When The Witcher returns for its fourth season on Netflix, The Hunger Games star Liam Hemsworth takes over the role of Geralt of Rivia from Henry Cavill. The news hasn't received the warmest of responses, though a lot of fans are hoping this could be a fresh start for the somewhat hit-and-miss Netflix series.
Now, Redanian Intelligence (via SFFGazette.com) has revealed what fans can expect when The Witcher returns with a new lead...including the fact District 9 and Russian Doll star Sharlto Copley has reportedly boarded the fantasy franchise!
While they can't 100% confirm this is the case, the site is confident Copley will take on the role of Leo Bonhart, a formidable villain from Andrzej Sapkowski's series of novels. However, the plan is reportedly for the actor to first appear in upcoming spin-off series The Rats.
Bonhart has a major obsession with witchers and collects the medallions of those he's killed. His target will presumably be Dolph Lundgren's Brehen (a rogue witcher) in the show, thereby establishing the villain in The Rats before he makes the leap to the main series.
After The Witcher: Blood Origin bombed last December, the hope is this won't be yet another let-down. According to its logline, The Rats follows "Six teenage thieves [who]must rely on their criminal skills as they plan the biggest heist of their careers against the most dangerous crime ring in the kingdom."
The site suggests the crime ring likely belongs to Bonhart's cousin, Dominik Bombastus Houvenaghel, and both characters have already been mentioned during The Witcher season 3.
While Cavill is departing the series after Season 3, Vol. 2 hits Netflix on July 27, Anya Chalotra, Freya Allan, and Joey Batey are all expected to reprise their respective roles alongside Hemsworth's new Geralt.
We had anticipated The Witcher season 4 premiering in 2024, but the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes make a 2025 debut more likely.