Well before Liam Hemsworth took over for Henry Cavill in Netflix’s The Witcher, another performer replaced the Man of Steel actor as Geralt of Rivia. A legendary witcher of the School of the Wolf, Geralt is the white-haired protagonist of The Witcher series, a fantasy drama based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s bestselling novels. Notably, the show also pulls inspiration from the beloved Witcher action role-playing video game series, which Cavill was a fan of long before landing the live-action role. Although Hemsworth has replaced Cavill for The Witcher season 4, Cavill has become synonymous with Geralt.

The four-season Netflix series, which will culminate in a fifth and final outing, isn’t the only TV depiction of Geralt and the Continent. In 2021, an animated origin story, The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, hit screens, followed by a live-action prequel, The Witcher: Blood Origin, in 2022. Needless to say, the world of The Witcher is incredibly vast, extending far beyond the story of the magically enhanced monster hunter Geralt. The Witcher‘s dark fantasy-meets-horror tone has gone on to impress audiences and critics alike and cemented Geralt’s status as a genre icon.

Geralt in The Witcher Sirens of the Deep
 Geralt brandishes his sword in The Witcher Sirens of the Deep
Geralt in The Witcher Sirens of the Deep announcement trailer

Set in the Netflix show’s universe, The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep stars Doug Cockle as Geralt of Rivia. The second installment in Netflix’s anime-inspired The Witcher fare, the feature-length film will be based on one of Sapkowski’s short stories, “A Little Sacrifice” from Sword of Destiny. Since The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf chronicles the origin story of Geralt’s mentor and fellow witcher Vesemir (Theo James), the previous animated installment didn’t have to worry about casting an adult Geralt — though Harry Hissrich briefly voices a younger version of the character.

For his work in [The Witcher 3], Cockle won the Golden Joystick Award for Best Gaming Performance…

Of course, Doug Cockle is no stranger to The Witcher‘s cast of characters. Known for his voice-over roles in video games, the actor’s most iconic character is Geralt, who he voiced in 2007’s first-ever video game adaptation, The Witcher. Since then, Cockle has voiced Geralt in the English dub of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings as well as The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. For his work in the latter, Cockle won the Golden Joystick Award for Best Gaming Performance, making his portrayal of the titular monster hunter as iconic as Henry Cavill’s live-action one.