We finally got our first peek at Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia in the upcoming Witcher series on Netflix, and his overall look seems more reminiscent of the character’s book origins rather than the grizzled monster hunter fans have seen in the video games.
Netflix shared the video screen test of Cavill in character on Wednesday morning via Twitter. The clapperboard at the start of the video says the scene was shot on October 24 as a costume and makeup test, and it also says, “Potion.” In the video proper, Henry Cavill walks up to the screen without saying a word and guzzles a tiny potion. That’s pretty much it, but as Cavill stares silently somewhere near the camera for an awkward amount of time, we can glean several details about the costume.
His armor looks like black leather plating, clasped together with a large belt buckle. There’s no brown or grey, and there’s definitely no chainmail. And unlike Geralt from something like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, he has no scars or beard and looks considerably younger — almost like he could be Legolas’ older brother in Middle-earth rather than a badass monster hunter.
Granted, for the purposes of an early screen test, the production team isn’t likely to fully dress Cavill up. In the games his eyes are light amber, so Cavill might get contact lenses for the show, but in the books Geralt has more typical dark eyes. The final version of the costume might still include Geralt’s huge facial scars and white beard prominently featured in the games, but for now it looks like a younger version of the character that hasn’t seen as much action.
In The Witcher novels, Geralt openly states that he hates having a beard. But a bearded Geralt is the version many fans have grown accustomed to in the video games. It’s unclear what route the final version of the show might follow, but so far it respects the books far more than the games.
This video also drops a big detail about the show’s upcoming release. “Coming 2019” is a pleasant surprise considering how early in production the project is. Next year is exciting, but we probably shouldn’t expect the series until later in the year. Maybe as a Halloween 2019 release alongside Castlevania Season 3 and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Season 2?
Netflix’s The Witcher will be released on the streaming platform sometime in 2019.
