The world of Warhammer 40k is coming to television. The grimdark sci-fi universe created by Games Workshop is one that has been around for decades, telling stories of a depressing far future where humanity has become a theocratic fascistic empire fighting against alien armies and interdimensional demons across the galaxy. Not only has this violent and depressing backdrop been used for the various tabletop miniature armies in the widely popular board game, it has been the focus of several tabletop RPGs and novels focusing on certain characters and factions. Now, Amazon Studios will be producing Warhammer 40k TV series and films, all with the aid of a certain fan of the franchise.
The Warhammer 40k TV series announcement
The announcement of the new Warhammer 40k TV series and films came from an official Warhammer-Community post. In the post, Games Workshop cites a press release produced by Amazon. It reiterates that Amazon Studios has secured the global rights to the Warhammer 40k IP, meaning they have the means to adapt any elements of the franchise to streaming, television, or even feature films. In addition, the studio has partnered with Vertigo Entertainment, a production company that's been behind everything from the horror film Barbarian to various Lego films.
The press release also confirms that this new era of Warhammer 40k TV series and film already has a notable executive producer. Henry Cavill, most well known as the Snyderverse Superman and portraying Geralt of Rivia in Netflix's adaptation of The Witcher, will be joining Amazon Studios not just as an executive producer on these new productions, but star in them as well. This is important since Cavill has been very vocal about his love of the property.
“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 honour and the responsibility,” said Cavill. “I couldn’t be more grateful for all the hard work put in by Vertigo, Amazon, and Games Workshop to make this happen. One step closer to making a nigh-on lifelong dream come true.”
This partnership does bring up a few lingering questions. What will this mean for the original series currently being produced on the Warhammer+ streaming app? What will be the very first project? How exactly will Amazon learn from the production and reception of their Rings of Power series? All of those will hopefully will come in time.
