A VFX artist has created a fake trailer for Netflix's The Witcher season 4, which replaces Henry Cavill's Geralt of Rivia with his soon-to-be replacement, Liam Hemsworth.
The deepfake video was created by Matthew Anthony--via Eurogamer--and gives fans of the series a look at what Hemsworth could look like as the Butcher of Blavikin instead of Cavill, who has played the character for two seasons and a third yet to arrive. The two-minute deepfake depicts the actor's face digitally imposed over Cavill's in a variety of scenes taken from the Netflix series. For example, moments where he's simply talking and interacting with characters such as Jaskier and Ciri.
However, scenes with complicated fight scenes performed by Cavill are not featured in the deepfake, so fans won't know what Hemsworth could look like wielding a sword until season 4 eventually drops. The VFX artist has developed a collection of videos using deepfake technology, and even created a concept where Ben Affleck would play Geralt as well.
It was announced last year that Cavill would be leaving The Witcher series, as well as the role of Geralt, after completing season 3--which is set to arrive in Summer 2023. It's been confirmed that Hemsworth would take over the role with season 4.
At the time, Cavill said, "...As with the greatest of literary characters, I pass the torch with reverence for the time spent embodying Geralt and enthusiasm to see Liam's take on this most fascinating and nuanced of men. Liam, good sir, this character has such a wonderful depth to him, enjoy diving in and seeing what you can find."
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