Netflix’s The Witcher season four has already bid a sad farewell to fan-favorite Henry Cavill’s Geralt of Rivia as Liam Hemsworth steps into his well-worn leather boots. However, in another cruel twist of fate for fans, yet another beloved character departs the show as Kim Bodnia waves goodbye to his role as Vesemir, but for a valid reason. Adapting popular content from books and video games to the screen is no easy task, but The Witcher has, so far, done a fairly decent job, especially in regard to the show’s cast.

Even though some drastic changes took place from the books when creating The Witcher 3 video game, on the whole, Henry Cavill’s portrayal of Geralt in the Netflix show was praised by the fantasy series’ devoted fanbase, as well as Anya Chalotra’s portrayal of Yennefer. For three seasons, Henry Cavill took Geralt to new and exciting heights, proving that the actor could add a level of depth and vulnerability to the usually cold and emotionless character. As fans prepare themselves for a different season four without the rugged faces of Cavill and Bodnia, a spokesperson offers some insight into why The Witcher will see a recasting of Vesemir.

In a statement to RadioTimes, a spokesperson for Kim Bodnia confirmed that The Witcher season four was a conflict with Bodnia’s busy schedule, which caused the shake-up of plans, and it didn’t fit into his current shooting diary. It’s certainly a disappointment for fans who were looking forward to seeing Bodnia continue Vesemir’s role in The Witcher season four, but for those who want to see where Bodnia is off to, they can find him in his next project in the Apple TV+ original film F1 as Kaspar, which also stars Brad Pitt, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem, Tobias Menzies, and Sarah Niles. In the past, Bodnia has starred in the award-winning BBC series Killing Eve as Konstantin Vasiliev alongside Jodie Comer, and as Rasmus Holm Jensen in the 2013 Danish crime film, The Shooter.

Bodnia was introduced in season two of The Witcher as Vesemir, Geralt’s mentor and father figure. However, viewers didn’t get to know more about the oldest and most experienced witcher until much later in season three of the show, as the narrative started to move away from the fortress of Kaer Morhen. In similar circumstances as to how Ciri was adopted by Geralt, Vesemir became a witcher when he was claimed by the Law of Surprise and enrolled into the School of the Wolf.

In a recent interview, Liam Hemsworth revealed details about taking over from Cavill, stating that he hadn’t actually watched The Witcher beforehand but thought the games were the best he’s ever played. Thankfully, many faces from The Witcher‘s cast are making a return for season four, which includes Anya Chalotra as Yennefer, Freya Allan as Ciri, and Joey Batey as Jaskier. As The Witcher season five has already been written, it will be interesting to see what new cast members like Laurence Fishburne as Regis and James Purefoy as Stefan Skellen will bring to the series as it continues its journey.