The Witcher series has been shrouded in controversy following the announcement that the lead actor Henry Cavill will be departing from the show. It appears the surprises might not be over yet after showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich revealed that there is a possibility of the third season being split into two.
In a recent interview on Collider, Lauren Schmidt Hissrich disclosed that splitting the third season into two is among the options available for the show, saying:
We haven’t discussed that [splitting the season] yet, but at this point I think what we see happening across all sort of streamers, I wouldn’t rule it out. I do think that, obviously, we don’t put anything out that we’re not incredibly proud of. So that dictates our entire launch date. And I think it’ll be interesting. Again, we have a way still a very long time, eight-ish months or so until Witcher Season 3 comes out. So God willing, we get it all out at the same time. But who knows, we’ll see what happens.
VFX teams on most Hollywood shows have been under constant pressure, and showrunners have begun opting to split seasons into two parts; a perfect example of this is Stranger Things Season 4. To fill the long waiting periods in between seasons, studios have come up with spinoff shows that expand on the universe of the main show. The Witcher currently has two spinoffs: the 2021 animated film, The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, and the recent prequel series, The Witcher: Blood Origin.
However, early reviews from the latter indicate that the show has been a disappointment to most fans, making things worse for the producers, who’ve had to contend with Henry Cavill’s departure. Although Liam Hemsworth has been brought on board to replace him from Season 4, many fans have expressed their disapproval, going so far as to petition for the show to be canceled after creating an earlier petition to keep Henry Cavill on the show.
Netflix will have to come up with a solution to the growing dissatisfaction among the series’ fans before it’s too late. Season 3 will adapt Andrzej Sapkowski’s novel, Time of Contempt, and is expected to premiere in the summer.
