Spare a thought for poor old Henry Cavill: once wearer of the gangly locks as Geralt of Rivia, once bearer of the bulgy bits as Superman, now no longer either. But on the bright side, his lovely dog’s now in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, courtesy of its new-gen update.
Henry Cavill’s dog, an American Akita named Kal, is a bit of a star in his own right, frequently snapped alongside the actor and apparently a bit of a fixture on-set of Cavill’s projects. During filming of The Witcher, for instance, Kal was said to have been on location the “entire time”.
And now Kal has been immortalised in digital form, appearing at the Devil’s Pit for players that get the “good” ending in The Witcher 3’s new quest In The Eternal Fire’s Shadow, introduced as part of CD Projekt’s long-in-the-works new-gen update.
CD Projetk’s lead quest designer Philip Weber confirmed the Kal spotted by fans was indeed a reference to Cavill’s dog on Twitter. “With the sad news about Henry Cavill’s Superman role today,” Weber wrote, “it’s nice that we got a little opportunity to show our appreciation for the great passion and enthusiasm Henry showed for The Witcher”.
Weber was, of course, referencing today’s news that Cavill will no be playing Superman, despite having announced otherwise back in October. “I have just had a meeting with James Gunn and Peter Safran and it’s sad news, everyone,” Cavill wrote in a statement confirming the news. “I will, after all, not be returning as Superman. After being told by the studio to announce my return back in October, prior to their hire, this news isn’t the easiest, but that’s life. The changing of the guard is something that happens. I respect that.”
Cavill’s initial Superman announcement was followed by the news he’d be hanging up his shiny silver sword as Geralt of Rivia in Netflix’s The Witcher series after the upcoming third season, with Liam Hemsworth taking over the role – leading many to assume one announcement was the result of the other. Perhaps the writers at Netflix can find it in their hearts to conjure a new character for Cavill following today’s news, maybe long-lost sibling Gerald of the Riviera.
As for The Witcher 3’s new-gen update – which features a host of graphical enhancements, quality of life features, and a smattering of new content – that’s been having woes of its own on PC. After complaints around performance from players, CD Projekt acknowledged the issue, saying it was “actively investigating all of the reports and will be providing an update” soon.
