Netflix has been criticised for its marketing of The Witcher 3, which has been labelled “disrespectful” and an “embarrassment”.
The Witcher, a fantasy drama series based on the book and video game franchise of the same name, has been a hit on the streaming platform and currently stars former Superman actor Henry Cavill as lead character Geralt of Rivia.
However, Cavill will not be reprising his role for the next season, with Liam Hemsworth taking over. Netflix has started to promote Volume 2 of season three, which will be released on July 27, but many fans have criticised Netflix’s marketing tactics.
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The streaming site tweeted displays worldwide referring to Cavill’s departure, with the line: “Yes, he’s still Geralt in Season 3.” It added: “Just in case you need a reminder.”
Many fans heavily criticised this, arguing it was disrespectful to Hemsworth and suggested his version of the character will be inferior. One person on Twitter said: “Hemsworth should quit, this is so disrespectful.”
Another added: “I couldn't believe that this marketing campaign actually existed, what an embarrassment!” A third added: “What‘s the point of this exactly? We‘re sadly all too aware that he‘s not going to be Geralt in season 4. This feels awful.”
This debate has angered fans further after speculation Cavill left the show due to creative differences between him and the writers. A huge fan of the books, he said in a 2021 interview that he wanted Geralt to be a “three-dimensional” character, but he had found it “tricky” to achieve this.
Cavill said: “There’s a certain vision and there’s a certain set, storyline and plot. And so, it was about me trying to find Geralt’s place within that. All of my asks and requests were along the lines of just being faithful to the source material.”
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