Henry "Chad" Cavill to Star in, Produce Warhammer 40K Cinematic Universe

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Warhammer's most famous fan is ready to bring this extensive, lore-dense universe to fans the globe over. Henry Cavill left The Witcher Netflix show for several reasons and was recently (and unexpectedly!) ousted from the upcoming Superman film. Free of his other projects, Cavill is now collaborating with Vertigo Entertainment and Amazon Studios to bring his love of Warhammer to screens everywhere with a Warhammer 40K cinematic universe. Due to the scale of the project, it'll start small with a limited-series TV show, but there are clear intentions and hopes for it to grow to include larger-scale television series and films. 

Amazon Studios has already secured the "first-of-its-kind" global rights to the Warhammer 40K universe. (There was an Eisenhorn TV show announced/teased in 2019, but details of it went radio silent many years ago.) This deal is the studio's first gaming IP acquired for transmedia; considering the caliber and scale of Warhammer's fanbase and lore, it'll be really interesting to see how Amazon handles the adaptation compared to Netflix's popular game adaptation series Cyberpunk Edgerunners and League of Legends Arcane. While many have been quick to cast doubt on Amazon's involvement in the project, Henry Cavill appears to be hard at work and ready to assuage any concerns. The actor is set to executive produce the franchise across all of the studios' Warhammer productions and will star in the initial series production. (Likely, hopefully, a leading role-- but the details are scarce at the moment.) Many know and admire Henry Cavill's deep love of Warhammer as a series, as well as his dedication to keeping screen adaptations of media true to their source material, so there's strong hope among fans that he will keep true to the heart of the beloved franchise. When asked about the project, Henry Cavill said: “I have loved Warhammer since I was a boy, making this moment truly special for me. The opportunity to shepherd this cinematic universe from its inception is quite the honor and the responsibility.” In an Instagram post, the star stated: "To all of you Warhammer fans out there, I promise to respect this IP that we love. I promise to bring you something familiar. And I endeavor to bring you something fantastic that is, as of yet, unseen." The Warhammer IP has the most popular miniature wargames in the world, and installments of its lore and games have been in production for over 30 years. Suffice it to say, it's a tall order to fit decades of novels, adaptations, and spin-offs into a Cinematic universe that parallels the likes of Marvel and DC... but if anyone can do it, I know Henry 'Chadvill' can. You can read more details and quotes about the deal at the Warhammer Community site. 

What are your thoughts? Do you think a Warhammer television series will be successful?

Replies • 41
Enjoys a Good Drink

I have watched some gameplay, and read some of the story stuff and seen some of the animation stuff, i think it would do good, the story is interesting , and all the tech and weapons are pleasing to the eye 


Henry Cavill is also pleasing to the eye. He's also a great actor! This is one fan of The Witcher who is very unhappy he left. He was so good as Geralt! I can't imagine anyone else in the role. Netflix just seems to have an intense need to shoot themselves in the foot once they get a really good show going. I'll check out this Warhammer show. Sounds interesting.



Interstellar

It could be amazing, but it'll ultimately come down to having the right people - specifically writers, directors, and showrunners.  The problem with Warhammer 40K is that there's a density to the lore that can make it inscrutable to all but diehard fans.  As such, you either end up with people who are utterly unfamiliar with the material and simply don't get it or get buried under the lore, or you have those diehard geeks who are so passionate about the world and the mythos that they don't consider the best way to ease an audience into that universe by peppering in the lore while focusing on a compelling story with great characters.  The action is the easy part, but it's meaningless if the audience isn't engaged and invested in the story and the characters.  If they manage to nail those elements, yeah, I think a WH40K series could be huge.  It has all the potential to be a massive success, on par with Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead and The Lord of the Rings (the movies, not that Amazon series).  I just hope they don't squander it.



Interstellar

It's pretty hard for a Movie or TV Series to reproduce the same feeling we get from playing a game.

It's "passive" vs "interactive". But I am happy to be surprised if they can pull it off..

 

 

 



Interstellar
Cadchap said: 40m

It's pretty hard for a Movie or TV Series to reproduce the same feeling we get from playing a game.

It's "passive" vs "interactive". But I am happy to be surprised if they can pull it off..

 

 

 

I'd agree with you except there's this thing called Twitch and other services where people enjoy WATCHING other people play a game and not play it themselves, which makes it passive.