As The Witcher prepares for its fourth season, it has already made a risky decision that will greatly benefit the show with its new lead actor.

As Netflix’s The Witcher prepares for the debut of Liam Hemsworth as Geralt of Rivia, the show seems to have already made a risky decision that, despite being made too soon, will give the show the ending it deserves.

Netflix’s The Witcher quickly became one of the streaming giant’s most popular TV shows, but it has also been one of its most controversial and divisive. Although it’s based on the series of books by Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher has made various changes to the source material that haven’t sat well with fans and new viewers.

The Witcher season 2, in particular, made some controversial changes to Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra) and fan-favorite witcher Eskel (Basil Eidenbenz), but season 3 fixed some of these and more and was a lot more loyal to its source novel.

However, The Witcher season 4 is facing the show’s biggest challenge yet with the recast of Geralt of Rivia after Henry Cavill left the series. Season 4 will be Liam Hemsworth’s debut as Geralt of Rivia, and even though it’s yet to be seen how well-received his performance is, The Witcher has already made a risky decision, but it will greatly benefit the show.

The Witcher season 4 might be the series’ final chance to fix the franchise’s failures and save its future, and here’s how this can be done.

The Witcher Season 5 Is Reportedly In Development Ahead Of Liam Hemsworth’s Season 4 Debut

The Witcher season 4 is about to start filming.

The Witcher season 4 is preparing to finally start filming in March 2024, and as the audience waits for the first official look at Liam Hemsworth in full Geralt of Rivia costume, season 5 seems to be already in development.

Months before the release of season 3, Netflix announced that Henry Cavill was leaving The Witcher and Liam Hemsworth had been cast as Geralt of Rivia, taking over the role in season 4. The ending of The Witcher season 3 didn’t do anything to set up the recast, raising more questions about how Hemsworth’s inclusion in the series will go and if Geralt’s different physical appearance will be addressed in the show or not. Most of all, there’s a lot of expectation but also doubt around Hemsworth’s portrayal of Geralt, more so as Cavill was deemed a “perfect” casting by fans of the books and video games.

The Witcher season 4 is preparing to finally start filming in March 2024, and as the audience waits for the first official look at Hemsworth in full Geralt of Rivia costume, season 5 seems to be already in development.

Despite no official renewal announcement from Netflix (yet), The Witcher season 5 is reportedly in the early stages of development (via Redanian Intelligence), following the streaming giant’s initial plan of producing both season 4 and 5 back-to-back, though this was interrupted by the 2023 Hollywood strikes. According to Redanian Intelligence, the writing team of The Witcher started working on season 5’s script after the Christmas holidays.

The Witcher season 5 already being in development wouldn’t be a risky move if the show hadn’t gone through a huge recast, as the series has to see how well or badly received Hemsworth’s Geralt is.

The report also mentions that there will be a pause between the production of season 4 and that of season 5, giving writers plenty of time to come up with the story for season 5. The Witcher season 5 already being in development wouldn’t be a risky move if the show hadn’t gone through a huge recast, as the series has to see how well or badly received Hemsworth’s Geralt is and how well or not his take on the famous witcher will fit with the rest of the characters.

If Hemsworth’s Geralt fails to connect with the audience, interest in a new season of The Witcher will be lost, but even in that scenario, season 5 being in development can be greatly beneficial to the series.

The Witcher Season 5 Means The Show Can Cover Some Of The Books’ Best Stories

There are some big stories that Netflix’s The Witcher hasn’t covered yet.

A fifth season of The Witcher means that some of the biggest stories from the books will be covered, leaving as few loose threads as possible.

As risky as The Witcher season 5 already being in development way before Hemsworth’s debut as Geralt is, it’s good news for the show. A fifth season of The Witcher means that some of the biggest stories from the books will be covered, leaving as few loose threads as possible in the stories of Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri (Freya Allan). The Witcher season 4 is expected to cover the novel Baptism of Fire, so season 5 would have to cover The Tower of the Swallow and, potentially, The Lady of the Lake as well.

The Tower of the Swallow sees Ciri being captured by bounty hunter Leo Bonhart, escaping, and being transported into an alternate reality, while Geralt continues looking for her with the help of Dandelion (Jaskier), Milva, Regis, and Cahir. The Lady of the Lake sees Ciri escaping from the elves and returning to her right dimension thanks to Nimue, and she eventually reunites with Geralt and Yennefer, though this one-of-a-kind family doesn’t have a happy ending.

It’s possible that The Witcher season 4 could mix Baptism of Fire and The Tower of the Swallow so season 5 can fully focus on the events of The Lady of the Lake, as many important things happen in the final novel.

How The Witcher Season 5 Can Give A Proper Ending To Its Characters

The Witcher season 5 will most likely be the show’s final one.

The novel leaves Geralt and Yennefer’s fates ambiguous, but the series can fix this and be more straightforward.

The Witcher season 5 can give Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer a proper ending by focusing on the novel The Lady of the Lake. The final entry in The Witcher book series not only sees Ciri escaping from the elves, who had a similar plan for her as Vilgefortz and Emhyr did, but also confronting the latter and reuniting with Geralt and Yennefer.

The novel leaves Geralt and Yennefer’s fates ambiguous, but the series can fix this and be more straightforward about what truly happens to the witcher and the sorceress. Although The Witcher season 5 is at risk of losing most of its audience depending on how Liam Hemsworth’s Geralt is received, it being already in development means that the show is on its way to getting the ending it deserves.