Season 3 of The Witcher: Looking Beyond Henry Cavill
The Witcher seasons 3 and beyond will not be the same without Henry Cavill, but pinning our hopes on the Superman actor's fandom alone to save the fantasy series would be misguided. While Cavill's casting initially seemed perfect, with his star power and genuine love for The Witcher franchise, many fans now point to his departure as evidence of the show's decline. However, it is important to recognize that blindly supporting Cavill is not the solution, as The Witcher faces challenges that go beyond the scope of a single actor's ability.
Season 3 of The Witcher is yet to air, but Cavill has already confirmed that it will be his last. The reasons for his departure remain unclear, but it is possible that he left due to other commitments, such as a potential return to his role as Superman and his passion for Warhammer.
Another theory suggests that Cavill didn't feel the show stayed true to the books and disagreed with its direction. While fans often place the blame on Cavill, this argument is also misguided. Making a fantasy series is a challenging task, despite the success of The Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones.
The Witcher faces unique challenges in balancing the inherently silly elements of fantasy with dark and serious themes. For example, fans frequently cite the show's dragons as a major issue, as the beasts don't look convincing. However, it is worth noting that the franchise's creator, Andrzej Sapkowski, himself wasn't a fan of the dragons and they were ultimately his decision.
Regardless of whether Cavill's casting truly was the problem, it is likely that his love for the source material alone wasn't enough to create a successful show. While many fans watched The Witcher primarily because of Cavill, the show's popularity may actually decrease without him.
The thing is, being a fan of the source material does not guarantee the ability to make a successful TV show. Fans of Star Wars often criticize the direction the newer films have taken, but being a lifelong fan doesn't automatically make someone better equipped to create a Star Wars film than someone with little prior knowledge.
In fact, sometimes the opposite is true – outsiders can bring unique perspectives to a franchise that lifelong fans can't. For example, The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson was unfamiliar with Star Wars before making the movie, and it turned out to be one of the best entries in the franchise.
Instead of relying solely on fans, it is crucial to always explore new ideas and push boundaries in adaptations. While The Witcher may not find success even with a different lead actor, such as Liam Hemsworth, it will never improve without a major change in approach.
It's also important to note that many fans of The Witcher were introduced to the franchise through the games rather than the books. Cavill's dedication to the lore and alleged lack of respect for female writers and directors on set could have caused disruptions.
While we cannot know for sure whether Cavill's adherence to the source material positively or negatively affected the show, it is safe to say that blindly following a source material isn't always the best approach.
Even if The Witcher is ultimately doomed, we should learn from this situation that adaptations shouldn't be mere imitations of the source material. Adapting means changing and creating a different piece of art.
Star Wars has shown us that lifelong fans and outsiders can both bring unique perspectives to a franchise. Instead of relying solely on fans, we should be exploring new ideas and pushing boundaries in adaptations.
