“Never Lost, Always Found.”
However, it looks like viewers are lost over the updates for The Witcher Season 4 ever since its renewal in October 2022. It has been almost a year since the announcement, and a negligible amount of updates have knocked on our doors.
This fantasy drama series was created by Lauren Sucidt Hissrich, based on the enthralling book series named The Witcher by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski. It is surrounded around the conquests of the Geralt of Rivia in the mystical land called Continent, where he meets up with another sorceress, and together they fight to protect someone with something valuable inside, which every creature on that land is after. As we go through his journey, we get caught up in the whirlwind of out-of-this-world mystical creatures who are after the same thing The Witcher is protecting.
Given this riveting plotline, it is no surprise that the first few seasons of The Witcher caught everyone’s attention, so much so they have been impatiently waiting for the arrival of Season 4. We have recent updates on the status of The Witcher Season 4, so you have come to the right place. In case you are wondering whether we have bumped across any new updates in the month of August, keep reading because we have some answers.
The Witcher Season 4: Are There Any Expectations For August?
The series will be back to continue and explore the legends of Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer of Vengerberg, and Princess Ciri. As, the official Twitter handle of the show also confirmed the renewal update by sharing a quick post among their followers on the various social media handles, quoting, “It’s official: The Witcher is returning for Season 4, and Henry Cavill will be handing his swords to Liam Hemsworth as the new Geralt of Rivia after Season 3. Welcome to the Witcher family, @LiamHemsworth!”
It’s official: The Witcher is returning for Season 4, and Henry Cavill will be handing his swords to Liam Hemsworth as the new Geralt of Rivia after Season 3. Welcome to the Witcher family, @LiamHemsworth!
Read more: https://t.co/ABQMdqkzXX pic.twitter.com/xyIaRBbiRT
— The Witcher (@witchernetflix) October 29, 2022
Well, Season 3 was, unfortunately, the final time Henry Cavill donned his iconic white wig. Now it has been passed on to Liam Hemsworth for Season 4. This invited an expected divide among supporters and haters. Although we believe that Liam can shoulder the fandom, Cavill has left him.
While an official release date for The Witcher season 4 has yet to be announced, the fact that it is already in production is an exciting development for fans of the show. Additionally, the confirmation of Season 5 by Netflix further fuels speculation about the release of Season 4.
The exact release window has not been hinted at due to the ongoing strikes, which include the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike along with the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, that has caused both writers and actors to join hands in protest regarding their fair compensation. This has caused many production houses to come to a temporary halt, and we speculate that the same has happened with this series cast and crew.
There is a recent buzz that is created surrounding a possible date for The Witcher Season 4 release, but we have the actual update regarding it, so you can be clear.
Just to get it out of the way, fans might be overjoyed to know that the scripts for Season 4 are all done and ready to go. They began in fall 2022, and by May 2023, they were ready. So it is safe to say that the WGA strike did not create a hiatus for the script writing. (this information is backed by Collider)
In other news, we regret to inform you that Netflix had previously announced the commencement of production in September 2023 owing to the SAG AFTRA strike situation, but it is safe to say that Netflix has pushed that date to 2024. So, production will actually begin in 2024.
Further, following the traditions of the earlier seasons, it takes at least 15-18 months for filming and post-production, given its loud VFX and heavy set production. Hence our final prediction for the release of The Witcher Season 4 is the 1st quarter of 2025.
So any possibility of an August release for The Witcher Season 4 seems impossible.
The Witcher Season 4: Cast
There is a big cast swap this season. Let’s get to that after listing the other cast members who will appear in Season 4:
- Freya Allan as Cirilla
- Anya Chalotra as Yennefer
- Joey Batey as Jaskier
- Mimî M. Khayisa as Fringilla
- Eamon Farren as Cahir
- Anna Shaffer as Triss Merigold
- Royce Pierreson as Istredd
- Wilson Mbomio as Dara
- Mahesh Jadu as Vilgefortz
- Graham McTavish as Sigismund Dijkstra
- Cassie Clare as Philippa Eilhart
- Bart Edwards as Emperor Emyhr
- Hugh Skinner as Prince Radovid
- Therica Wilson-Read as Sabrina
- Cal Watson as Eva.
- Christelle Elwin as Mistle
- Rochelle Rose as Margarita Laux-Antille
- Frances Pooley as Teryn (fake Ciri)
- Meng’er Zhang as Milva
- Mecia Simson as Francesca
- Safiyya Ingar as Keira
- Ben Radcliffe as Giselher
- Fabian McCallum as Kayleigh
- Aggy K. Adams as Iskra
- Connor Crawford as Asse
- Juliette Alexandra as Reef.
