Henry Cavill has donned the white wig for the last time, with the final batch of The Witcher season 3 episodes landing in July 2023 and wrapping up his time on Netflix's mega-budget fantasy hit.

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The Witcher season 4 has already been confirmed, but massive changes are afoot: Liam Hemsworth is set to take over as Geralt of Rivia, a move that has shocked the industry and divided fans, especially since Cavill was expected to play the titular character for seven seasons.

Initial reactions to the news that Hemsworth would be stepping into Geralt's hunting boots were not good, to say the least.

But the The Hunger Games star could deliver an expectations-defying powerhouse performance yet. And with the rest of the cast firmly in tow, there does seem to be plenty of reasons to tune in.

The series will continue loosely adapting the novels by Andrzej Sapkowski, and that could include a fan-favourite moment - at least according to star Joey Batey.

"There's a thing called the hanza, which I'm looking forward to exploring. It's a bit of a fan-favourite moment, I think," he told Metro, referring to a team assembled by Geralt to rescue Ciri.

Here's everything we know so far about The Witcher season 4 on Netflix.

The Witcher season 4 release date speculation

Joey Batey in The Witcher season 3
Joey Batey in The Witcher season 3 Netflix/Susie Allnutt

The Witcher was renewed for a fourth season in October 2022, but Netflix is yet to announce when the next batch of episodes could arrive.

In all likelihood, it will be quite some time in the future due to the strike action being carried out by both the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild (SAG).

Writing on the new episodes started before the strike, but the issue will need to be settled before production can get underway – and the shoot itself will be long if previous seasons are any indication.

With these factors considered, it's possible we won't see The Witcher season 4 until summer 2025 at the earliest – plenty of time for people to get used to the idea of seeing Liam Hemsworth in that grey wig.

The Witcher season 4 cast

Liam Hemsworth
Liam Hemsworth. Mike Smith/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images Mike Smith/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images

As previously mentioned, Henry Cavill will not appear in The Witcher season 4, after shocking fans and the entertainment industry with his decision to step down from the role of Geralt.

Instead, Liam Hemsworth will lead the cast in what is arguably his most high-profile gig since The Hunger Games franchise wrapped up in 2015. Fans are divided on the choice, but could be persuaded once they see him in action.

There will be plenty of other familiar faces, however, with Freya Allan and Anya Chalotra expected to reprise their respective roles of Princess Ciri and Yennefer of Vengerberg.

The Witcher cast also includes Eamon Farren as the Black Knight, Joey Batey as Jaskier, MyAnna Buring as Tissaia de Vries, Mimî M Khayisa as Fringilla Vigo, and Anna Shaffer as Triss Merigold.

The Witcher season 4 plot theories

Freya Allan in The Witcher, with her arms outstretched
Ciri using her powers in The Witcher. Netflix

There are no plot details for The Witcher season 4, but it's likely that it will be inspired by another of Andrzej Sapkowski's novels, with season 3 adapting Time of Contempt.

Therefore, it would be logical for season 4 to use its sequel, Baptism of Fire, as its primary source material.

Fans are also wondering whether the change in lead actor will be given an in-universe justification, with producer Tomek Bagiński hinting that it could.

"There are a few really good writers returning to the writers' room for season 4," he told RadioTimes.com. "I think they cobbled together a really nice opening which is really true to the books.

"This is a very little thing that I will tease – people who know the books really deeply also know that this is not a typical fantasy book. It's not just one world. It's not just one story happening in those books, in those stories.

"It's a huge, huge world which is very, very complex... I will stop here!"

Is there a trailer for The Witcher season 4?

Not yet! We'll update this page when one arrives, but it probably won't be with us for a while.

The Witcher is available to stream on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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