The animated movie The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep follows Geralt of Rivia on a one-of-a-kind adventure on land and underwater, and though it’s part of the continuity of the main show, there are some differences in their Geralt portrayals. While The Witcher prepares for its fourth season, its universe continues to expand, now with another animated movie after the prequel Nightmare of the Wolf in 2021. Directed by Kang Hei Chul, Sirens of the Deep is set between episodes 5 and 6 of the first season of The Witcher, meaning that this is the same Geralt as in the live-action show.
Sirens of the Deep follows Geralt, Jaskier (voiced by Joey Batey), and Essi (Christina Wren), who are sent by Prince Agloval to hunt the sea monster that attacked a pearl-diving boat, killing its entire crew. However, this only makes the relationship between Agloval’s kingdom and that of the merpeople more tense, and Geralt not only has to solve the mystery of the boat but also avoid a war. Geralt in Sirens of the Deep isn’t voiced by Henry Cavill, and though he’s the same character, there are a couple of differences between both versions.
Who Plays Geralt In The Witcher: Sirens Of The Deep? The Games’ Voice Actor Returns
Geralt Is Voiced By Another Geralt Actor
Despite Sirens of the Deep being announced to be in development before Henry Cavill’s Witcher departure in 2022, Cavill didn’t voice the character in the movie. The exact reasons for this are currently unclear, but it’s possible that Netflix already knew Cavill was leaving The Witcher when Sirens of the Deep entered development. However, Netflix made sure that Sirens of the Deep had the perfect actor voicing Geralt, and brought a Geralt actor that fans of The Witcher video games know quite well.
Geralt is voiced by Doug Cockle in Sirens of the Deep, and he has voiced the character since 2007. Cockle is Geralt’s voice in every English version of The Witcher video games so far, the most recent one being The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Hearts of Stone, and he’s set to return in the upcoming The Witcher IV. Cockle has also voiced many other characters in various video games, most notably Soulcalibur VI and Baldur’s Gate 3.
Cockle has a couple of acting credits outside video games and voice acting, with minor roles in movies like The Tailor of Panama and Captain America: The First Avenger, as well as the TV shows Band of Brothers and The Second Coming. Cockle, then, knows Geralt quite well, which ensured that he wasn’t too different from Cavill’s portrayal.
How Doug Cockle’s Geralt In The Witcher Movie Is Similar To Henry Cavill’s
Doug Cockle & Henry Cavill Have Some Key Similarities As Geralt
Henry Cavill has never denied or hidden that he’s a big fan of The Witcher, particularly the video games, so it’s not that surprising that he and Cockle are quite on-sync in their portrayals over at Netflix. One of Geralt’s key characteristics that aren’t about his physical appearance is his voice. Geralt speaks in a low voice, isn’t a man of many words, and his grunts and “mmm” have become some of his trademarks. All these are present in Cavill’s performance, as well as in Cockle’s in Sirens of the Deep.
Geralt in Sirens of the Deep is also very discreet and tries to stay as neutral as possible. Throughout season 1 of The Witcher, Geralt is dragged into different conflicts, but he does his best to focus on his job and not take sides – however, that doesn’t mean he’s not going to speak up when he witnesses an injustice. This important trait is also present in Sirens of the Deep’s version of Geralt, which earns him a couple of enemies but also adds to his reputation as the best witcher out there.
How The New Witcher Movie’s Geralt Differs From Henry Cavill’s Character
Despite Being The Same Geralt, They Are Slightly Different
Although Cavill’s Geralt and Cockle’s version in Sirens of the Deep are similar in the most important ways, they also have some slight but notable differences. One of their biggest differences is in their combat style, with Sirens of the Deep’s Geralt being more acrobatic and sometimes even theatrical in his fights against monsters and human enemies. Surely, this is most likely a consequence of the movie being animated, which makes it easier to bring to life fights, worlds, characters, and moments that would be difficult to pull off in live-action.
Cavill’s Geralt became a bit more expressive in seasons 2 and 3, but that shouldn’t be the case in Sirens of the Deep.
Another difference between Geralt in the live-action Witcher TV show and Sirens of the Deep is that the latter is slightly more expressive at times. This difference is not just in the face of the animated Geralt showing a bit more emotion than Cavill, but also in his tone of voice. It’s important to remember that Sirens of the Deep’s Geralt is the same as Cavill’s in The Witcher season 1, before he met Ciri and softened a bit more. Cavill’s Geralt became a bit more expressive in seasons 2 and 3, but that shouldn’t be the case in Sirens of the Deep.
Doug Cockle Does A Great Job Of Establishing A New Geralt Before The Witcher Season 4
The Witcher Season 4 Will Introduce A New Geralt
Despite those differences, Doug Cockle’s Geralt fits the world of Netflix’s The Witcher and is a great portrayal of the famous witcher, and it arrived right on time. As mentioned above, in October 2022, Henry Cavill announced he was leaving The Witcher after season 3, and along with this came the news of his recast. Liam Hemsworth is playing Geralt in The Witcher season 4, and he’s expected to reprise his role in the show’s fifth and final season. At the time of writing, Netflix has only shared a brief look at Hemsworth in full Geralt costume, but not his voice.
The first look at Hemsworth in character provided some relief, but his voice and mannerisms will be what, ultimately, makes or breaks his Geralt portrayal.
The announcement of Hemsworth’s casting was met with strong reactions from fans of the show and video games, and they weren’t exactly positive reactions. The first look at Hemsworth in character provided some relief, but his voice and mannerisms will be what, ultimately, makes or breaks his Geralt portrayal. After three seasons with Cavill’s Geralt, it’s going to take viewers some time to get used to a new Geralt, and that’s when Sirens of the Deep comes into play.
By having Cockle as Geralt, Sirens of the Deep helps viewers get used to a new Geralt, while also proving that it is possible for Netflix’s Witcher universe to succeed and move forward with a different Geralt. Surely, Cockle has the benefit of being Geralt before Cavill did, but not all viewers are familiar with the video games. Sirens of the Deep’s Geralt shouldn’t throw fans of Netflix’s The Witcher off as he’s very similar to Henry Cavill’s version, and it’s to be seen if there will be more of Doug Cockle’s Geralt in other projects.
