Showrunner Drops Bombshell: Henry Cavill Ditched The Witcher For Superman

So, about Henry Cavill exiting The Witcher: the showrunner just spelled out what actually happened, and it wasn't some dramatic on-set implosion. It was Henry deciding he wanted to chase other gigs, and the timing lines up with that Superman return he teased in 2022. The part that surprised me a little? This wasn't a last-minute thing; everyone knew it was brewing for a while.

Why Cavill walked

Lauren S. Hissrich, the show's creator and showrunner, told Entertainment Weekly that chatter about Cavill leaving had been floating around long before it became public. Back then, the rumor mill pinned it on 'creative differences' (a phrase that can mean anything from actual disagreement to polite PR). Hissrich didn't pretend that wasn't part of the conversation, but framed the exit as Cavill's call because he wanted to commit to other roles.

"He (Cavill) had plans for other roles that he really wanted to commit himself to," Hissrich said. "And for us, you don't want to hold someone and force them to be doing something that they don't want to do. I think that's why it felt like a really symbiotic decision."

The Superman detour that fizzled

Hissrich didn't name the roles, but the obvious candidate was Clark Kent. A few days before Cavill announced he was leaving The Witcher, he told fans he was coming back as Superman in future DC movies. Then DC hit the soft-reboot button and recast the role with David Corenswet. So, yes, it looks like Cavill left to make room for Superman... and that door closed almost immediately.

What Cavill's doing instead

Since then, he's pivoted to building out a Warhammer 40,000 TV series and is attached to a new Highlander movie. And if you&aposre keeping tabs on his 2024 slate, he also starred in The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.

The Witcher keeps swinging (and ends with Season 5)

As for the show, it didn't stop when Cavill did. Liam Hemsworth is stepping in as Geralt after Season 3, and Netflix has already set the finish line: The Witcher will wrap up with a fifth and final season. Hissrich says there was never a conversation about ending the series because of Cavill's exit. In her view, The Witcher is bigger than any one person; it's the third life for a franchise that already exists in Andrzej Sapkowski's books and the games.

Also worth flagging: Season 4 hits Netflix on October 30, 2025.

• Seasons 1-3: Henry Cavill plays Geralt of Rivia
• Behind the scenes: Talks of Cavill leaving had been circulating "for a while" before it went public in 2022
• Reason for exit: He wanted to commit to other roles; the most obvious one was Superman, which he publicly teased days before announcing his Witcher departure
• What happened next: DC soft-rebooted and recast Superman with David Corenswet
• Post-Witcher Cavill: Building a Warhammer 40,000 series and attached to a new Highlander movie; also starred in The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
• The show's future: Liam Hemsworth takes over as Geralt; The Witcher ends with Season 5
• Next up: The Witcher Season 4 arrives October 30, 2025 on Netflix