Henry Cavill Heads to Netflix for ‘The Witcher’ Saga
Sometimes fan-casting dreams really do come true — like with Henry Cavill and The Witcher. Over the last several weeks, the erstwhile Man of Steel has been depicted as the lead character of the fantasy saga in numerous pieces of fan art circulating online. Even Cavill himself got into the idea, sharing some fan art on his own Instagram. Whatever internet sorcery was at play seemed to have worked because Cavill has officially signed on to play the lead role in Netflix’s series adaptation of the Witcher saga.
Variety reports that Cavill has joined the streaming giant’s adaptation of the beloved fantasy series The Witcher, in which he’ll play monster hunter Geralt of Rivia. Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, whose credits include Daredevil and The West Wing, will serve as executive producer and showrunner on the new series, which is described as follows:
Based on the best-selling fantasy series, The Witcher is an epic tale of fate and family. 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.
It’s about time Netflix attempted some longform high fantasy, and recruiting Superman (and hopefully his Fallout mustache? DARE TO DREAM) is a pretty smart way to get non-Witcher fans excited about it. For those unaware, The Witcher is based on a series of novels that began life as short stories published by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski in the ’80s. In the decades since, the series has inspired a similarly beloved video game franchise, comic books, and tabletop RPGs.
The first season of The Witcher will be comprised of eight episodes directed by Alik Sakharov, Alex Garcia Lopez, and Charlotte Brändström. As noted by Variety, this is Cavill’s first television role since he appeared on Showtime’s period drama The Tudors back in 2010.