Warhammer Amazon Deal Signed – The Gears Are In Motion!
December 18, 2023 by brennon
Games Workshop announced that they have now reached an agreement with Amazon to begin work on bringing the world of Warhammer 40,000 to the screen, both big and small.
Warhammer & Amazon Deal // Games Workshop
Shop Warhammer 40,000 @ Store.OnTableTop
All that could be revealed for the moment is that with the deal signed and sealed, they have assembled a band of elite screenwriters who will be under the command of Henry Cavill who hasn't been shy about showcasing his passion for all things Warhammer. As executive producer, it will be interesting to see how "hands-on" he is with the project and whether or not he will look to be involved in some of the upcoming projects as a star or leave that to others to fill the boots of Eisenhorn and the rest.
It is still going to be a long time before we see this partnership bear fruit but I'm hoping that we get some insights into their thoughts and ideas over the coming years. It seems like a good idea to start with a TV show but maybe we'll see the team developing multiple ideas for TV and film together that perhaps link in some way.
The obvious best bet to start with would be Eisenhorn although you could easily make a case for Gaunt's Ghosts or Ciaphas Cain. What would you like to see them do first?
Drop your thoughts below...
"The obvious best bet to start with would be Eisenhorn although you could easily make a case for Gaunt's Ghosts or Ciaphas Cain..."
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When I read the headline I thought I could expect my wargame tat parcels to be stomped on and left on my doorstep in the rain. This is mildly better news.
Wow so totally excited for another brilliant show like (looks at notes) Wheel of Time and (checks notes) Rings of Power, two tv series beloved by the book fans. Oh boy can’t wait to see them respect the lore, not completely change characters and change to entire Eisenhorn story to “make it their own” which is always an improvement on the original, every time. If I ignored all of history and all the disasters I think Gaunts Ghosts in a Sharpe ‘full length movie episodes’ style would be an obvious choice but that’s a mammoth job. Horus Heresy would also… Read more »
Looking forward to that fella in golden armour on his knees yelling “Horuuuuuuuuus!” at the sky in impotent rage.
Reacher, The Boys and Invincible are all good, so fingers crossed. Plus, Cavil isn’t particularly ‘woke’ (I hate the word but it conveys my point quickly), and is enough of a nerd to hopefully keep any shows out of the contrived culture wars and just present them as is. A horrible universe where everyone thinks they are the good guys but are clearly someone else’s monster. Although I also hope some of the satire carries over. I think everyone would relate to the over the top dystopia of the Imperium, and the Tau would be good for poking fun at… Read more »
That they have Henry Cavill on at the top, who the writers of The Witcher tried to cancel by the way, gives me a lot of hope. He actually knows his stuff and gets it, as far as genre entertainment goes. That’s a clear nod to the idea they want to please the fans and not make Amazon’s usual garbage fare. And Amazon knows they messed up at this point, enough that they’re probably willing to work with an IP holder who will veto bad (and woke) ideas. I think Eisenhorn or the Horus Heresy are the natural choices. People… Read more »
I’m pretty sure this won’t go horribly wrong and will be en par with the cinematic cut scenes from “Final Liberation” (an Epic 40.000 video game)
A swing in culture with a swing in media. This could very well be interesting to see the faithfulness of Cavill to source material like he was with The Witcher. An epic piece may or may not be in the cards with as dark as grimdark could get.
If more features like The Watchmen and Joker can be pushed forward perhaps it all boils down to the bravery of the corporate monkeys to embrace grittiness. I’ll put my money on the most money being made on “unsafe” projects.
One question I’d like to ask is: what does this mean for the original series output, ie not Painting tutorials or battle reports, of Warhammer+? I didn’t mention Loremaster vids in the exclusion as I feel that they fall in a bit of a grey space. Please note that I haven’t actually watched any of the Warhammer+ output, unless it made it to GW’s YouTube channel. Some of the animated series could make it out to Amazon, if they thought it was good enough, but it might not get their branding, since it wasn’t made with their money, but it… Read more »
As someone in the business, the only existing IP I can see having a chance is Eisenhorn/Ravenor. The US streamers (in whose hallowed ranks Amazon is included) are always asking us for ‘young and diverse casts’ and ‘true crime’. Eisenhorn has a racially diverse cast with a good gender split, and it definitely has those true crime/detective themes they love. You can stick to the source material while keeping the press and studio on your side. Horus Heresy doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell, in my opinion. The story centers around 18 Primarchs, 15 of whom are white and… Read more »
I sort of agree with the broad sentiment but Gaunt’s Ghost’s aren’t all men, after Verghast they brought women into the Regiment. Also they would absolutely turn an all male Regiment of Scots/Irish into a mixed Regiment of men and women from all over the modern day earth, because the primary issue is not caring about the lore. The all male Regiment is a part of their story, when the women are brought into it there’s a lot of tension and character development which would be lost.
Yeah, a lot of people mistake cynical corporate marketing for a ‘woke agenda’. Market research shows that mixed race casts get the best box office. Eisenhorn is the only choice to start with. Mixed cast, mystery, action and adventure. But talented writers can do anything they put their minds to. Hopefully they have them.
Horus Heresy would be very easy to do. Just make all of Primarchs black, trans, disabled lesbians, simples. Works for Netflix. Oh, wait…
Aren’t they all asexual anyway, won’t that do?
This makes sense. I think moonunit has it close, just a bit backward, cynical corporate marketing isn’t for creating a woke agenda, it’s for appealing TO a woke agenda. It’s not some genius marketing move that works, it doesn’t work. Market research doesn’t tell Hollywood producers what to do, Hollywood producers decide what they’re going to do and then market research confirms their approach. They can’t do a show full of white male leads due to the social pressures within their rich urban cliques and their employees’ cliques. But money is getting tighter and they can’t keep failing either. They… Read more »
On the one hand – Henry Cavill
On the other hand – Amazon
Prace you bets now
Hah! I know what it will be: Blackadder 40k where Lord Blackadder is a commissar and his serve skull always has very cunning plans.
Not sure how much more they can destroy what used to be Warhammer, but if there is a way, SlimeAzon will find it….