Spoilers for all of The Witcher season 3 ahead. When it premiered in 2019, Netflix's fantasy series The Witcher was a breath of fresh air offering a new intricately built, action-packed world—adapted from author Andrzej Sapkowski’s series of novels—for television fans to discover. Season 3, which arrived in summer 2023, brought much less impact than the first two installments, preceding the announcement that leading man Henry Cavill would not return for season 4.
Cavill's final episodes set up the upcoming war for the Continent—but fear not, another name has been cast in the role of Geralt of Rivia to see the epic battles through. We're collecting all the hints of what will come next for the franchise. Read on for our breakdown of every detail we know about season 4 of The Witcher so far.
Has 'The Witcher' been renewed for season 4?
The fantasy adventure series received an early renewal in October 2022, with Netflix announcing that season 4 is a go along with the news that Henry Cavill would leave the series. Going forward, Liam Hemsworth will assume the role.
When will 'The Witcher' season 4 come out?
The Witcher fans have already faced a long wait for news on the new season, since season 3, part 2 premiered in the middle of last year's writers and actors strikes. On May 22, 2024, Netflix confirmed that production has begun on season 4, while sharing a sneak peek of Hemsworth in costume as the titular monster hunter for the first time. The streamer also revealed that seasons 4 and 5 will be filmed back-to-back, with season 5 marking the final season.
The journey continues. Here's your first look at Liam Hemsworth as Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher. pic.twitter.com/KK5veTMmN0May 22, 2024
As for when to expect the new episodes, producing a season of The Witcher is a longer endeavor than the average show. Following the series premiere in 2019 (which still has the highest viewership numbers of the show's run), season 2 returned in 2021, and season 3 didn't arrive til 2023. Odds are new episodes won't arrive until late 2025 at the earliest.
Who will be in the cast of 'The Witcher' season 4?
Besides Hemsworth debuting as Geralt, season 4 will likely see all of the series' major players returning. Among the actors expected to appear include Anya Chalotra (Yennefer), Freya Allan (Ciri), Joey Batey (Jaskier), Milva (Meng’er Zhang), Anna Shaffer (Triss), Graham McTavish (Dijkstra), Cassie Clare (Phillipa), Hugh Skinner (Radovid), Eamon Farren (Cahir), Mimî M. Khayisa (Fringilla), Mecia Simson (Francesca), Mahesh Jadu (Vilgefortz), and Bart Edwards (Emhyr).
Some exciting new cast additions have also been announced: Laurence Fishburne (of The Matrix and Black-ish fame) has signed on to play Regis, a fan-favorite franchise character described as "a world-wise barber-surgeon with a mysterious past." Meanwhile, other new additions to the cast include Monkey Man's Sharlto Copley, who will play the infamous bounty hunter Leo Bonhart; Danny Woodburn joins as Zoltan, the beloved dwarf, and James Purefoy will play Skellen, Emhyr’s court advisor.
What will 'The Witcher' season 4 be about?
Season 4 will see the Continent ravaged by war, as season 3, part 2, set the stage for Nilfgaard's effort to take control of all the other kingdoms. After the country's soldiers invaded Aretuza and decimated the Brotherhood of Sorcerers, with the help of their secret ally Vilgefortz, Nilfgaard continued to push forward into the North. Among the forces working to defeat Emperor Emhyr include the kingdom of Redania, led by new king Radovid, spymaster Dijkstra, and mage Phillipa; Yennefer and the remaining Aretuza mages; and Geralt, who's traveling with Jaskier. Several of Emhyr's allies are set to turn on him too: soldier Cahir has pledged his life to Ciri, elven queen Francesca just found out that Emhyr killed her newborn child, and Fringilla will likely turn on Nilfgaard at the first chance she gets.
Meanwhile, after her time in the Korath desert, Ciri is rescued by a young gang of outlaws known as the Rats. She introduces herself to them as Falka, adopting the moniker of the ancient part-elf princess who appeared to Ciri in the desert and goaded her into using fire magic, before Ciri relinquished her powers. In her life, Falka (an ancestor of Ciri's) led a rebellion against her own family before being burned at the stake. In addition to Ciri's new name signaling that she has become much more ruthless over the years (as well as her first human kill), it also foreshadows the impending face-off between Ciri and Emhyr, who we know is her father Duny. Speaking of Emhyr, he doesn't know yet that the "Princess Cirilla" who Vilgefortz brought him is fake, so him ultimately finding out is another plot thread to watch out for. Even Geralt doesn't know that Emhyr's "Ciri" is fake, which is why he's on the warpath straight to Nilfgaard.
As for book spoilers, Netflix has confirmed that seasons 4 and 5 will cover the Witcher novels Baptism of Fire, The Tower of the Swallow, and Lady of the Lake, following season 3's plot based on A Time of Contempt. It's hard to say how much it will follow the books since the show regularly changes storylines from the novels (and has often been criticized for it). One likely change would involve also pulling material from the two later books to reunite the show's main trio more quickly.
