Why is Henry Cavill leaving ‘The Witcher’?

nme.com:

The Witcher season three has arrived on Netflix, but this will be the last time fans get to see Henry Cavill in the role of Geralt Of Rivia.Based on the successful fantasy book series and video games of the same name, The Witcher sees Cavill star as a magically super-powered monster hunter (known as a Witcher) who crosses paths with a powerful sorceress and a princess whose untapped magic is sought after by evil forces.The official synopsis for season three reads: “As monarchs, mages, and beasts of the Continent compete to capture Ciri of Cintra, Geralt takes her into hiding, determined to protect his newly-reunited family against those who threaten to destroy it.”Alongside Cavill, the series stars Anya Chalotra as sorceress Yennefer Of Vengerberg and Freya Allan as Princess Ciri.This is, however, the last time Cavill will star in the series, with the actor set to be replaced by Liam Hemsworth for the already confirmed fourth and fifth seasons.While Cavill has never given a precise reason for his departure, it has long been suspected that creative differences ultimately caused him to step away from the role.The actor, who is a noted fan of the books and video games, has hinted for years that he wasn’t entirely happy with Geralt’s dialogue and the overall direction of the series.In 2021, ahead of the release of the second season, the show’s producer Lauren Hissrich revealed that Cavill sent her several notes about Geralt’s dialogue.“A lot of the notes he was sending to me were about Geralt’s dialogue — could he, first of all, say more,” Hissrich told The Hollywood Reporter. “Everybody came out of season 1 laughing and loving Geralt’s fuming.