While some of the series’ fans have since made peace with the news and are looking forward to his replacement, Liam Hemsworth, others have taken to social media to bash the move with many threatening a boycott if Netflix goes ahead with the recasting.
To ensure Cavill remains as Geralt, a fan of the series, Stef Ma, created a Change.org petition asking Netflix to keep the actor. The petition starts with a quote from Andrej Sapkowski, the author of the books that inspired the series, where he commended Cavill’s portrayal of Geralt and compared it to Viggo Mortensen’s portrayal of Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings films. While no official reason has been given for Cavill’s exit, many of the series’ fans believe it is because he disagrees with the showrunners on how the show should progress. According to reports, Cavill wants the show to stay true to its source material, while the showrunners are in favor of switching things up. In light of this, the petition tells Netflix not to hold on to “writers and showrunners that believe themselves to be superior to the actual creator of the stories that made them successful.” The petition goes on to warn Netflix not to repeat HBO’s mistake with the Game of Thrones series. The creator encouraged the series’ fans to show Netflix “in pure numbers” that no fan will stand by their decision to replace the actor and that they can even cancel their subscriptions. While the petition didn’t immediately gain traction, it has now amassed more than 34,000 signatures and fans keep signing every minute. Plenty of fans watch The Witcher because of Cavill. So, it doesn’t come as a surprise that some will go to great lengths to make sure that he stays. However, whether the fans’ wishes and threats will get Netflix to reconsider its decision and work something out to ensure that Cavill stays in the role is something that remains to be seen. As for Cavill, the soon-to-be-former Witcher actor confirmed his return to the DC Universe as Superman. However, there is currently no indication of what the actor’s next role will be. The Witcher’s third season, which will mark Cavill’s final appearance as Geralt wrapped up filming recently and it’s set to release in the summer of 2023. Also, Netflix will release a prequel to The Witcher series subtitled Blood Origin in December.
