‘The Witcher’ Season 4: Release Date Speculation, News, Cast, and More!

The Witcher Season 4 is coming! The series is expected to start filming in mid-April in the UK, and prep work is already underway for the new season. The plan is to shoot Seasons 4 and 5 back to back. So, while fans are having to wait longer than they’d like for Season 4, Season 5 shouldn’t be far behind.

Fans of the show and its source material might already know what may happen next. Here’s what we know so far about The Witcher’s fourth season. There are some spoilers from Season 3 ahead.

Netflix Confirms Season 4

The most important thing to know is that Netflix has confirmed that The Witcher Season 4 is happening. The streaming service confirmed the fourth season on Instagram back in August 2022.

The confirmation by Netflix seemed to dispel some speculation about the show’s fate following the departure of Henry Cavill as Geralt. While Cavill may no longer be part of the show, the coming season will continue its focus on his character. 

Another aspect that may have fueled uncertainty over The Witcher Season 4 was the score it received on Rotten Tomatoes. The previous season received 19% on the audience aggregate site, a major drop from 89% in Season 1. 

The Witcher Season 4 Cast

Netflix has also announced that The Hunger Games’ and Independence Day: Resurgence star Liam Hemsworth will be replacing Cavill as the show’s new Geralt in the coming season. But with the recasting of The Witcher‘s new lead, it remains to be seen how it can be explained to audiences. The news of the recasting of Geralt with Hemsworth wasn’t without controversy. The fans viewed it as completely moving away from the source material.

But Cavill wished Hemsworth well on taking on Geralt in a post on Instagram announcing his departure. Hemsworth also expressed excitement about taking over the role in a statement. 

“As a Witcher fan, I’m over the moon about the opportunity to play Geralt of Rivia,” said the Hunger Games star, adding that Cavill was “incredible” in his portrayal of Geralt. 

“I’m honored that he’s handing me the reins and allowing me to take up the White Wolf’s blades for the next chapter of this adventure. Henry, I’ve been a fan of yours for years and was inspired by what you brought to this beloved character,” said Hemsworth. 

The show’s producers explained the move as similar to what is happening in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and in the DC Universe. They said that by recasting Geralt with Hemsworth for Season 4, it will essentially introduce the multiverse. 

“We have a very, very, good plan to introduce our new Geralt and our new vision for Geralt with Liam. Not going deeply into those ideas because it will be a huge spoiler,” said The Witcher executive producer Tomek Baginski, who added that this will involve “multiple worlds.”

Who’s Returning?

Aside from Liam Hemsworth joining The Witcher for Season 4, many of the cast are pretty much returning to reprise their roles. Anya Chalotra will be back for season four as Yennefer, as will Freya Allan as Ciri, Joey Batey as Jaskier, Milva as Meng’er Zhang, and Anna Shaffer as Triss.

Also returning is Graham McTavish as Dijkstra, Cassie Clare as Philippa, Hugh Skinner as Radovid, Eamon Farren as Cahir, Mimi M. Khayisa as Fringilla, Mecia Simson as Francesca, Mahesh Jadu as Vilgefortz, and Bart Edwards as Emhyr. 

What Happened in Season Three? What Will Season 4 Be About?

Following the events of season three, The Witcher Season 4 is set to take place on a wartorn Continent which paved the way for Nilfgaard to take control of all the other kingdoms. The country’s soldiers already invaded Aretuza and destroyed the Brotherhood of Sorcerers with the help of Vilgefortz as Nilfgaard makes advances to the North. 

The kingdom of Redania, under its new king Radovid, along with Geralt and Jaskier, Dijkstra, Philippa, Yennefer, and the remaining Aretuza mages are determined to bring down Emhyr. Emhyr will also be faced with betrayal from several of his allies including Francesca, who finds out that Emhyr killed her child, and Cahir who has sworn allegiance to Ciri. Fringilla may likely decide to turn on Nilfgaard as well. 

Geralt has also realized that staying neutral politically is no longer useful and ultimately chooses a side. Back in April, The Witcher showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich told Tudum that his loyalty to Yennefer and Ciri will lead him to fight the corrupt soldiers in order to be reunited with them.

Schmidt Hissrich added that Geralt won’t be alone in his quest, as he’ll have Jaskier and Milva with him, marking the beginning of the Hanza.

“It’s the group traveling with Geralt for the rest of the books. This becomes his newfound family,” said Schmidt Hissrich, adding that in season four, Geralt realizes that he will need help in getting back to Yennefer and Ciri. 

“That’s still a struggle for Geralt. This is a man who has always claimed he doesn’t have emotions because he can’t. And we clearly know that is not true. We’ll start to see those boundaries tested again in Season 4,” said Schmidt Hissrich.

A New Found Family & Other Challenges

Geralt won’t be the only one who gains a newfound family, according to Schmidt Hissrich. Ciri will also find a family in the Rats. Schmidt Hissrich noted that Ciri had given up her powers during her traversing the Korath Desert. So season four will explore whether or not Ciri’s powers are really gone. 

Yennefer, on the other hand, will be facing another challenge as the leader of the Aretuza, according to Schmidt Hissrich. She said that Yennefer will be making “big choices” in her new role. 

Book Adaptations

Book-wise, it looks like season four will be adapted from Baptism of Fire as season three was based on A Time of Contempt. But the show will likely adapt stories from the other books such as The Tower of the Swallow or The Lady in the Lake. 

The Witcher Season 4 Release Date Speculation

There is no official annoucement yet for The Witcher Season 4 release date. Last year’s Hollywood strikes halted the original production plan, which, pre-strike, was planned to run from September 2023 through May 2024. Season 4 and Season 5 of the series were expected to shoot back-to-back in the United Kingdom under the working title “Mysterious.”

The new filming schedule has Season 4 filming from April through October under the working title “Mysterious Monsters.”

It’s also worth noting the longer production schedule for a show as big as The Witcher. Season 1 premiered in 2019, while the second and third seasons premiered in 2021 and 2023 respectively. So, fans may expect a 2025 release date for the fourth season at the soonest.

For now, fans can delve into the source material itself or rewatch the previous three seasons during the wait. Season 3 may already give fans an idea of which stories will be adapted into the coming season. Additionally, fans can also check out the prequel miniseries, The Witcher: Blood Origin.

Based on the books by Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher is available to watch on Netflix.