Ever since the news broke about Liam Hemsworth replacing Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher, fans have been very vocal about their opinion on the matter.
Nearly everyone is devastated that Henry has stepped down from what appeared to be his very own dream role.
Others are happy to see what Liam can do in the role but will reserve their judgment until Season 4 of The Witcher drops.
Some viewers are even threatening to stop watching after Season 3 airs, unable to see anyone else in Geralt’s shoes except for Henry. Even a Change.org petition has been started to have Henry reinstated and the writers replaced.
Then, there are those who are already insisting that Liam will be terrible in the role and are extremely vocal about their criticism.
However, it turns out that Liam might have been one of Netflix’s top picks from the very start.
Liam Hemsworth originally auditioned for The Witcher
According to a fansite dedicated to The Witcher, Redanian Intelligence, it appears that Liam Hemsworth was one of the original actors who auditioned for Geralt of Rivia.
While Redanian Intelligence doesn’t cite its source, the website has been correct with rumors many times in the past, so it can be considered relatively reputable. However, as with any unofficial source, fans should be cautious about the claim until either Netflix or Liam come out and make an official statement on the matter.
According to the fansite, Liam was one of the top contenders to play Geralt or Rivia when casting first got underway in 2018.
It is unclear where exactly Liam fell in the lineup behind Henry Cavill, but it is believed to be somewhere in the top 5 for the network.
This means that Liam was already on Netflix’s radar when Henry stepped down.
Is this why no rumors leaked prior to the recasting?
Already, there is plenty of speculation as to why Henry Cavill decided to quit The Witcher.
While the official stance from the actor is that he had taken on the role of Superman, many viewers suspect creative differences were at play.
Henry has been vocal about just how much he loves both The Witcher games and the books. And since Season 2 deviated quite substantially from various points in the books, it is certainly possible that Henry decided to step down rather than see his beloved role change any further from the original.
However, the news of his quitting came as quite a shock, with no rumors preceding it.
If Liam were already one of the final candidates when it came to casting for Netflix, it would certainly make sense that they could quietly approach the actor about the role and ask him discretely if he wanted to take it on before any news went public.
This way, the streaming giant already had the audition rolls and knew what to expect from the actor.
Season 2 of The Witcher is currently available to stream on Netflix.