'The Witcher' Ending at Netflix, Season 5 Will Be Its Last
'The Witcher' Season 4 just began filming, and Season 5 just got the green light, but the story is almost over.
It's a bittersweet day for The Continent, as Netflix just renewed The Witcher for Season 5, but announced that that will be its final installment. The news came directly from Netflix on social media, amid a flurry of other teasers, trailers and green lights. The Witcher Season 4 just began filming this month, so there is still a long way to go before a finale airs.
"It's official, The Witcher Season 4 is in production," read a post from Netflix on X. "But that's not all, we're already planning Season 5, which will be the final season and bring this epic show to a fitting conclusion. See you on The Continent." The post included a new video teasing Season 4, though it is comprised of behind-the-scenes shots and no new footage from the set itself. Still, even the table reads for this show are elaborate enough for streaming.
It's official, The Witcher season 4 is in production. But that's not all, we're already planning season 5, which will be the final season and bring this epic show to a fitting conclusion. See you on The Continent. pic.twitter.com/c0ilUCWYkF
— The Witcher (@witchernetflix) April 18, 2024
The Witcher holds a unique place in the epic fantasy genre as a multi-medium adaptation translated from its original language, Polish. The saga started as a series of short stories by author Andrjez Sapkowski published in the early 1990s, and expanded into a series of five novels published throughout the decade. The stories weren't translated into English until 2007 – the same year the acclaimed video game adaptation was released.
That means fans are not coming at this story from the same angle, and are even more divided than fans of other book adaptations like Game of Thrones. Many viewers have played the games but never read the books, or read the books long ago, leading to strongly differing opinions about what is important in the story and what can be skipped or condensed. The TV show has deviated from both the books and the games, and if it is to end with Season 5, it will need to diverge even more.
Add to that the drama behind the scenes, and The Witcher has a make-or-break season ahead of it. So far, the show has starred Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, and it was touted as a passion project for Cavill from the start. Now, Cavill has stepped down from the series and actor Liam Hemsworth is taking over his role. Fans are divided over this, of course, and some have loudly proclaimed on social media that they will no longer be watching.
Still, The Witcher Season 4 has some great things ahead including fan-favorite characters, events, and new settings. Most notably, Laurence Fishburne has joined the cast as Regis, and he was shown in the new teaser clip laughing along with the rest of the cast during a table read. Returning stars including Anya Chalotra, Freya Allan, and Joey Batey.
The Witcher Seasons 1 through 3 are streaming now on Netflix, along with two spinoffs. Season 4 is filming now, but there is no projected release date yet. With Season 5 already greenlit, the production may be able to move fast towards its imminent finale.