In a bit of news that has come as a surprise to everyone, Henry Cavill has dropped out of The Witcher series. The 39-year-old actor will be stepping down after the premiere of the third season, passing on the reigns to Liam Hemsworth. The last season with Cavill is set to arrive sometime next year.

In a lengthy Instagram post, Cavill shared the announcement, saying: “My journey as Geralt of Rivia has been filled with both monsters and adventures, and alas, I will be laying down my medallion and my swords for Season 4,” Cavill said. “In my stead, the fantastic Mr Liam Hemsworth will be taking up the mantle of the White Wolf. As with the greatest of literary characters, I pass the torch with reverence for the time spent embodying Geralt and enthusiasm to see Liam’s take on this most fascinating and nuanced of men. Liam, good sir, this character has such a wonderful depth to him, enjoy diving in and seeing what you can find.”

“As a Witcher fan I’m over the moon about the opportunity to play Geralt of Rivia,” Hemsworth said. “Henry Cavill has been an incredible Geralt, and I’m honoured that he’s handing me the reins and allowing me to take up the White Wolf’s blades for the next chapter of his adventure. Henry, I’ve been a fan of yours for years and was inspired by what you brought to this beloved character. I may have some big boots to fill, but I’m truly excited to be stepping into The Witcher world.” He further added.

As one can expect, speculations have been running wild on what made Cavill drop out of the series, with many claiming that it is due to his commitment to the DCEU as Superman. The British actor recently announced that he’ll be donning the iconic cape again for upcoming movies. However, there’s also speculation that Cavill was displeased with how The Witcher series was turning out to be, deviating greatly from the books and the video game.

A couple of weeks ago a former writer of the show made a shocking revelation stating that the showrunners of the Netflix series are not fans of the source material. As far as his replacement is concerned, Liam Hemsworth, the younger brother of Chris Hemsworth, has previously starred in films like The Hunger Games as Gale Hawthorne and Independence Day: Resurgence as Jake Morrison. Here’s how the internet has reacted to the news so far.