A few cast members who will not be back include Tom Canton, MyAnna Buring, Ed Birch, Kaine Zajaz, Terence Maynard, Robbie Amell, and Sam Woolf.
Now to the main cast swap we were talking about. Looks like Henry Cavill’s last appearance was in Season 3. It is time to say goodbye to Henry Cavill as our beloved witcher and say hello to another heartthrob Liam Hemsworth, who has donned the character of the new witcher. Here is a Twitter post to confirm that switch.
Here is Henry Cavill’s take on the role change:
“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,” said Cavill in a statement. “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.”
And here is what Liam Hemsworth has to say:
“As a Witcher fan I’m over the moon about the opportunity to play Geralt of Rivia,” he said in a statement. “Henry Cavill has been an incredible Geralt, and I’m honored 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.”
So it looks like both are upbeat and grateful for the recent role swap. It will be interesting to see if Liam Hemsworth can shoulder the burden of the fame Henry Cavill brought to the role.
The Witcher Season 4: How will they introduce the main character’s role change?
*Spoiler Alert*
This is a question most asked by the fans ever since the news broke about Liam Hemsworth replacing Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia. With such a reputable response to the series, it would be careless of the showrunners to change the main face of the cast and not have any explanation for it.
In relation to this role change, producer Tomek Bagiński told RadioTimes.
“There are a few really good writers returning to the writers’ room for season 4. I think they cobbled together a really nice opening which is really true to the books. This is a very little thing that I will tease – people who know the books really deeply also know that this is not a typical fantasy book. It’s not just one world. It’s not just one story happening in those books, in those stories. It’s a huge, huge world which is very, very complex… I will stop here!”
Here is where the books it is based on play a crucial role. This season is inspired by the second installment in Andrzej Sapkowski’s Witcher book series, “Time of Contempt,” in which we finally see our hero reckoning with his feelings after two seasons of steely, tough-guy detachment. This means there may be some romance in the books, and our guy Liam has some experience in that field.
However, another book in the novel series is “Baptism of Fire,” which includes a ‘meta’ trajectory to the story of the Witcher. And if you have read the novels (check out Screen Rant’s guide on how to read the novels in chronological order), you will know that The Witcher enters a multiverse trajectory by the end. Mythic figures like King Arthur are shown to exist in parallel universes as well. Back to ‘Baptism of Fire,’ Sapkowski dives into the idea of there being a storyteller, a narrator if you will, who is telling the story of Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer to a group of kids. That group includes a young Nimue, a character from the Arthurian legend. The idea that Geralt’s story is a myth in a different world is a thread that becomes crucial by the time of the final Witcher novel, The Lady of the Lake. So adding a narrator can change the way in which he wants Geralt to look according to his imagination. This imagination can be conjured into being Liam Hemsworth. This is maybe how the narrator perceives Geralt to look as opposed to when there was no narrator and Geralt looked like Henry Cavill.
Ciri saw it in a vision. Volume 2 of The Witcher, now streaming. pic.twitter.com/l0FEiptY0I
— The Witcher (@witchernetflix) July 27, 2023
The Witcher Season 4: Plot
There are a lot of trajectories to the story of The Witcher, and there are several different angles to which this story can be told. However, Witcher Season 4 will be based on its regular storyline, which reads,
The story begins with Geralt of Rivia, Crown Princess Ciri of Cintra, and the sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg at different periods in time, exploring formative events that shape their identities throughout the course of the first season before merging into a single timeline. Convinced that Yennefer’s life was lost at the Battle of Sodden, Geralt of Rivia brings Princess Cirilla to the safest place he knows, his childhood home of Kaer Morhen. While the Continent’s kings, elves, humans, and demons strive for supremacy outside its walls, he must protect the girl from something far more dangerous: the mysterious power she possesses inside.
“As monarchs, mages, and beasts of the Continent compete to capture her, Geralt takes Ciri of Cintra into hiding, determined to protect his newly reunited family against those who threaten to destroy it. Entrusted with Ciri’s magical training, Yennefer leads them to the protected fortress of Aretuza, where she hopes to discover more about the girl’s untapped powers; instead, they discover they’ve landed in a battlefield of political corruption, dark magic, and treachery. They must fight back, put everything on the line – or risk losing each other forever.”
We will continue to see if Geralt and Yennefer are successful in protecting Princess Ciri against everyone who is after her for a power that lies within her, or will she tap into it and turn evil? We will just have to wait to find out.
The Witcher Season 4: Into the Multiverse?
Yes, the creators have given a strong indication that we will be moving into the multiverse with The Witcher. Executive producer Tomek Baginski explained,