Henry Cavill cast as Geralt in Netflix's WITCHER TV series

Netflix have confirmed that the lead role of Geralt of Rivia in their upcoming Witcher TV series will be played by British actor Henry Cavill, currently best-known for playing the role of Clark Kent/Superman in the DC Cinematic Universe.

Cavill rose to initial attention playing the role of Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, on Showtime's The Tudors in 2007-10. The only lead actor to appear in all four seasons apart from Jonathan Rhys-Meyers (as Henry VIII), Cavill attracted positive notices for the role, especially his portrayal of a man much older than himself in the final season.

Cavill also appeared in movies such as Tristan and Isolde and Stardust before director Zach Snyder cast him as Superman in Man of Steel (2013). He has since reprised this incarnation of the character in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017). Cavill has attracted some praise for his portrayal, while the films themselves have been criticised for an overtly dark tone and incoherent scripts.

Since starring as Superman, Cavill has also appeared in films such as The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015) and Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018), attracting positive reviews, especially for the latter.

Netflix's The Witcher TV series is based on Andrzej Sapkowski's eight novels featuring the character. Cavill is a fan of both the books and the three Witcher video games by CD Projekt Red, citing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt as one of his favourite games of all time.

The Witcher is currently in pre-production and casting, with the show expected to start shooting early next year in Poland for transmission in early 2020.