The Witcher: Bloodborne Defends Henry Cavill's Geralt Reforge

'The Witcher: Origins' Minnie Driver defends Henry Cavill's makeover in The Witcher season 4, citing the precedent set by Doctor Who.

The Witcher's upcoming recast of protagonist Geralt's Rivia has been defended by Minnie Driver, one of the stars of the series' spinoff series The Witcher: Origins. The Witcher, which premiered on Netflix in December 2019, is based on the fantasy series of the same name by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, which was also adapted into a hit video game series. For two seasons and the upcoming third, the character was played by Henry Cavill, but Netflix recently announced that the character has been recast by Hunger Games star Liam Hemsworth for the upcoming season 4 .

Entertainment Weekly sits down for an interview with Driver on The Witcher: Blood Origins launch. During their conversation, the conversation naturally turned to the controversial recast, which Driver defended. She likened the role, which Hemsworth took over, to the way the BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who often recasts its protagonist, saying "it's an amazing character and we should have had different people play it." Read her full quote below:

We come from this tradition of Doctor Who where the Doctor regenerates. I think we need to look at it far more like it’s amazing. It’s an amazing person, it’s an amazing character, and we should have different people playing it.

Why Fans Are Upset About The Witcher's Recasting

Viewers were particularly shocked by the announcement that Liam Hemsworth would play Geralt for several reasons. the first is any Fans have a built-in resistance to such a major change, especially when Hemsworth doesn't step in as a new protagonist, but instead plays the same character. The actors look so different and are seven years apart in age, so it's hard for some viewers to understand how much the character's appearance will change.

Another reason for fans' disappointment was that Cavill himself was much loved in the role. The only consolation many fans take in his departure is that he left the series in order to return to the DC universe as Superman, which was teased by Black Adam's mid-credits scene and soon confirmed by the actor himself when the film was released Rear. However, now that James Gunn and Peter Safran have taken over as co-CEOs of DC Studios, Cavill will not be returning as Gunn is developing a new movie starring a new cast as a younger version of the hero, as Cavill will not be returning. Reprising his iconic role, DCU and Wizards audiences alike will be devastated.

Other Famous Roles That Have Been Recast

Be a driver Pointing out that audiences have come to accept the frequent recasting of the Doctor, there is a cosmic explanation for the character's rebirth in Doctor Who, which is slightly different from the situation. However, there are other iconic characters who have been played by multiple people throughout their franchises without explanation, including iconic super-spy James Bond and CIA analyst Jack Ryan. If The Witcher goes on for years, with an ebb and flow of cast members, that might assuage some fans' concerns about the process, but it will take some getting used to.

More: How Blood Origin's end credits scene set the stage for The Witcher Season 3