Amazon and Henry Cavill might lose Warhammer 40,000 after December

Back in December of 2022, it was announced that Henry Cavill had signed on to star in and executive produce a TV series inspired by the miniature wargame Warhammer 40,000 for Amazon’s Prime Video. We haven’t heard anything more about the project since that announcement… and now the game’s publisher Games Workshop has revealed that Amazon could lose the Warhammer 40,000 rights if they haven’t put together agreeable “creative guidelines” for the show by the end of December.

It took months of negotiations for Amazon Studios to set up the Warhammer 40,000 deal with Games Workshop in the first place. The deal granted Amazon the exclusive rights to make films and TV shows set within the Warhammer 40,000 universe – and if all went well, there was also an option that would allow Amazon to license the rights to make projects set in the Warhammer Fantasy universe.

In case you’re not familiar with the game, Wikipedia provides some information: Warhammer 40,000 is noted for its science fantasy setting in the distant future, where a stagnant human civilization is beset by hostile aliens and supernatural creatures. The models in the game are a mixture of humans, aliens, and supernatural monsters wielding futuristic weaponry and supernatural powers. The fictional setting of the game has been developed through a large body of novels published by Black Library (Games Workshop’s publishing division). Warhammer 40,000 was initially conceived as a science fiction counterpart to Warhammer Fantasy Battle, a medieval fantasy wargame also produced by Games Workshop with which 40,000 shares a number of tropes and concepts despite not being set in the same universe.

IGN reports that Games Workshop discussed their Amazon deal in an annual financial report, saying they would work with Amazon until December 2024 to develop “creative guidelines for the films and television series.” Adaptations “will only proceed if the creative guidelines are mutually agreed between Games Workshop and Amazon.” So the companies have just five months left to agree on creative guidelines, or these Warhammer 40,000 and potential Warhammer Fantasy adaptations aren’t going to happen at Amazon.

This deal came about when Vertigo Entertainment’s Roy Lee and Natalie Viscuso partnered with Henry Cavill to secure the Warhammer 40,000 IP and deliver it to Amazon Studios. Vertigo is executive producing with Cavill, Amazon Studios, and GAW’s Andy Smillie and Max Bottrill. 

Cavill has previously said, “I have loved Warhammer since I was boy, making this moment truly special for me. The opportunity to shepherd this cinematic universe from its inception is quite the honor 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.” He has also said that working on this project “is the greatest privilege of my professional career,” as “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.“

Are you a fan of Warhammer 40,000, and are you hoping an adaptation will happen with Amazon Studios and Henry Cavill involved? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.