'The Witcher' Fans Slam Henry Cavill Ad as 'Disrespectful'

'The Witcher' Fans Slam Henry Cavill Ad as 'Disrespectful',The Witcher fans do not like the way Netflix is marketing the change from Henry Cavill to Liam Hemsworth. The streamer announced last year that after Season 3, Cavill would leave the show and would be recast as Hemsworth starting in Season 4 – a change that has consumed the fandom despite being [...]

‘The Witcher’ Fans Slam Henry Cavill Ad as ‘Disrespectful’

The Witcher fans do not like the way Netflix is marketing the change from Henry Cavill to Liam Hemsworth. The streamer announced last year that after Season 3, Cavill would leave the show and would be recast as Hemsworth starting in Season 4 – a change that has consumed the fandom despite being years away. Now, fans are saying that ads emphasizing Cavill’s swan song are a bad look for the show overall.

The new ad campaign that has fans upset features the catchphrase “YEs, he’s still Geralt in Season 3,” sandwiched between the logos for Netflix and The Witcher. This weekend, the official Netflix Twitter account posted photos where this slogan was projected onto buildings around the world at the scale of billboard, and apparently even onto a mountainside in one case. Fans thought that this kind of flippant meta-commentary was a disservice to Cavill’s performance and could undercut Hemsworth’s debut, while many also felt that it implied some desperation from the streamer.

Just in case you need a reminder. pic.twitter.com/bvV0hYjymU

— The Witcher (@witchernetflix) July 3, 2023

Cavill has been synonymous with The Witcher because he was already a huge fan of the franchise before the show began, having played the video games and read the books. He did not give a reason for his departure but many fans have speculated that he had creative clashes with the writers and producers over places where the show portrayed events or characters differently from the books. This has never been confirmed and has been disputed in many ways, especially since it coincided with rapid developments in Cavill’s career in other franchises.

Nonetheless, many commenters have said that they will be ignoring Netflix’s Witcher franchise after Cavill departs, and clearly the streamer has taken that to heart. Season 3, Volume 1 premiered last week on Netflix, and Volume 2 premieres on Thursday, July 27. Here’s a look at what fans are saying about this marketing strategy.

Messy

Such a mess they’ve made. Imo this season is still worth watching for Cavill’s performance alone as Geralt, whatever one thinks of the changes to the story, to honour the effort he’s put into that role.

— Lokabrenna (@bluemarbl) July 4, 2023

Fans speculated that this post meant Netflix is not seeing great viewership numbers for The Witcher Season 3, which is not necessarily the case. As one of Netflix’s biggest intellectual properties, The Witcher gets a more substantial marketing push than many of its other shows. The idea that posts like this are undercutting Hemsworth is a bit more subjective.

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Know What’s Coming

The motivation to watch the new season of the Witcher, knowing that Henry Cavill won’t be in it next season, is at zero. Because I know for a fact I’m not watching Liam Hemsworth as Geralt. No thank you.

— Becca 🌷 (@BeccaEmilyB) July 3, 2023

For some fans, Season 3 is not worth the watch because they know the story won’t be completed with Cavill at the helm.

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Committed

They already renewed it for 4 and 5!

— Paul Tassi (@PaulTassi) July 4, 2023

Some fans predicted that Netflix would cancel The Witcher if Season 3 performed badly, meaning Hemsworth might never make it to the screen. Netflix has reportedly greenlit future seasons, though studios have been known to pull out of those agreements at the last minute.

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Poor Liam

if i was Liam Hemsworth and i saw this i would cry so bad https://t.co/VjEAzzeK6Y

— LeBluesky Triller Moth (@legotrillermoth) July 6, 2023

Do you have to make this any more awkward for Liam Hemsworth. https://t.co/LEFpyS4IdV

— Dan (@GolazoDan) July 5, 2023

Fans thought it was rude of Netflix to refer to this transition so publicly knowing Hemsworth would likely see it. They felt bad for the actor stepping into a beloved role that many people wanted to see Cavill continue playing.

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Only Option

Most likely because in one of the tweets there were images saying “Yes, he’s still Geralt in Season 3”, and it kinda gives vibes of “it’s still the one with the good actor in it”. Liam maybe will be a good Geralt, but people will hate him because Geralt isn’t Henry anymore.

— EndlessZing (@EndlessZing) July 5, 2023

Some fans seemed to think that making a joke out of this recasting is Netflix’s only choice since they can’t ignore the overwhelming fan response on social media.

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Informative

I wasn’t sure until I watched some of the new season. These Liam Hemsworth rumors are all over the place.

— Matt Burton (@mcburtwist) July 4, 2023

Some fans who don’t follow entertainment news too closely genuinely found this ad campaign informative. With the re-casting announced so far it advance, it felt natural to assume that Season 3 would star Hemsworth, not Cavill.

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Celebrating

OKAYYYYYY SAY IT AGAIN pic.twitter.com/lvxVfTpztk

— ollie 🗡 (@sapphicyen) July 3, 2023

Finally, fans that are enjoying Season 3 made celebratory posts, ignoring the heated discourse to come in favor of the awe-inspiring action they’re in the middle of now. The Witcher Season 3, Volume 1 is streaming now on Netflix. Volume 2, Cavill’s final batch of episodes, premieres on Thursday, July 27.

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