The Hollywood trend of downplaying strong male characters and actors continues, unfortunately, with Henry Cavill in the upcoming Netflix series, The Witcher, which appears to be doing a bait-and-switch regarding his character Geralt.
While the popular book series is told from the perspective of Geralt of Rivia, the solitary monster hunter, who Henry Cavill plays, it is learned the Netflix The Witcher series is going in a completely opposite direction and will be told from the perspective of the two female characters, Yennefer and Ciri.
Netflix recently held a panel for The Witcher at the London Comic Con where news of the change caused fans to become concerned and worried about the show, particularly with the question of just how much screentime will Henry Cavill and Geralt be featured in the series.
The Witcher not told from perspective of Henry Cavill as Geralt
Showrunner Lauren Hissrich is said to have insisted there is nothing to worry about as she addressed the fan complaints and concerns:
“He is on the screen a lot. It’s important to make sure that Ciri and Yen get their due. We need to understand them all individually, so we can understand them together.”
Hissrich also said that while she read all the books, she wanted to go with Ciri and Yen first:
“It wasn’t easy. They’re 8 books, I’ve read all of them. I knew I wanted to start with the short stories. They explain what the witchers are, [etc]. But I wanted to introduce Ciri and Yennefer earlier. You get to meet Ciri [and really know her] before she interacts with other characters.”
The panel recap from Redanian Intelligence also notes:
While the short stories are told from Geralt‘s perspective, the show will put the female characters Yennefer and Ciri at the forefront of the story from the very beginning. This is to capture them before they’re seen through someone else’s lens. Hissrich took inspiration from Sapkowski who told her about the hardship and enduring strength of Polish women during World War II. With many men falling during the fighting, Polish women assumed an important role.
For fans of the book series, this should be really disappointing news. To boot, Netflix has been promoting Henry Cavill as the main character and lead in the series in all the images, trailers and promotions, but now that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Henry Cavill and Geralt take a backseat to Ciri and Yen
The official description even says Henry Cavill is the lead:
Based on the best-selling fantasy series of books, The Witcher is an epic tale of fate and family. Henry Cavill plays Geralt of Rivia, a solitary monster hunter, struggles to find his place in a world where people often prove more wicked than beasts. But when destiny hurtles him toward a powerful sorceress, and a young princess with a dangerous secret, the three must learn to navigate the increasingly volatile Continent together.
Henry Cavill (Mission Impossible – Fallout, Justice League) leads the cast of The Witcher saga, playing the role of Geralt of Rivia, alongside other main cast members, Anya Chalotra (The ABC Murders, Wanderlust) as Yennefer and Freya Allan (The War of the Worlds, Into The Badlands) as Ciri. Other previously announced cast include Jodhi May (Game of Thrones, Genius) as Calanthe, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson (Fortitude) as Eist, Adam Levy (Knightfall, Snatch) as Mousesack, MyAnna Buring (Ripper Street, Kill List) as Tissaia), Mimi Ndiweni (Black Earth Rising) as Fringilla, Therica Wilson-Read (Profile) as Sabrina, and Emma Appleton (The End of The F**king World) as Renfri, Eamon Farren (The ABC Murders, Twin Peaks) as Cahir, Joey Batey (Knightfall, Strike) as Jaskier, Lars Mikkelsen (House of Cards, Sherlock) as Stregobor, Royce Pierreson (Wanderlust, Judy) as Istredd, Maciej Musiał (1983) as Sir Lazlo, Wilson Radjou-Pujalte (Jamillah & Aladdin, Dickensian) as Dara, and Anna Shaffer (Harry Potter) as Triss.
Update: Showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich responds.
Related: Watch the new trailer.
