As Henry Cavill nears the conclusion of his run as Geralt of Rivia, fans are bracing for what Liam Hemsworth will bring to the role. But before Hemsworth picks up the sword, Netflix wants you to know that Cavill is still on The Witcher. No, like, they really want to remind you to keep watching.
Netflix is now facing some flack for their new marketing tactic, which seems to slight Liam Hemsworth by way of assuring fans that Henry Cavill is the current star, with billboards reading, “Yes, he’s still Geralt in season 3.” You can see different iterations of the campaign below, which Netflix seems to be quite proud of, no matter how people are reading into it:
Some have taken this as a direct jab at Liam Hemsworth, who will be replacing Henry Cavill in the role of Geralt of Rivia beginning with the fourth season.
Even more have come after Netflix directly following this marketing campaign for The Witcher, attacking not only their phrasing but also their apparent decision to get rid of Henry Cavill.
It was announced last year that Henry Cavill would be leaving Netflix’s The Witcher after the third season. While many assumed it had to do with his planned commitments to play Clark Kent / Superman – or even James Bond – it was later revealed that on-set tensions were at least part of the reasoning behind his departure, chiefly relating to Cavill’s love of the IP.
Season three of The Witcher has a two-part release schedule, with the second batch of three episodes set to debut on Netflix on July 27th. Our own Alex Maidy praised the first five episodes, saying they were the best of the show yet. Even with positive reviews – season three of The Witcher has garnered an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes – some have pointed out that this move by Netflix feels incredibly desperate as a way to get viewers to continue watching through the season despite the uncertainty of what’s ahead.
Do you think Netflix made a slight against Liam Hemsworth with their The Witcher promotion? Are you looking forward to Hemsworth taking over the role from Cavill? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below!