Henry Cavill swaps Superman for The Witcher TV show: Is this the end for Justice League?

The big screen DC Jusice League franchise is still reeling from the box office and critical bashing of the most recent movie.

Is it about to lose another one of its biggest stars?

The future of Ben Affleck as Batman looks increasingly bleak and now Henry Cavill has committed to a major new Netflix big-budget show which could tie up his schedules for the next few years.

Cavill actively courted the Witcher Netflix project and has just been announced as the title character, Geralt of Rivia.

The star announced teh news with a tongue in cheek Instagram post with a picture of a Netflix screen and the message: “My new mailing address is: Geralt, C/O Vesemir, Kaer Morhen, Kaer Morhen Valley, Hertch, Kaedwen. 

“Please note, I’m rarely there. Monster slaying being what it is. So, replies will be few and far between, if at all.”

Netflix will start production soon on the adaptation of author Andrzej Sapkowski’s eight-book The Witcher series. Back in April, The Witcher writer and executive producer Lauren S Hissrich tweeted that the show was hoping for a 2020 release date.

If the Netflix offering is on a scale anything like their recent Sens8, Cavill’s commitment will be considerable.

This is being seen as Netflix’s answer to Game of Thrones, while Amazon similarly shepherds its epic Lord of the Rings prequel show to fill the gap left by HBO’s global smash when it ends next year. 

Witchers use their supernatural abilities and extreme fighting abilities to hunt dangerous beasts but the books and spin-off games also highlight how people can be even bigger monsters. 

The Witcher will feature fantastical creatures and the use of magic and has already been turned into the cult CD Projekt Red game. After three games – 2007’s The Witcher, 2009’s The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings and 2015’s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – the series seems unlikely to continue.

Fans won’t have long to wait to see their heroes brought to life when Netflix debuts the initial eight-episode first series.

So, what does this mean for Superman?

There have been constant reports of plans for a second standalone Man of Steel movie, as well as rumours of a Superman cameo in Shazam, plus the Justice League sequel hinted at by the scene at the round table in the Wayne mansion in the first movie.

Of course, Cavill should be able to film eight episodes around any future DC projects, but The Witcher will definitely estblish him as another iconic figure in the public eye in a way that roles in Mission Impossible movies would not.

Of course, if he continues to also chase the Bond role that really would spell trouble for Superman…