Henry Cavill is keeping his cards close to his chest when it comes to the Amazon Warhammer 40,000 project, but he has said just how important it is to him.
"It is the greatest privilege of my professional career to have this opportunity," the Argylle, Superman, and The Witcher star said of his Warhammer 40,000 project in an interview with Josh Horowitz.
“I can’t say too much, again, it’s early days still. But to have this opportunity to bring it to screen, and be at the tiller so it can be faithful, is key to me.
“This is the stuff I’ve been dealing with since I was a kid. This is the stuff I spend my free time daydreaming about, as an adult as well, and I get to bring it into life. There is no greater reason than I joined the industry than doing something like this.”
In late 2022, Amazon Studios announced it had secured the rights to Warhammer 40,000 and planned to start a “universe of Warhammer programming” that would be executive produced by and star Henry Cavill. Then, in late 2023, Games Workshop confirmed it had signed a “full agreement” contract with Amazon, which meant “the next stage can begin”.
Warhammer 40,000 is Games Workshop’s science fiction universe used as the setting for its hugely popular tabletop wargame starring the iconic Space Marines. It’s a grimdark universe in which humanity clings on to survival in the face of terrifying threats within and without the fascist Imperium.
There’s a lot we don’t know about the Warhammer 40,000 Cinematic Universe, including whether the project will kick off with a movie or a TV show. Games Workshop has teased it may end up doing both. A group of screenwriters has been assembled to work out how to make the magic happen.
At the time Cavill, a famous Warhammer 40,000 fan, sounded super excited about the project. “I have loved Warhammer since I was 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.”
Who might Cavill play across the Warhammer 40,000 Cinematic Universe? Talking to IGN in 2021, Cavill expressed interest in playing one of the Primarchs or Captain-Generals, who are high-ranking key characters from the Warhammer lore.
Whoever Cavill ends up playing in Warhammer 40,000, don't hold your breath for the movie / show to come out. Cavill himself is about to start training for the Highlander reboot, which is due out at some point in 2026.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
