Well, it's official. After rumours began circulating that Henry Cavill was in talks with Amazon to produce and star in a Warhammer 40K series, we've had an official announcement confirming it's happening. Well, kind of. The reality is much better. It's not just a TV series that's in the works, it looks to be a whole-ass cinematic universe.
The deal was unveiled on Warhammer's community site, confirming that Amazon Studios has officially secured the rights to create a whole slate of Warhammer 40K goodies, with the agreement encompassing "rights to the universe across series, film, and more." The W40KCU (the Warhammer 40K cinematic universe, of course) will "sit alongside GAW's activities as they continue to make the best miniatures in the world." The announcement also confirmed that, yep, Henry Cavill is set to star and executive produce "across all Amazon Studios productions".
"For 30 years I have dreamt of seeing a Warhammer universe in live action," wrote Cavill in an Instagram post. "Now, after 22 years of experience in this industry, I finally feel that I have the skill set and experience to guide a Warhammer Cinematic Universe into life."
Cavill also expressed his excitement for the deal in the announcement. "I have loved Warhammer since I was a boy, making this moment truly special for me," he said. "The opportunity to shepherd this cinematic universe from its inception is quite the honour and the responsibility. 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."
It's a win for Cavill in the face of him stepping down from his largest roles. Last month saw him announce that season 3 of Netflix's The Witcher series would be his last, with Liam Hemsworth taking over the role from season 4. Last week, he also hung up his red cape as it was announced that he wouldn't be coming back as Superman, either. The latter news came mere weeks after saying that he would be returning to the role, so the whole thing came as a pretty big shock. I'm sure whittling away at Warhammer projects will keep him happy and busy enough for the time being, though.
Here's one heck of a surprise gift for all Warhammer fans, and it's not even Christmas yet…https://t.co/2bCKZzRqTm#WarhammerCommunity pic.twitter.com/JKXmaHQk7kDecember 16, 2022
Sadly there's no hint on what the first Warhammer 40K project will be. Games Workshop announced an Eisenhorn TV show back in 2019 under Big Light Productions, but updates have gone silent in the years since. It'd make a great first choice for Amazon Studios to pick up if it was able. With a ton of Warhammer 40K novels to choose from too, there's no doubt Cavill will be reaching for his favourites to try and adapt for the silver screen too. Amazon sure knows how to make a damn good series so I'm looking forward to seeing how this collaboration turns out.
