of the show who view it as a bizarre departure from the source material. Since Cavill has championed fidelity to the text (and games) he’s taken on something of a martyr status since leaving. That’s not an easy act to follow.
I have very little faith in The Witcher. I was one of the few critics who really championed Season 1, which I genuinely enjoyed. The show started slipping in Season 2 and fell flat on its face in Season 3. I want to root for Hemsworth—toss a coin for your Witcher and all that—and his co-stars Freya Allan, Anya Cholatra and Joey Batey—and all the rest of the talented actors who comprise the cast. I just don’t have much faith in the writers and producers of the show, who remind us with every episode that they somehow believe they know better than author Andrzej Sapkowski, when it is very clear that they do not.
There’s still no release date for The Witcher Season 4 yet, though it’s likely to drop on Netflix next year.