Liam Hemsworth is preparing for his role as a witcher for the Netflix fantasy series “The Witcher.” His photo from training is being met with mockery.
Essentially, one could almost say that this topic is done: “The Witcher” Season 3 couldn’t keep up with the streaming numbers of the previous seasons: These dropped by 36 percent over an eight-week period compared to Season 2, and by 48 percent compared to Season 1 in the same period (via Redanian Intelligence).
But almost worse than the viewing numbers was the approval of the fans. Currently, the latest season has an average audience rating of only 19 percent on the review platform Rotten Tomatoes. For comparison: Season 1 has an outstanding 89 percent, while Season 2 has already dropped to only 55 percent.
The reason is clear: The entire second season by showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, except for the first episode, had nothing to do with the novel by author Andrzej Sapkowski. Additionally, creative differences likely emerged between Hissrich and her lead actor Henry Cavill, leading to a rupture. The 40-year-old has since exited – to the dismay of fans who quickly embraced him as the perfect incarnation of the White Wolf despite initial skepticism.
However, a successor was quickly found, with Cavill even announcing him himself: Liam Hemsworth. The 34-year-old is known for his role in the Young Adult novel adaptation “The Hunger Games” but has so far been somewhat in the shadow of his older brother Chris Hemsworth, who rose to worldwide fame thanks to his Marvel role as the thunder god Thor. In recent years, the youngest Hemsworth has been active in the independent sector. His entry into “The Witcher” from Season 4 could be an attempt to reintroduce himself to a broader audience. Additionally, the Netflix executives could once again rely on the element of surprise and hope for success. After all, it worked with Henry Cavill.
Meanwhile, some time has passed, and no one talks about “The Witcher” anymore, with 2024 seeing a surge in sci-fi movies and series rather than fantasy productions. But “The Witcher” fans don’t forget. This is evidenced by the first picture of Liam Hemsworth in sweaty training for the witcher physique on Instagram:
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In it, Liam Hemsworth thanks everyone for their interest in his new action thriller “Land of Bad,” which will be available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video starting April 19, 2024. And although he doesn’t mention “The Witcher” at all, the online community knows which role he’s preparing for next. And some are using it to discredit him:
“Not my Geralt”
“We don’t care, we want Henry [Cavill]!”
“You can’t replace Henry Cavill as the Witcher.”
“You’re not the Witcher.”
“Still not worthy to play Geralt. End of discussion.”
“That reminded me not to watch the next ‘Witcher’ season.”
“Henry [Cavill] = Geralt, Liam [Hemsworth] = No, thank you.”
This is only surpassed by the countless attacks from Miley Cyrus fans. Hemsworth and the 31-year-old singer and actress were together for six years with breaks, including nearly a year of marriage. Cyrus has hinted in her songs that this time has left some scars on her.
But there are also fans who stand by Hemsworth and explicitly emphasize that they are looking forward to his Witcher. In their eyes, he is even the better choice than Cavill:
“Wow, can’t wait to see you embody Geralt!”
“Good luck on your ‘Witcher’ path.”
“Our Geralt!!!!”
“I’m really looking forward to seeing you as the Witcher! I loved Henry [Cavill] in the role, but I think you’ll do a great job!”
“I love Henry [Cavill], but Liam [Hemsworth] is also so beautiful. Can’t be mad about that.”
“Liam [Hemsworth] looks so much more like Geralt than Henry [Cavill]. I love Henry, but I wish they had cast you first for this role.”
Filming for the next season of “The Witcher” is set to begin in April 2024. And whether you agree with this casting change or not, curiosity alone will likely propel Episode 1 of the new episodes to the top of the Netflix charts.
