The Witcher season 4 showrunner defends controversial Geralt line after fan backlash

Before The Witcher season 4 has even been released, fans have been debating Liam Hemsworth's take on Geralt of Rivia as he takes over from Henry Cavill.

Naturally, when the recent trailer for the new instalment was released, fans dissected every key moment, but one particular line caused quite a stir – when Hemsworth's Geralt rallies his hanza by crying: "Let's f**king move."

Some fans argued that it's quite an out-of-character line for the Witcher, who's known for his rather subdued manner of communication.

However, showrunner Lauren Schmidt-Hissrich, who's aware of the backlash around the line, has defended it, offering up some context about what unfolds in that particular scene.

Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, she said: "Let’s f**king move! It's one of those lines. I mean, you never know what is going to be controversial. You never know what's going to work.

"If prior to season 1 airing, you would have told me that ‘Toss a coin to your Witcher’ was going to be a hit, that's it's wild to me. What I think is, that line in the context of the battle that we're in – it makes total sense. It's also a kickass line. "

"It's one of those things that it's like, you may go, 'Oh, that's not what my Geralt would say.’ Well, it is. It's what our Geralt would say. And in this moment, it suits it perfectly. So I'm eager for audiences to take those moments from the trailer and actually see them in the context of the scenes."

Teasing what's to come in that scene, Schmidt-Hissrich continued: "I think that Geralt as a character, has made this decision to not get involved in the matters of men. That's what Witchers do – they fight monsters. They do not involve themselves with humans.

"But we've seen over the seasons that Geralt has shifted quite a bit. Obviously, he met Yennefer, he falls in love. He has this child surprise, who really becomes his daughter in his soul. And you start to see that he realises that he is meshed with humans, even if he didn't intend to be.

"And when we find him in season 4, he has a slightly different family that he has to look after, and he's reticent at first. He's really hesitant to accept these people on his journey. In this moment, though, he is protecting someone that's super dear to him, and his tone and his mood, to me, it's a father figure, it's a friend.

"It's someone who knows that they could be the difference between life and death for someone else. And that's heroic to me. It's absolutely Geralt getting to live out his white knight fantasy."

This season will see Hemsworth's Geralt, Ciri (Freya Allan), and Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) separated across the war-torn Continent, each on their own perilous journey.

As for whether they'll find their way back to each other, with danger lurking around every corner, only time will tell.

Cavill announced his exit from The Witcher in 2022, sharing a message of support to Hemsworth, his successor.

Chatting to RadioTimes.com ahead of season 4, Hemsworth admitted he was initially "reluctant" to take on the role, but, as a fan of the franchise, added: "I think what excited me the most was where Geralt is at this part of the story – his emotional state, and where he's heading. I think he's in a very real place of change and a place that I don't think he's been in often in his life."

The Witcher season 4 will be released on 30th October on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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