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Henry Cavill Will be the Lead in Netflix’s Fantasy Series The Witcher

He’s gone toe-to-toe with Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Cyborg AND Tom Cruise. We’re talking about Henry Cavill, who in recent years has played Superman (battling Batman, twice, in Batman v Superman and briefly in Justice League) and CIA bruiser August Walker in Mission: Impossible – Fallout. Now Cavill’s heading to the small screen for Netflix’s The Witcher, based on the best-selling fantasy series from Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowsk (which has inspired a film, a TV series, video games, and graphic novels). Cavill will be playing Geral of Rivia in the adaptation, a “solitary monster hunter” who will find himself pulled towards a sorceress and a young princess in the new series.

Lauren Schmidt Hissrich will be the showrunner, continuing her long, sparkling career which has included working on The West Wing and Marvel’s Daredevil. The first season will have eight episodes, with Game of Thrones and House of Cards director Alik Sakharov helming four, and Charlotte Brändström (Outlander) and Alex Garcia Lopez (Luke Cage) taking two apiece.

Cavill’s a good choice to lead this ambitious fantasy series. He’s proven he’s got the charisma to hold the screen with the likes of Cruise and Gal Gadot, and leading his own TV show will offer him a chance to do a deep dive into a character over a longer stretch. He’s certainly got talented people behind him for the series, so The Witcher is a show we’ll be keeping our eye on.

Here’s Cavill sharing some The Witcher-related artwork a few weeks back—looks like he knew something we didn’t back then.

Here’s The Witcher‘s brief synopsis: Based on the best-selling fantasy series, The Witcher is an epic tale of fate and family. Geralt of Rivia, a solitary monster hunter, struggles to find his place in a world where people often prove more wicked than beasts. But when destiny hurtles him toward a powerful sorceress, and a young princess with a dangerous secret, the three must learn to navigate the increasingly volatile Continent together.

Featured image: Left to right: Liang Yang and Henry Cavill in MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT, from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bryan Abrams

Bryan Abrams is the Editor-in-chief of The Credits. He's run the site since its launch in 2012. He lives in New York.

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