“Life comes at you fast.” Well, sometimes, it comes at you faster than a proverbial speeding bullet. That was certainly the case for Henry Cavill not too long ago. In a whirlwind only Superman himself could keep up with, the actor quickly went from two high-profile jobs to none. First, he was back as the Man of Steel in the DCEU. But right after his cameo in Black Adam, he was out as Geralt of Rivia on Netflix’s The Witcher. Only, ultimately, he was also out as Clark Kent. Don’t feel too badly for Cavill, though. Another idiom now applies to his roller-coaster career: all’s well that ends well. His next series will turn his personal passion into a paying gig. Henry Cavill will headline Amazon Studios’ Warhammer 40,000 live-action franchise. And two years after its announcement (and just in the nick of time), a Warhammer 40,000 TV series is officially in development as part of this project with Cavill.
A Warhammer 40,000 TV Series Is Officially In Development with Henry Cavill and Games Workshop
After two years of very little in the way of updates, a Warhammer 40,000 TV series is officially in development with Henry Cavill, Games Workshop, and Amazon. And this timing is not a coincidence, according to Deadline. Apparently, Amazon’s hold on the Warhammer 40,000 rights was on a clock, a clock that was first meant to run out in December 2023, but was extended until December 2024. The publication writes that Games Workshop revealed in an annual financial report that Amazon and Games Workshop had to mutually agree on the “creative guidelines for the films and television series to be developed by Amazon” in order for Amazon not to lose the Warhammer 40,000 rights.
And it seems the companies, alongside Cavill, have achieved this mutual agreement about the future of the live-action Warhammer 40,000 franchise. Reportedly, “a decision was made to proceed with the development of a TV series as the first project.” We do not yet know what shape that TV series will take or who will be its showrunner.
Cavill offered the following statement about the Warhammer 40,000 TV series, “My incredible team and I, alongside the brilliant minds at Games Workshop, have been working away in concept rooms, breaking down approaches to the enormity and magnificence of the Warhammer world. 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.”
Amazon Studios Acquired Rights to Warhammer 40,000 in 2022, Henry Cavill to Star and Produce Franchise
In December 2022, Amazon Studios first confirmed the news was true. It acquired the rights to Games Workshop’s wildly popular miniature universe Warhammer 40,000. The deal includes future shows, movies, “and more.” The arrangement, a first-of-its-kind agreement, didn’t go small with its leading man. We learned at the time that Cavill would both star in and executive produce the Warhammer franchise. Considering his well-established love for the hobby, it’s hard to think of anything that will help Henry Cavill overcome his disappointment at no longer being Superman.
“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 in his initial statement about joining the Warhammer world. “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.”
Games Workshop Shares Cavill’s Live-Action Warhammer 40,000 World Is ‘Now Properly Rolling’
In a 2023 blog post, Games Workshop gave a very positive update about that revealed a bit more to us about the shape of Cavill’s Warhammer 40,000 live-action franchise.
The company Games Workshop noted, “An elite band of screenwriters, each with their own particular passion for Warhammer, is being assembled to help bring the setting and characters you love to the screen. This illustrious group will be championed by Henry Cavill, who stands ready to take his place as executive producer – bringing his pen, sword and/or spear to the project.” Interestingly, Cavill is mentioned in his capacity as an executive producer, but not necessarily as an actor. We feel it’s still likely that Cavill will take his place as the star of one Warhammer 40,000 property or another. Who could be better?
In addition to this, Cavill himself shared at the time, “Warhammer is progressing very well. Big things are happening, and we are very excited.” He also offered, “It is the greatest privilege of my professional career to have this opportunity… I can’t say too much, again, it’s early days, still. But to have this opportunity to bring it to the screen, and be at the tiller so it can be faithful, is key to me.”
It sounds like any Warhammer 40,000 projects will be in great hands with Cavill. We appreciate just how much the actor is excited. Cavill even has the videos of him nerding out over Warhammer miniatures to prove his love.
When Can We Expect a Warhammer 40,000 Movie or TV Series to Release?
Ultimately, Games Workshop reminded us last year that, “It’s not unusual for projects to take two to three years from this point before something arrives on screen. Still, things are now properly rolling, and you can bet we’ll bring you all the latest updates and cool snippets as soon as we’re able.”
But at least now that there’s a firm direction, we’ll hopefully hear some more news soon.
More About Warhammer 40,000
Warhammer 40,000 takes place in the “far future, where humanity stands at the edge of what might be its brightest future, or its darkest age. The threats to humankind’s empire are many—traitors driven by the fires of ambition, alien empires sworn to reclaim the stars, and the corruption of reality by malevolent gods.”
Sounds like a place that could really use both a witcher and a super man. Now it has both. Congratulations to Cavill and all the other fans of the Warhammer 40,000 world.
Originally published on December 16, 2022.
