Across three blockbusting seasons of Netflix’s hit fantasy series The Witcher, antihero Geralt of Rivia has seen off killer monsters, duplicitous wizards and some of the deadliest special effects a reported $25 million per episode budget can buy. But now Geralt faces his greatest challenge yet: the exit of lead actor Henry Cavill.

Cavill stepped down as Geralt in October 2022, weeks after cameras had stopped rolling on The Witcher series three. While the reasons for his departure remain unclear, there’s no standing on ceremony in the world of heroic fantasy. As series four arrives, he has been replaced by former Hunger Games star Liam Hemsworth – who has admitted he was wary of taking on the part of Geralt, so synonymous was the character with Cavill.

The departing Cavill leaves big boots to fill, but Netflix is confident that Hemsworth is up to the task. As showrunner Lauren Hissrich sees it, swapping out Cavill for Hemsworth is much like James Bond producers exchanging one 007 for another.

“James Bond is a perfect example of a character that continues to live on ... in many different actors,” she tells The Irish Times. “People have favourite James Bonds, and it’s not that you don’t like the other ones.”

As Hissrich is no doubt aware, not all James Bonds were created equal. If Cavill was the fantasy equivalent of Sean Connery – the brutally effective and darkly charming or