Fans of The Witcher have launched a petition demanding Henry Cavill return to the series and the writers be fired.
The British actor announced over the weekend that he would be stepping down from the role of Geralt of Rivia in the legendary Netflix series' fourth season.
Liam Hemsworth was revealed to be the star that will be replacing him.
He wrote in part: “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.
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“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.”
News of his departure sent shockwaves across the internet.
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Many began to speculate that Cavill, an avid fan of the book series, clashed with the writers, who wanted to stray away from the original source material.
The news also came shortly after Cavill announced he was returning to the DC universe to reprise his role of Superman.
A Change.org petition has since been launched, which has already gathered a little more than 7,000 signatures.
The open letter calls for the 39-year-old to return to The Witcher series and the signatories also want the writers terminated.
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It read: “Henry isn’t leaving The Witcher because of Superman, Netflix executives have once again made a grave decision against delivering for their fans.
“The reason why The Witcher is such a popular show is the fans’ love of the source material of books and games, that are hated by and have actively been mocked by the writers and showrunner.
“Henry Cavill is one of those big fans, he knows all of it inside out and wanted to stay true to Sapkowski’s world, which is why Netflix wants to replace him.”
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The petition also asked fans to boycott the upcoming season.
The petition concluded: “We already had to suffer through the disaster that was the end of Game of Thrones - NETFLIX don’t repeat the exact same mistake of holding onto writers and showrunners that believe themselves to be superior to the actual creator of the stories that made them successful.”
Season three of The Witcher, which will now be the Jersey native’s final adventure as Geralt the Rivia, wrapped filming in September.
The third season will be based on The Time of Contempt, the second book in Andrzej Sapkowski’s five-book series, with the TV adaptation planning to span across seven seasons.
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Netflix has been approached for comment.
Topics: The Witcher, Henry Cavill, Film and TV
Charisa Bossinakis