Reuters: Netflix fantasy series “The Witcher” returns to screens after more than two years with a new lead actor and a fresh tone, its makers say.
The new instalment, which starts streaming on Thursday, sees Australian actor Liam Hemsworth taking over the role of Geralt of Rivia from Henry Cavill, who played the monster hunter since the series began in 2019 and stepped down after 2023’s season three.
The show is based on Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski’s books, and follows Geralt as he hunts monsters in a fantasy realm known as the Continent.
“It wasn’t lost on me that there’s a massive, passionate fan base that really care about this character and this world. As a fan myself, I felt like I could bring something to it and I wanted to do justice to this world.”
Hemsworth came to the project with “a lot of ideas”, hoping to inject some levity into Geralt’s storyline.
“I’m playing my interpretation of what I think is going to be beneficial to this world, this story and his journey,” he told Reuters.
Creator Lauren Schmidt Hissrich said season four strikes a balance between the dry sense of humour brought by Hemsworth and “super dark moments”.
“Matrix” actor Laurence Fishburne is another addition, playing vampire Regis. New to the fantasy genre, Fishburne was drawn by the diversity he saw in earlier seasons.
