The prospect of seeing Henry Cavill portray one of fantasy's most iconic characters, Geralt of Rivia, was highly enticing to fans when Netflix revealed its intentions to adapt The Witcher. However, from the moment the show premiered, fans of the original books by Andrzej Sapkowski were massively disappointed.
Although Cavill was excellent in the lead role, the show's writing and overall production lacked the elements that made The Witcher books and games such great hits.
The situation got worse with each new season. Therefore, when Cavill declared his plans to leave the show after season 3, no one in the community faulted him for the decision. The actor was evidently committed to the character, but it was becoming increasingly untenable for him to dedicate so much time to filming the show, given its constantly deteriorating quality.
New Chapter
While most fans of The Witcher were hoping that Netflix would simply discontinue the show, the streaming behemoth opted to persevere, recruiting Liam Hemsworth to succeed Cavill as Geralt in the forthcoming Season 4. Although fans approved of the actor selection, most didn't believe the recasting of the main character would influence the show's quality in any significant way.
Fortunately, it would appear that viewers will no longer have to endure Netflix's butchering of the beloved fantasy series (well, technically, they never had to endure it, as it was entirely up to them whether to watch it or not; nobody was holding a gun to their head). According to the latest rumors, the streaming platform plans to end the show after season 5, two seasons from now.
Challenging Filming
After numerous delays, it seems the writing for the show's fourth season is resuming, as the WGA strike has finally been resolved. This development allows the creative team behind the show to begin planning. According to the plan, both the fourth and fifth seasons of the show will be filmed consecutively, enabling Netflix to release the show without significant gaps between seasons.
However, it seems that Netflix has no intention of keeping the project going indefinitely, as the writing for it has been on the wall for quite some time now, given the universal contempt for it. Nevertheless, it's quite intriguing that the streaming giant is going to allow it to run for two more seasons instead of just pulling the plug on the unfortunate project with Cavill's departure.
Source: Redanian Intelligence.