Netflix’s Witcher TV series gets a super leading man in Henry Cavill

Having expressed interest in the role only a month ago, Superman actor Henry Cavill has now officially signed on to play the lead in Netflix's upcoming TV adaptation of The Witcher

The Hollywood heavyweight will of course play the monster hunter Geralt of Rivia, whose journey in the series will see him fight alongside two strong women in Yennefer, a powerful sorceress, and Ciri, the sole princess of Cintra. Both of the latter roles have yet to be cast. 

Netflix's announcement states that Cavill is a "massive fan of Andrzej Sapkowski’s series of fantasy short stories and novels", which the show is said to be based closely on. 

Supes takes a bath

The show will consist of eight episodes, with the first episode and three others directed by Alik Sakharov (House of Cards, Game of Thrones), and the rest directed by Alex Garcia Lopez (Marvel’s Luke Cage, Utopia) and Charlotte Brändström (Outlander, Counterpart, Disparue).

Lauren Schmidt Hissrich (Marvel’s Daredevil, Marvel’s The Defenders, Umbrella Academy) will act as showrunner and executive producer of the series. 

Sapkowski’s stories have also inspired a series of beloved video games by Polish developer CD Projekt Red. 

While the author told Eurogamer Poland that he admires the games, he also stated that he doesn't consider them canon and that "in no way can [they] be considered to be an 'alternative version', nor a 'sequel' to the witcher Geralt stories. Because this can only be told by Geralt's creator. A certain Andrzej Sapkowski."

TOPICS
Stephen Lambrechts
Senior Journalist, Phones and Entertainment

Stephen primarily covers phones and entertainment for TechRadar's Australian team, and has written professionally across the categories of tech, film, television and gaming in both print and online for over a decade. He's obsessed with smartphones, televisions, consoles and gaming PCs, and has a deep-seated desire to consume all forms of media at the highest quality possible. 

He's also likely to talk a person’s ear off at the mere mention of Android, cats, retro sneaker releases, travelling and physical media, such as vinyl and boutique Blu-ray releases. Right now, he's most excited about QD-OLED technology, The Batman and Hellblade 2: Senua's Saga.

Latest in Netflix
Wonka poster
Netflix cooks up sweet new reality TV series based on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and it's a dream come true for me
Eddie Miller (Stephen Graham) looks as his anxious son Jamie (Owen Cooper) in a prison cell.
Netflix's #1 show Adolescence is one of the best crime dramas I've seen – here are 3 more with over 80% on Rotten Tomatoes
Adam Sandler as Happy Gilmore, swinging a golf club while a crowd watches
Netflix confirms Happy Gilmore's long-awaited comeback in new trailer, and I hope it won't be a swing and a miss
A still from Netflix's new miniseries Adolescence starring Stephen Graham
Adolescence is the TV show of the year – here’s why the Netflix crime drama had me gripped from start to finish
Sakata in Demon City holds a large cleaver-like weapon
Demon City on Netflix is Japan's answer to John Wick with a dash of Oldboy, and it rocks
Cristin Milioti in Black Mirror season 7
Netflix launches trailer for Black Mirror season 7, giving us a look at its first-ever sequel episode and an unexpected returning character
Latest in News
Zendesk Relate 2025
Zendesk Relate 2025 - everything you need to know as the event unfolds
Disney Plus logo with popcorn
You can finally tell Disney+ to stop bugging you about that terrible Marvel show you regret starting
Google Gemini AI
Gemini can now see your screen and judge your tabs
Girl wearing Meta Quest 3 headset interacting with a jungle playset
Latest Meta Quest 3 software beta teases a major design overhaul and VR screen sharing – and I need these updates now
Philips Hue
Philips Hue might be working on a video doorbell, and according to a new report, we just got our first look at it
Microsoft
"Another pair of eyes" - Microsoft launches all-new Security Copilot Agents to give security teams the upper hand