Fact check: Henry Cavill left Netflix the Witcher series after he grew tired of the writer's room shitting all over the source material. But, he was too professional to make a public statement to that effect.

1. Summary of the results

The evidence strongly supports that creative differences over source material adaptation were a significant factor in Henry Cavill's departure from The Witcher. Multiple sources confirm that Cavill was deeply invested in Andrzej Sapkowski's original work and pushed for faithful adaptation ^{[1] [2]}. Former writer Beau DeMayo revealed that some writers were "actively disliking the books and games" and even "mocking the source material" ^[3]. Cavill himself stated he would remain committed to the show only "as long as we can keep telling great stories which honor Sapkowski's work" ^[2].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual elements were missing from the original statement:

• Cavill had considered leaving as early as Season 2's post-production ^[3]
• The show made specific deviations from source material, including:
• Introduction of new characters not present in the books
• Creation of a main villain (the Deathless Mother) who doesn't exist in the original novels ^[2]
• Cavill explicitly told the Philippine Star in 2021 about his struggle to balance the showrunners' vision with his love for the books ^[4]
• The show's producer, Javier Grillo-Marxuach, defended their adaptation choices ^[5]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

While the core sentiment appears accurate, there are some nuances to consider:

• The statement's characterization of writers "shitting all over" the source material is more inflammatory than the documented evidence, though there is confirmation of some writers' negative attitude toward the source material ^[3]
• The claim about Cavill being "too professional to make a public statement" is speculative, though supported by his actual behavior. While he never directly criticized the show's direction, he did make diplomatic public statements about wanting to honor the source material ^[6]
• Multiple stakeholders have different interests in this narrative:
• Netflix and the show's producers benefit from downplaying creative differences
• Fans of the original books and games benefit from portraying Cavill as a defender of the source material
• The new creative team benefits from distancing themselves from these controversies