It’s still up in the air whether or not Henry Cavill has hung up the Kryptonian cape, but regardless of whether he’s still in the DC movies, he will be stepping into the boots of the world’s greatest monster hunter, Geralt of Rivia in Netflix’s Witcher series, set to hit the service next year. And now, we have a look at Cavill as Geralt himself in his first costume test.
Get your first look at Henry Cavill in The Witcher! pic.twitter.com/1O2eWS1MkP
— Netflix US (@netflix) October 31, 2018
As a Witcher fan and someone who doesn’t really worry if actors look exactly like the character or if the casting is perfect or not, I have to say… this is not great. This looks less “pricey Netflix series” and more “not-great Halloween costume.” But it is a costume test. The costume department for the series – which is undoubtedly super busy right now getting medieval costumes for dozens of characters together – will likely improve upon and streamline the costume before the series goes into full production. And often times, these costumes end up looking better on-screen than they do in tests like these. I’m not ready to get my hackles up over it just yet, but if it looks like that once the opening credits are rolling, me and Netflix are definitely going to have words.
This video does confirm again, though, that the series is scheduled for 2019 right now. A bunch of cast members have also been confirmed. TVLine lists Eamon Farren as CahirFreya Allan as Ciri, Anya Chalotra as Yennefer, Anna Shaffer as Triss, Jodhi May as Calanthe, Lars Mikkelsen as Stregobor, Royce Pierreson as Istredd, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson as Eist, Adam Levy as Mousesack, Maciej Musial as Sir Lazlo, Wilson Radjou-Pujalte as Dara, Joey Batey as JaskierMyAnna Buring as Tissaia, Mimi Ndiweni as Fringilla, Therica Wilson-Read as Sabrina, and Millie Brady as Renfri.
The costuming seems to suggest that it’ll be a younger-looking Geralt in the show, though the presence of Ciri as a late teenager puts it firmly in his later years, according to the lore of the books and games. So maybe Netflix is doing a bit of twisting to make the series work as a TV show, aging some characters up or down, changing whether they have or haven’t yet met, and things like that. That’s all pure conjecture, though.
Cavill himself seems to be a fan of the character and series. Shortly before he got the role, he’d mentioned in an interview that he was a fan of the series and wanted to play its lead protagonist. Barely a month later, Cavill was confirmed as the star of the series. Whether his love for the series prompted his casting or his casting was already in progress back in August and he was researching the role, we can only guess.
We’re looking forward to seeing The Witcher hit the small screen next year, hopefully with a slightly better wig.
