Henry Cavill's Warhammer 40K cinematic universe signs on the line with Amazon and he's over the moon: 'A fantastic place to start'

Henry Cavill reads The Witcher: The Last Wish — (Image credit: Netflix)

Games Workshop has announced that a deal has been signed with Amazon on the "creative guidelines" for a future set of films and television series based on the Warhammer 40,000 universe. The company had first announced it was talking to Amazon in December 2023, setting a 12-month period for the negotiations, so it looks like someone suddenly remembered a deadline was upcoming.

"It’s official—Games Workshop and Amazon Studios have finalized their deal—the creative guidelines are nailed down, and we’re all set to bring Warhammer to the screen," says the Games Workshop announcement. "It means we now have synopsis and ordering for the stories we’re going to tell... yep, we said stories! It might have taken a year but it was a year well spent!"

"To celebrate some Warhammer news, I decided to make a pilgrimage to the very first place I bought Warhammer models over 30 years ago… the Little Shop, on my home island of Jersey!" said Cavill on Instagram, alongside a little selfie in a Warhammer hat next to said shop.

"Together, we've been sifting through the plethora of incredible characters and poring over old tomes and texts. Our combined efforts have led us to a fantastic place to start our Universe, which has been agreed upon by those up on high at both Amazon and Games Workshop. That starting place shall, for now, remain a secret. Watch this space, though—more to come in time!"

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Cavill previously said heading up this 40K project is "the greatest privilege of my professional career," and he's not just blowing smoke. The former Superman (but always Superman in our hearts) spent the early part of the Covid-19 pandemic painting miniatures; has a cameo in Total War: Warhammer 2; talks about Warhammer when he should've been promoting the Witcher; and politely but very firmly schooled talk show host Graham Norton in why Warhammer's not Warcraft. The guy's got the bona fides.

As for who he'll end up playing, the more starry-eyed fans see the God-Emperor of Mankind, but I somehow doubt the first major 40K live action project is going to be a version of the epic Horus Heresy. There's still plenty of Inquisitors, Primarchs, and assorted Imperial heroes to choose from though, and an absolute wealth of primary material to work from.

The one cautionary note is that although "Project One" is about to go into development proper, it will take "some years" until we see anything, says the Games Workshop announcement, ending: "Everyone involved is las-focused on getting it all just right."

Rich is a games journalist with 15 years' experience, beginning his career on Edge magazine before working for a wide range of outlets, including Ars Technica, Eurogamer, GamesRadar+, Gamespot, the Guardian, IGN, the New Statesman, Polygon, and Vice. He was the editor of Kotaku UK, the UK arm of Kotaku, for three years before joining PC Gamer. He is the author of a Brief History of Video Games, a full history of the medium, which the Midwest Book Review described as "[a] must-read for serious minded game historians and curious video game connoisseurs alike."