Henry Cavill lines up “lifelong dream” gig with ‘Warhammer 40,000’ series, films for Amazon

December 16, 2022

ABC/Randy Holmes — Games Workshop

Despite having been the Man of Steel, Henry Cavill is also a massive geek, evidenced by videos of him painting miniatures from the tabletop game Warhammer 40,000.

And while he won’t be playing Superman any longer, he’ll get to make a “lifelong dream” come true.

Games Workshop, the fiercely protective owner of the intellectual property, will be teaming up with the LEGO movies‘ producer Vertigo Entertainment, Amazon, and Cavill as executive producer to finally bring the beloved franchise to both the big and small screens.

For the uninitiated, Warhammer 40K is set in the far future, and has the sweeping arc of The Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, intermingled with elements of the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, with brutal battles spanning from the stars to the bloody trenches of 1,000 alien worlds.

The far-future sci-fi game has spawned a library’s worth of books, video games, tabletop miniatures and animated films.

“I have loved Warhammer since I was a boy, making this moment truly special for me,” Cavill said in the announcement. “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.”

Andy Smillie, creative director of Games Workshop, enthused, “Henry’s well-known love of Warhammer 40,000 — and his passion as a world-builder and storyteller — will serve us all well in the coming years. Finally, Warhammer will make it to the screen as the fans have hoped, and as they deserve. Exciting times!”