REPORT: Netflix's The Witcher May Not Last Past Season 5
There has been widespread speculation regarding
The Witcher's future after actor Henry Cavill announced his departure from the Netflix series, further fueled by the disappointing reception to the prequel series,
The Witcher: Blood Origin. Now, reports have emerged suggesting the streaming giant may not see the fantasy show last beyond Season 5.
According to
Redanian Intelligence, Season 4 is still very much in development, as is Season 5. However, when it came to the show's future beyond that, unnamed sources suggested the show's future is uncertain. Moreover, Redanian Intelligence highlighted the fact final seasons for Netflix shows are often filmed back-to-back, which was the plan for
The Witcher Seasons 4 and 5, though Netflix has not officially confirmed the latter.
The Witcher Season 4 and 5 Remain a Mystery
The Witcher Season 4 was officially announced back in October 2022, alongside Cavill's exit and Liam Hemsworth's casting as Geralt of Rivia. However, details concerning the upcoming show have been surfacing since much earlier. In early 2022,
director Stephen Surjik already indicated the season had been mapped out, stating "The writers and producers mapped out Season 4... I don't know if I'm part of that mapping program, but at least they told me that they're mapping it out," though he gave no indication about Season 5.
Much of the conversation surrounding the future of
The Witcher has revolved around the switch from
Cavill to Hemsworth. Neither Cavill nor Netflix have publicly explained the reasons behind the change, though reports suggest recasting was being discussed as early as Season 2's post-production stage, stemming from Cavill's disagreements with the creative direction of the series and the show's producers
Netflix's Fantasy Series Faces Backlash
Fans of
The Witcher have speculated that the disagreements were largely based on the show's deviations from the events and characters of Andrzej Sapkowski's novels. Season 2 of the series is often cited as the clearest example, as it only loosely adapts the events of
Blood of Elves (translated by Danusia Stok), introducing new events and characters, such as Voleth Meir. Showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich previously explained that this was due to the lack of action in the novel and the need for forward momentum.
These deviations, along with Cavill's exit and claims that
The Witcher's writers room "actively disliked" the books and games culminated in immense backlash over the last few months. Responding to the criticisms, Hissrich assured Season 3, which will mark Cavill's last appearance as Geralt of Rivia, will adhere to the novel,
Time of Contempt (translated by David French). "Season 3, to me, is the closest thing that we've done as a one-to-one adaptation of the books," she explained. Additionally, she dismissed the claims about the writers room, stating that it was untrue.
Season 3 of
The Witcher is scheduled to premiere in the summer of 2023.
