The first real set photos of Liam Hemsworth as Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher season 4 have been leaked, and already comparisons between Hemsworth’s look and Henry Cavill’s are being drawn. The news that Cavill would exit as Geralt after season 3 and the subsequent announcement that Hemsworth would be replacing him in The Witcher season 4 cast came as a shock to fans, especially considering how dedicated Cavill had been to the role as a fan of the video games and books. With such a long time to wait, audiences have been anxious to see Hemsworth in the role for the first time.
Now that the first pictures are out, it should calm some of the negative sentiment that has been going around online since Hemsworth’s casting announcement. It will be nearly impossible for Hemsworth to please everyone – fandoms are notoriously hard to please and can often be toxic – but the first reactions to the set pics are largely positive. The differences between Liam Hemsworth’s portrayal of Geralt in The Witcher season 4 and Henry Cavill’s portrayal in the first three seasons are there, but the differences aren’t necessarily bad things.
The Witcher season 4 set photos show Liam Hemsworth in costume as Geralt, clad in monochrome black with the trademark platinum locks. The scene being shot appears to be a recreation of the beach fight scene between Geralt and Mahesh Jadu’s evil sorcerer Vilgefortz from The Witcher season 3, episode 6, with Jadu, Hemsworth, and Hemsworth’s stunt double, Joel Adrian, being part of the shoot. That fight saw Geralt beaten to the point of near death, so the fight scene being re-shot hints that there might be some flashback scenes to it in The Witcher season 4, as well as some other scenes of Hemsworth in Cavill’s armor from season 2.
Those worrying that Hemsworth wouldn’t look at all like Cavill need not worry. He’s not a dead ringer – Hemsworth is a little leaner than the brawny Cavill and younger – but the resemblance should put at least some fears to rest. He’s certainly the mirror image of Cavill in terms of costuming for the scene, with him in the same black pants, shirts, boots, and pendant that Cavill wore in the season 3 fight scene. The transition won’t be completely seamless, but it appears the Witcher team is doing everything it can to ensure the transition from Cavill to Hemsworth is as smooth as possible.
Previous interviews with showrunner Lauren Hissrich and the creative team behind The Witcher have promised a more “lore-accurate” depiction of Geralt with the transition to Liam Hemsworth and that certainly appears to be the case. While certain fans of Cavill and the show have been up in arms about Hemsworth’s recasting and are lamenting the fact he doesn’t match Cavill’s bulk, Hemsworth’s leaner physique is actually much closer to the description of Geralt from the books and even the games. While Geralt is certainly muscled and athletic, he’s not nearly as large as the huge Cavill, who has stayed as big as he was when he played Superman.
That said, neither Hemsworth nor Cavill were that accurate to Geralt’s description in the books. He’s supposed to be sinewy and slim, with plenty of scars and, quite frankly, pretty odd to look at. In the book, he’s described as having incredibly pale skin and cat eyes thanks to the mutations he undergoes while becoming a Witcher. Outside the white hair, neither exactly matches Geralt’s description from the books; both actors are far too good-looking for that. But it’s a good sign that Hemsworth appears, at the very least, closer to Geralt’s appearance from the games.
The first set photos may alleviate some fears for viewers – at least those who aren’t simply determined not to give Hemsworth a chance, that is – but there are still a few aspects of Geralt’s character that he must nail to really make the role his own. Along with Geralt’s physical appearance, the first of the elements Liam Hemsworth must also convincingly capture is Geralt’s unique voice. Geralt’s longtime voice actor from the games, Doug Cockle, brought Geralt’s low, raspy voice from the books to life, and Cavill recreated that in his own way in the Netflix show, taking particular inspiration from The Witcher 3 game. Hemsworth will have to closely mimic Cavill’s voice for Geralt to keep the actor-to-actor transition flowing.
The last and final piece of the Geralt puzzle is his fighting prowess and Witcher battle abilities. While they’re just snapshots that don’t show him in motion, Liam Hemsworth looks pretty good swinging around a sword. It certainly helps that Hemsworth is naturally athletic as an actor, and that he has plenty of action-oriented movies and TV shows under his belt. He’s no stranger to handling weapons on set and convincingly selling fight scenes, which gives him a big leg up over numerous other actors who might have replaced Cavill in the role. Hemsworth is in an unenviable position taking over for Cavill in The Witcher, but from the look of things, he’s set up to be as solid in the role of Geralt as possible.