Tamal Kundu
The shooting of the Netflix action fantasy series ‘The Witcher’ starts in September 2023 in the United Kingdom. Created by Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, ‘The Witcher’ is based on the namesake series of books by the Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. The narrative is set on a fictional, medieval Europe-inspired landmass known as the Continent and follows the exploits of Geralt of Rivia, the eponymous Witcher, and explores the deep connections he forms with Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra), a witch, and Princess Ciri of Cintra (Freya Allan).
Before the release of the third season, which was split into two parts and slated to be premiered on June 29, 2023, and July 27, 2023, Netflix announced that season 4 has been officially green-lit. The fans of the show were surprised when it was reported that Liam Hemsworth (‘The Hunger Games’ film series) would take over the role of Geralt of Rivia from Henry Cavill (‘Man of Steel). Both actors took to social media to inform the fans of the 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,” Cavill posted on Instagram. “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.”
On the same platform, Hemsworth shared that he was excited to take up the mantle. “As a Witcher fan I’m over the moon about the opportunity to play Geralt of Rivia,” he wrote. “Henry Cavill has been an incredible Geralt, and I’m honoured 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.”
In May 2023, Casting director Sophie Holland revealed to Deadline that ‘The Witcher’ season 5 had been green-lit and the fourth season would be “a nice mix of new characters and returning faces.” We will learn more about the casting of season 4 after the second part of season 3 airs, and it becomes clear which characters die by the end of it.
The filming for the first season took place in Hungry, Austria, Spain, and Poland. For the second season, the cast and crew used various locations in the United Kingdom, and the production endured delays because of COVID-related restrictions. Parts of season 3 were filmed in Croatia.
The success of ‘The Witcher’ has led to the development of a sprawling universe on Netflix, which includes the animated film ‘The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf,’ and the prequel miniseries ‘The Witcher: Blood Origin.’ There is also a highly successful series of video games based on Sapkowski’s books. In the coming months, we can expect more news on production, plot, and casting for ‘The Witcher’ season 4.
Read More: Do Geralt and Yennefer Die in The Witcher Season 3? [Spoiler]
