Less than a month after Henry Cavill’s final episodes of The Witcher aired on Netflix, director Mark Jobst announced his departure.
Cavill, 40, played Geralt of Rivia in the first three seasons of the hit Netflix series, based on the beloved book series by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski.
However, he announced in October 2022 that he would be leaving the series after the third season, with Liam Hemsworth coming on board to replace him.
While many speculated that his departure was a result of his brief return as Superman in last year’s Black Adam… before those plans were scrapped by new DC heads James Gunn and Peter Safran, Jobst has a different theory.
The director – who helmed the show for two episodes in the first season – believes sheer exhaustion and his relentless work ethic may have also played a role in his departure.
Henry’s exit: Less than a month after Henry Cavill’s final episodes of Netflix’s The Witcher aired, director Mark Jobst opens up about his exit
Henry is leaving: However, he announced in October 2022 that he would be leaving the series after the third season, with Liam Hemsworth coming on board to replace him
Director: The director (left on the set of Luke Cage in 2018) – who helmed the show’s first season for two episodes, believes sheer exhaustion and his relentless work ethic may have also played a role in his departure
“Well, look, Henry’s done three series, these are demanding shows to make, you know, they’re huge. Henry does every stroke of his stunts, he doesn’t even allow a hand, if you get a close-up of a hand grabbing a sword, it has to be his hand,” Jobst explained.
“So what you usually do is put in a doppelgänger, Henry goes off and shoots another scene where he’s in something else, and you get someone else’s hand so you don’t have to bother. number one. Henry won’t do that and that’s why the results are extraordinary,” Jobst admitted.
“You’re working with an incredible athlete first and foremost, who trains hours before and hours after, you’ve shot for 12 hours, and who cares deeply about the work he’s doing,” he added.
Jobst explained that the two episodes he worked on in the first season were filmed in four different countries, adding that Cavill spent weeks rehearsing sword-fighting scenes.
“That exhausts you number one, so after three series I feel like, ‘Okay, he’s made the show happen and if he feels like he’s done what he can, I trust him,'” Jobst said.
“That focus he has, that desire to do well, is a gift to work with because it elevates everyone to say, ‘Good enough isn’t good enough. It has to be fantastic.’ We all want to work like this, we all don’t want to make something good, we want to make something incredible,” he affirmed.
It seems fans aren’t too happy about Henry Cavill leaving his beloved role as Geralt of Rivia in Netflix’s The Witcher, with the final episodes of the show’s third season now the worst-rated in the series’ history.
A report from late July of What’s on Netflix reveals that the last three episodes, released last Thursday, were the worst rated by the fans on IMDb.
Sword: Well, look, Henry’s done three series, these are demanding shows to make, you know, they’re huge. Henry does every stroke of his stunts, he doesn’t even allow a hand, if you get a close-up of a hand grabbing a sword, it has to be his hand,” Jobst explained.
No stunt double: “So normally you bring in a double, Henry goes off and shoots another scene where he’s in something else, and you get someone else’s hand so you don’t have to bother your number one.” Henry won’t do that and that’s why the results are extraordinary,” Jobst admitted
Tapping: “That’s exhausting you number one, so after three series I’m like, ‘Okay, he’s made the show happen, and if he feels like he’s done what he can, I trust him,’ said Jobst.
Focus: “That focus he has, that desire to do well, is a gift to work with because it elevates everyone to say, ‘Good enough isn’t good enough. It has to be fantastic.’ We all want to work like this, we all don’t want to make something good, we want to make something incredible,” he affirmed.
Worst Rated: It seems fans aren’t too happy about Henry Cavill leaving his beloved role as Geralt of Rivia in Netflix’s The Witcher, with the final episodes of the show’s third season now the worst rated in history of the series
The plummeting ratings also brought down the overall average for season 3 enough to make it by far the worst rated season.
The series was already on a downward trend in IMDb ratings, though the last three episodes of Season 3 are by far the show’s worst.
The sixth episode actually bounced back a bit with a 7.0 rating, the highest of the season, following 6.0, 5.4, and 5.7 ratings for the previous three episodes.
However, the show dropped drastically to a new low, with the penultimate seventh episode receiving a low rating of 4.3.
The eighth and final episode of Season 3 recovered slightly with a 5.3 rating, bringing the season average (an average of individual episode ratings) to 5.8.
That’s well below the average rating of 8.3 in Season 1 and the average rating of 8.0 in Season 2.