Liam Hemsworth replaces Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher season 4

Look up at the sky of Rivia. It's a bird, it's a plane… it's Liam Hemsworth replacing Henry Cavill as the star of Netflix's The Witcher series.

In a surprise move, the streaming service has announced a season four renewal of its highly rated and popular medieval fantasy adaptation of popular Polish books of the same name, but with one major change – leading man Henry Cavill will be stepping down as series protagonist Geralt of Rivia, and be replaced by Australian actor Liam Hemsworth.

"My journey as Geralt of Rivia has been filled with both monsters and adventures, and alas, I will be laying down my medallion and my swords for Season 4," Cavill said on social media.

"In my stead, the fantastic Mr Liam Hemsworth will be taking up the mantle of the White Wolf. As with the greatest of literary characters, I pass the torch with reverence for the time spent embodying Geralt and enthusiasm to see Liam's take on this most fascinating and nuanced of men.

"Liam, good sir, this character has such a wonderful depth to him, enjoy diving in and seeing what you can find."

"As a Witcher fan I'm over the moon about the opportunity to play Geralt of Rivia," Hemsworth noted in a statement, "Henry Cavill has been an incredible Geralt, and I'm honoured that he's handing me the reins and allowing me to take up the White Wolf's blades for the next chapter of his adventure.

"Henry, I've been a fan of yours for years and was inspired by what you brought to this beloved character. I may have some big boots to fill, but I'm truly excited to be stepping into The Witcher world."  

The news comes a week after the debut of Warner Discovery's Black Adam, which saw Cavill reprise his career-breaking role of Superman in a post credits scene that cemented his return to the DC Extended Universe of movies after a five-year hiatus.

While there are no indicators that both events are linked, the timing of both announcements, which saw Cavill announce on Instagram about donning the red, blue and yellow again, points towards a calibrated move by those involved.

Liam is the younger brother of Marvel Cinematic Universe star, Chris Hemsworth, who plays Thor, and is best known for his role as Gale Hawthorne in The Hunger Games franchise, starring alongside Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson, and Independence Day: Resurgence as Jake Morrison. 

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Cavill publicly lobbied to be cast as Geralt on The Witcher and won over a legion of fantasy and video game fans since the Netflix series premiered in December 2019.

Filming of the series has been delayed due to the ongoing pandemic and the upcoming third season, set to debut next summer, will mark the British actor's last before the recast.

The series has become a strong franchise lead for the global streamer over the years, with an animated series, as well as an upcoming four-part prequel series The Witcher: Blood Origin, starring Michelle Yeoh, premiering Christmas 2022.

This quick recast even before the new season lands underscores the importance Netflix has placed in growing the franchise without its primary leading man for the main series.

While news of his DCEU's involvement had languished in the last five years, his career has risen during this time, with outings in Netflix's Enola Holmes, alongside Stranger Things star, Millie Bobby Brown, and its sequel, Enola Holmes 2, which premieres in November 2022.

It remains how fans will respond to the recast, but here at Geek Culture, as the song goes: 

Toss A Coin To Your Witcher.

And everyone lobs theirs at Henry.

This article was first published in Geek Culture.