Liam Hemsworth’s stint as Geralt of Rivia could be over before it truly begins as reports suggest The Witcher will end with season 5.
Much has been made over Henry Cavill’s high-profile departure from The Witcher and Netflix’s subsequent recasting with Hunger Games star Liam Hemsworth, but according to recent reports, the actor’s days as Geralt of Rivia may already be numbered.
The Witcher reportedly ending with season 5
Following the release of The Witcher season 3 earlier this year, it had been hoped that work could begin swiftly on the upcoming fourth installment of the fantasy series, only for the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes to put any plans of writing or filming on hold.
However, with the WGA recently bringing an end to its strike after reaching a deal with the AMPTP, writing is set to resume on season 4 of The Witcher and according to Redanian Intelligence, season 5 as well.
Per a report from the site and its inside sources, production on seasons 4 and 5 is expected to take place back-to-back with filming on season 4 scheduled to begin in early 2024 and season 5 to continue shortly afterwards following a short break – hinting at potential release dates in 2025 and 2026 respectively.
After season 3 largely covered the events of the book Time of Contempt, it means seasons 4 and 5 will need to cram in the events of Andrzej Sapkowski’s final three novels in the main saga, Baptism of Fire, Tower of the Swallow and Lady of the Lake.
Liam Hemsworth’s tenure as Geralt could be ending just as he’s finding his feet
If the reports that The Witcher could potentially end with its fifth season prove true, it would mean that Liam Hemsworth’s days as Geralt of Rivia are already numbered before he even takes on the role for the first time.
It would also mean that the Australian actor would only appear in two seasons of the fantasy series in comparison to the three installments that Henry Cavill was present for.
Hopefully, the delay in the start of production on The Witcher season 4 will give Hemsworth all the preparation time he needs so that he can hit the ground running when the show does finally return.
If not, there is a risk that Hemsworth’s time as Geralt could be cut short before he truly gets the chance to find his feet with the character as he deserves a fair chance to make the Butcher of Blaviken his own.
Plenty more Witcher on the way
Beyond seasons 4 and 5 of The Witcher, the fantasy franchise is set to continue expanding with a new spin-off series and anime that are currently in the works.
Up first is expected to be The Rats, a series that will focus on the group of ne’er do well street thieves that Ciri encountered in the final episode of season 3, helping to flesh out the characters before they feature more prominently in season 4.
And fans can also expect The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep, a new anime from Studio Mir to follow on from the excellent Nightmare of the Wolf from 2021.
Seasons 1-3 of The Witcher are available to stream now on Netflix.
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