The ‘keen’ actor is ‘already quoting the books’ (Picture: Matthias Nareyek/Getty Images)
The Witcher star Joey Batey has the utmost faith in Liam Hemsworth replacing Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, emphasising that the Hunger Games star is ‘so keen’ for every part of the universe.
Later this month, the prequel series The Witcher: Blood Origin is set to premiere on Netflix, telling a story set more than 1,000 years before the events of the original show, when elven society was still in its prime.
Joey, who plays Jaskier the bard in The Witcher, makes a special appearance opposite Minnie Driver’s Seanchaí, a shapeshifting storyteller who is also the narrator of the spin-off.
At the premiere of Blood Origin in London, Metro.co.uk asked Joey to share his thoughts on Liam stepping into Henry’s shoes from season four of The Witcher, after the casting shake-up was announced in October – and the actor had nothing but praise for his future co-star.
‘I’ve been talking to Liam and Liam’s so keen and is already throwing himself into every little corner of this world and this universe,’ the 33-year-old said.
Joey shared that The Dressmaker actor is ‘already quoting random bits of the books in emails and things’, proving just how much research and care is going into the role.
Henry has big shoes to fill as Geralt (Picture: Katalin Vermes/Netflix/ Kobal/Rex/Shutterstock)
Joey is going to miss Henry, but is looking forward to working with his future co-star (Picture: Netflix)
While Henry, 39, is still set to appear as Geralt in the third season of The Witcher, there were some fans who felt extremely disappointed when they found out that it would mark the final outing for him as the lethal monster hunter.
Nonetheless, Joey stressed his belief that Liam, 32, has what it takes to delight the fandom with his performance.
‘There’s no one I could imagine to fill this role, but if someone was gonna do it, it’s Liam,’ he said.
When Henry announced that he would be leaving The Witcher, he told his fans in a surprise statement: ‘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.’
Henry will be missed! (Picture: Theo Wargo/Getty Images)
He expressed his admiration for the ‘fantastic’ Liam taking over the role, writing: ‘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.’
He concluded his statement by saying: ‘Liam, good sir, this character has such a wonderful depth to him, enjoy diving in and seeing what you can find.’
In his own statement, Liam said he was ‘over the moon’ to have been cast, sharing how passionate a fan he is of the franchise.
‘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,’ Liam penned.
‘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.’
While many viewers are intrigued to see what Liam has to offer the beloved character, some disgruntled fans threatened to boycott the show over the casting news, while others even signed a petition calling for the writers to be replaced.
Hopefully they’ll be eating their words by the time they see Liam don his white wig.
The Witcher is available to watch on Netflix. The Witcher: Blood Origin premieres on December 25 on Netflix.
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The ‘keen’ actor is ‘already quoting the books’.
