The Witcher Season 4's Release Date Delayed - Here's Why
As if the Netflix series needed any more hurdles, production on "The Witcher" Season 4 has been rescheduled. This report comes from Redanian Intelligence, a high fantasy news media site that draws its name from the same source material as Netflix's ill-fated franchise. Filming was set to begin in September 2023 and end in May 2024 but now filming won't even begin until next year. No specific dates have been provided at this time.
While it's possible that the delay is tied to the recasting of "The Witcher's" lead from Henry Cavill to Liam Hemsworth, a controversy that continues to elicit strong reactions from the fan base to this day, Redanian Intelligence seems to find it more likely that the drastic scheduling shift is connected to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. To this point, shows like "The Witcher" and "House of the Dragon" avoided shutdowns due to their affiliations with a different talent union, Equity. Now, however, it's possible that even the European actor's union is feeling the ramifications that began stateside.
Should Netflix begin production on "The Witcher" in early 2023, then it's possible that Season 4 will receive an early 2025 release date, but until further information is revealed, everything beyond this point is simply conjecture.
The Witcher can't seem to fix its public image
It's not unfair to refer to Netflix's adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski's books as ill-fated because it is suffering from more surprise hits in the first few seasons than most projects must endure in a lifetime.
In the beginning, "The Witcher" received strong marketing credibility due to Henry Cavill's casting as the titular Geralt of Rivia. While his fame from starring in "Man of Steel" helped, it was his very public and very vocal dedication to the source material that excited fans. Hollywood is, after all, notorious for playing fast and loose with adaptations. And Cavill stated that, so long as the Netflix production remained faithful to the "Witcher" novels, he would gladly stick around for seven seasons.
Then came the rumors. Members of the writing staff apparently loathed the source material. Showrunner Lauren Schmidt-Hissrich openly referred to Cavill's studious behavior as annoying. Other, less substantiated claims found purchase in the social understanding of "The Witcher's" seemingly hellish production process, but all of it, whether accurate or not, wove together to present a problematic picture of inept leadership.
In late 2022, Cavill exited the project. The actor has yet to provide a candid reason as to why but the prevailing theory is that he held true to his promise — Netflix opted to change the story, so Cavill left. Despite Any Chalotra claiming Cavill's exit overwhelmed her, his old co-workers have been vocally supportive of his decision. It's worth mentioning that they've been vocally supportive of Liam Hemsworth, as well. Still, the poor guy is stepping into a PR nightmare. Schmidt-Hissrich might not be worried about losing viewership but Netflix certainly should be.