Henry Cavill on Tuesday confirmed he’s been hired to play Geralt of Rivia for Netflix’s upcoming show based on the Witcher series—not the games, but the fantasy novels written by Andrzej Sapkowski.
Cavill’s hiring for the role makes sense for all parties involved. The actor is apparently a huge fan of the series, so he’ll have an easy time acclimating to the material. Cavill’s star power is also higher than it’s ever been, thanks to a commanding performance in Mission: Impossible—Fallout.
For Netflix, nabbing Cavill will immediately build hype for the upcoming fantasy series, which has been in active development for the better part of year. It’s unclear when the show will debut, but we do know that the first season will be eight episodes long.
According to Lauren S. Hissrich, who is spearheading the show, Cavill showed passion for the project when they met. “He IS Geralt,” Hissrich said in a Twitter post confirming Cavill’s appointment for the show.
For those unfamiliar with the Witcher series, it focuses on Geralt, a genetically-enhanced hunter who kills monsters. As we’ve seen in Cavill’s on-screen portrayals of Superman and CIA assassin August Walker, the actor has the presence and gravitas to tackle such a big role.
To show how fitting Cavill is for the role, he shared a fan image of himself as Geralt. After seeing it, it’s difficult not to agree that he’ll be perfect.
