Although the third installment of The Witcher was received with mixed feelings, Netflix has gone on to announce that production for The Witcher season 4 is underway and will be immediately followed by season 5 which will mark its final season.
RELATED: THE WITCHER Season 4 Lands Laurence Fishburne as Regis
The announcement was first released on the official X (formerly known as Twitter) The Witcher page on Thursday, April 18. The announcement read:
“It’s official, The Witcher season 4 is in production. But that’s not all, we’re already planning season 5, which will be the final season and bring this epic show to a fitting conclusion. See you on The Continent.”
—The Witcher‘s Official X Page, April 18, 2024—
The announcement was accompanied by a short clip of the cast doing a table read. According to the April 18 article published on the Netflix website, the upcoming seasons will continue to adapt the book series based on the same name which was written by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski.
Both the penultimate season and the final season will be based on Sapkowski’s Baptism of Fire, The Tower of the Swallow, and Lady of the Lake. And afterward, viewers will bid goodbye to the story of Geralt of Rivia and his many adventures. The table read clip also featured Liam Hemsworth who replaced Henry Cavill as the titular character The Witcher amid the other cast members.
On The Witcher Season 4’s Logline and Returning Cast Members
According to Netflix’s April 18 article, the logline for The Witcher season 4 reads:
“After the shocking, Continent-altering events that close out season three, the new season follows Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri who are faced with traversing the war-ravaged Continent and its many demons apart from each other. If they can embrace and lead the groups of misfits they find themselves in, they have a chance of surviving the baptism of fire and finding one another again.”
—Netflix article published April 18, 2024—
As for the casts, Anya Chalotra will reprise her role of Yennefer of Vengerberg, Freya Allan will reprise her role as Princess Cirilla of Cintra, Joey Batey will also reprise his role as Jaskier, Getalt’s long-time friend. The website also went on to list other returning casts; Laurence Fishburne (Regis) Eamon Farren (Cahir), Anna Shaffer (Triss Merigold), Mimî M Khayisa (Fringilla), Cassie Clare (Philippa), Mahesh Jadu (Vilgefortz), Meng’er Zhang (Milva), Graham McTavish (Dijkstra), Royce Pierreson (Istredd), Mecia Simson (Francesca), Sharlto Copley (Leo Bonhart), Danny Woodburn (Zoltan).
Will The Witcher Seasons 4 And 5 Have Good Reception?
When The Witcher season 1 first aired in December 2019 with a total of 8 episodes, the show ultimately drew a rating of 68% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, it was highly successful. Netflix later announced that the series was one of the most popular TV shows of the year. The second season which aired in December 2021 did considerably better with reviews, scoring a 95% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the third season scored lower on Rotten Tomatoes at 79%.
It could be said that the drop in season 3’s viewership was somewhat expected following the news that Cavill will no longer reprise his role of Geralt of Rivia after season 3. The announcement was made by Cavill on his Instagram account in October 2022 as he told his followers:
“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.”
— Henry Cavill’s Instagram Announcement, October 29, 2022 —
Afterward, the Man Of Steel star introduced his successor as the Hunger Games actor Liam Hemsworth, and to confirm the news, Hemsworth took to Instagram that same day to write:
“As a Witcher fan I’m over the moon about the opportunity to play Geralt of Rivia. 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.”
—Liam Hemsworth’s Instagram Announcement, October 29, 2022—
The news of Cavill’s departure from the Netflix series came at the time when it was believed that he would return to the DC Universe to reprise his role as Superman and face off with Black Adam as teased in the end credits of 2022’s Black Adam. However, despite the one-off cameo return, it was later announced that Cavill’s time as Superman had ended.
Due to how Cavill was dropped back to back from both shows, coupled with the fact that viewers are already used to how he perfectly embodied Geralt and didn’t have the heart to watch his goodbye to the show in Season 3. It could be argued that it was one of the many reasons for the viewership drop. That being said, the question of whether the upcoming seasons will be received well comes in, especially after the announcement that the series will end in Season 5.
The question stems from the fact that viewers are yet to get familiar with Hemsworth as Geralt, and just when they might be warming up to him, the show will end. Of course, there’s always the possibility of the viewership rising again but that remains to be seen.
About The Witcher
Release Date: Season 4 TBA
Executive Producers: Lauren Schmidt Hissrich
Distribution: Netflix
Cast: Liam Hemsworth, Laurence Fishburne, Freya Allan, Anya Chalotra, Mahesh Jadu, Joey Batey, Bart Edwards, and Meng’er Zhang
Synopsis: After the shocking, Continent-altering events that close out season three, the new season follows Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri who are faced with traversing the war-ravaged Continent and its many demons apart from each other. If they can embrace and lead the groups of misfits they find themselves in, they have a chance of surviving the baptism of fire — and finding one another again.
With the massive viewership drop in The Witcher Season 3, do you think Season 4 stands a chance or will it plummet further? Share your thoughts in the comments below or on our social media. Keep following the Illuminerdi for more Netflix content like this, we’re always watching.
SOURCE: Netflix
KEEP READING: The Witcher: Blood Origin Casting 2 Elven Leads: Exclusive
