Henry Cavill Will Lead Netflix’s Witcher Series As Geralt Of Rivia

The Witcher has found its, err, Witcher — in none other than DC’s Man of Steel himself, Henry Cavill.

Netflix’s Witcher series — showrun by Lauren Schmidt Hissrich and based on the fantasy novels by Andrzej Sapkowski, rather than the wildly popular video game adaptations by CD Projekt Red — has been quietly bubbling away in the background for the last year or so, but it took a major step forward with the casting of Cavill as Geralt of Rivia.

Cavill confirmed the casting on his Instagram page this morning:

My new mailing address is: Geralt C/O Vesemir Kaer Morhen Kaer Morhen Valley Hertch Kaedwen Please note, I’m rarely there. Monster slaying being what it is. So, replies will be few and far between, if at all. @Netflix #Witcher #GeraltOfRivia

A post shared by Henry Cavill (@henrycavill) on Sep 4, 2018 at 7:25am PDT

Netflix and Hissrich also confirmed the news, as well as the fact that the first season of The Witcher will be eight episodes long.

Henry Cavill will play Geralt in #TheWitcher — an epic, eight-episode fantasy series based on the best-selling book series!! pic.twitter.com/fBv0Gpkif9

— See What’s Next (@seewhatsnext) September 4, 2018

He was my first meeting. I didn’t have writers or scripts yet – just a greenlight and a lot of passion. That was four months ago, and I’ve never forgotten the passion he brought. He IS Geralt. He always has been. I’m so thrilled to welcome HENRY CAVILL to the #Witcher family.

— Lauren S. Hissrich (@LHissrich) September 4, 2018

The main protagonist of the Witcher series, Geralt is a genetically-enhanced swordsman for hire, using his Witcher abilities to hunt down monsters and defend the lands of The Continent from monstrous beasts.

While Sapkowski’s novels have grown in popularity over the years, most know Geralt primarily as the protagonist of the sprawling video game RPGs in CD Projekt Red’s Witcher trilogy, where he’s brought to life by Doug Cockle, whose iconic voice defines Geralt for many fans.

Had to repost these gems. All of them are from Bosslogic’s account who has such a keen eye and talent for this kind of stuff. There is a capture of emotion and tone skill set there that I haven’t seen often. So, very nicely done mate! Also, it’s pretty cool to see what I would look like as Super Mario, Solid Snake and Geralt!! @Bosslogic #Superman #SuperMario #Geralt #SolidSnake #TheWitcher

A post shared by Henry Cavill (@henrycavill) on Aug 8, 2018 at 4:02pm PDT

Cavill himself is a huge fan of the series, and even stoked rumours of his casting in the show recently by expressing his adoration for the third entry in the series, Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt, leading to him posting fan mockups of himself as Geralt on his Instagram account, which you can see above. Now, that’s actually becoming a reality.

We’ll bring you more on Netflix’s plans for The Witcher as we learn them.