A New Geralt Steps In
The Witcher season four on Netflix was always going to have a tough time. Henry Cavill had already cemented himself as the live action Geralt of Rivia for a lot of fans, and any replacement was walking straight into a storm. That replacement of course is Liam Hemsworth and the reaction so far has been pretty mixed.
Some critics say Hemsworth barely registers on screen. He has been called basically invisible and more like supporting cast in what has become an ensemble show instead of a Geralt focused story. The performance is not being called terrible, but it is also not getting much loud praise.
There is at least one very important voice in the Witcher world who thinks Hemsworth deserves more credit. Doug Cockle the voice actor who played Geralt across all three main Witcher games has come out in support of Hemsworths version of the character.
At the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards Cockle appeared on stage with Ciara Berkeley who plays Ciri in The Witcher 4 game to present the Best Storytelling award. In an interview there he shared his thoughts on the Netflix series and the new face of Geralt.
Cockle said he loved Henry Cavills take on the character and was sad to see him go. Cavill was a fantastic Witcher and really owned Geralt for three seasons. Fans might remember that Cavill even based his gruff Witcher voice on Cockles performance from the games which made that version of Geralt feel particularly authentic for players.
Even with that history Cockle says he has watched the newest season and thinks Liam holds up pretty well. Coming from the original game Geralt that is not nothing.
Why Following Cavill Is So Hard
Part of Hemsworths problem is timing. The first season of The Witcher was all about introducing Geralt and letting Cavill chew through monster contracts and one liners. Over time though the story has widened and shifted toward the full ensemble cast and the bigger saga from Andrzej Sapkowskis books.
By season four the focus is spread across:
- Yennefer played by Anya Chalotra still one of the stand out performances in the series
- Ciri played by Freya Allan whose storyline grows more central and complex
- Jaskier played by Joey Batey a fan favorite with three seasons of character work already behind him
- New heavy hitters like Lawrence Fishburne Danny Woodburn and Sharlto Copley who all bring serious acting presence
So Hemsworth is jumping in just as the narrative becomes more crowded and his character is less of the solo star. Even if he nailed everything perfectly Geralt is simply not the only show in town anymore.
On top of that he made a bold choice with the most obvious part of the role the voice. Where Cavill leaned hard into the gravelly Cockle style delivery Hemsworth is not trying to copy it. Some reviewers see that as a mistake because the voice is one of the most iconic pieces of the character for fans of both the games and the early seasons.
But from Doug Cockles point of view that break from imitation is actually the right call. He points out that Hemsworth is different and has made Geralt his own character. For Cockle that is exactly what any good actor should do when stepping into an existing role rather than trying to be a carbon copy of the last person.
Cockle even goes as far as to say Hemsworth has done a fantastic job and that he is looking forward to watching season five to see where things go next. It is a reminder that while fans naturally compare Hemsworth to Cavill the goal is not to create a perfect duplicate but a new interpretation that still fits the world.
The Future Of Netflixs Witcher And Beyond
Even with Cockles support the numbers are not amazing. Season four of The Witcher has not performed as well as earlier seasons with weaker critical reception and lower viewer counts. The change in lead actor likely plays a role but so do the shifting tone and bigger ensemble focus which do not line up with what every fan originally signed up for.
That said the story on Netflix is not over. The fifth and final season is basically a lock. Netflix already shot it back to back with season four so most of the work is done. While the streaming giant has not given a firm date yet the expectation is that season five will arrive sometime in late 2026.
That last season will likely be Hemsworths best chance to really win over Witcher fans. By then viewers will have had more time to adjust to his face and voice and the writers will be able to lean into his strengths instead of just plugging him into Cavills old space. With the main cast already comfortable in their roles and more room to refine the new Geralt season five could be the moment where his version finally clicks for more people.
Meanwhile the Witcher universe is doing just fine outside Netflix. CD Projekt is deep into work on The Witcher 4 with Ciri at the center of that next game and mods and console commands keep The Witcher 3 alive for veterans and new players. The original books are still bringing fresh readers into the Continent every year.
For now the interesting twist is that the person who helped define Geralt for millions of players is publicly backing the new guy on screen. If Doug Cockle says Liam Hemsworth is making the character his own it might be worth going into season four with an open mind and seeing what this different Geralt actually brings to the table.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/movies-tv/reviews-be-damned-the-witcher-voice-actor-doug-cockle-thinks-liam-hemsworth-holds-up-pretty-well-as-geralt-in-netflixs-television-series-i-think-hes-done-a-fantastic-job/
