Netflix has released a new teaser for The Witcher: Season 4, revealing the first official look at Liam Hemsworth as Geralt of Rivia. In a slow-moving, dramatic pan, we see a dark figure walking through a bog – only for him to turn, and reveal his face.
For anyone expecting a dramatic change, that’s not what you get here. Presumably to maintain a sense of continuity, Netflix has opted to keep Geralt’s wardrobe and makeup very much the same. Henry Cavill, as the original Geralt, wore a stringy white wig and dark yellow contacts. Hemsworth dons the same makeup and outfitting, complete with a familiar, stern grimace.
As folks who watched the prior season of The Witcher will know, there was no dramatic face change or suggestion of Henry Cavill’s departure in the ending. While some anticipated a transformation of a sort, it appears Hemsworth will take the role in stride, with little explanation about Geralt’s change. That will likely work for maintaining the plot of the show. Magic can be used to explain someone’s appearance changing, but it’s not entirely necessary to keep the action moving.
Read: The Witcher: Season 5 will conclude the Netflix series
The Witcher: What to expect from Season 4
Beyond the face swap here, there’s plenty we already know about The Witcher: Season 4.
For one thing, we know the vast majority of the original cast has been locked in to return, minus Henry Cavill. In additional, we’ll also see some new faces, like Laurence Fishburne as Regis, Sharlto Copley as Leo Bonhart, James Purefoy as Skellan, and more.
As for the plot, Netflix has already released a full breakdown, indicating Season 4 will follow Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri as they travel together through the Continent, all while surviving a “baptism of fire.”
The wording here indicates the season will follow the events of Baptism of Fire, the third novel in Andrzej Sapkowski’s original Witcher tales. In this book, Ciri joins with the mysterious Rats – a group of outlaws – while Geralt searches for her, and sorceresses plot in the background. Given the Netflix series has so far loosely adapted the events of Sapkowski’s novels, we expect elements of Baptism of Fire will feature throughout this season.
As previously announced, this is the second-last season of Netflix’s The Witcher, and it will pave the way for a grand finale. Stay tuned for more on the new season, as Netflix continues to drop teasers.
The Witcher seasons 1 through 3 are currently streaming on Netflix.
