Henry Cavill shocked fans of The Witcher on Saturday when he announced that he would be leaving the Netflix fantasy show after the third season.
MORE: The Witcher: everything we know about season three so far
The actor revealed that The Hunger Games star Liam Hemsworth would be taking his place in season four, leaving fans wondering why the Jersey-born actor had decided to lay down his sword.
WATCH: Have you caught up with season two yet?
While some fans initially assumed that Henry's departure may have had something to do with Warner Bros' offer for the actor to return as Superman, others speculated that it may be down to some behind-the-scenes disagreements. So, why is Henry leaving the show? We've done some investigating and here's what we know…
Why is Henry Cavill leaving The Witcher?
While the reason for Henry's departure has not been confirmed, fans were surprised by his announcement given he previously expressed a desire to stay with the drama for the foreseeable future.
Back in November 2021 ahead of the season two premiere, Henry told The Hollywood Reporter that he intended to support creator Lauren Schmidt Hissrich's vision to keep the show going for at least seven seasons. "Absolutely," he said, adding the caveat: "As long as we can keep telling great stories which honor Sapkowski’s work."
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It's no secret that Henry is a huge fan of Andrzej Sapkowski's books and was dedicated to staying loyal to the original source material.
Season three will be Henry's final appearance as Geralt
Ahead of season two, he told Total Film: "This season, I really wanted to make sure that we represented the book's Geralt more accurately, and that we saw him speak more. I pushed really, really hard for that."
However, a recent Q&A session from one of the show's ex-writers, Beau DeMayo, has suggested that Henry's appreciation for the books may have not been shared by some members of the writing team.
Beau said on Instagram: "I've been on a show – namely Witcher – where some of the writers were not or actively disliked the books and games (even actively mocking the source material.) It's a recipe for disaster and bad morale.
"Fandom as a litmus test checks egos, and makes all the long nights worth it. You have to respect the work before you're allowed to add to its legacy."
Fans have been speculating about the reason for Henry's exit
While Beau didn't name any names or make reference to Henry specifically, some fans have assumed that this may be the real reason for Henry's exit.
Taking to Twitter, one fan wrote: "Henry Cavill leaving The Witcher after begging Netflix for the role and being the biggest fan of the franchise is making the report that the writers hate the books seem more and more plausible. They chased that man away from the series."
A second viewer tweeted: "This isn't about Superman, he's said he'd do both. This is probably a decision based on the showrunners' open disdain for the books, games, and the fans themselves, while Henry himself loves Geralt and the books, they obviously don't care about the world in the same way he does."
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