Henry Cavill Finds A New Franchise After Superman — As Star & Executive Producer Of Warhammer 40,000 For Amazon Studios
When one door closes, another opens, so the saying goes.
Days after announcing that his services as Superman are no longer required, Henry Cavill has found himself fronting another franchise: to star and executive produce Amazon Studios’ adaptation of the popular tabletop game Warhammer 40,000.
Amazon has acquired the global rights to Warhammer 40,000 from Games Workshop; the agreement includes rights across film, TV, games, and animation.
“Warhammer 40,000 has captured the imagination of fans of all ages, from all walks of life, and all over the world,” said Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon and MGM Studios in a statement (via Deadline). “We are excited to work with Henry, Vertigo Entertainment, and Games Workshop across our Amazon entertainment businesses on this brilliant, immersive franchise for our global customers to experience for years to come.”
“Warhammer 40,000 is set 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,” the release says.
Sharing the news on his Instagram, Cavill wrote: “For 30 years I have dreamt of seeing a Warhammer universe in live action. Now, after 22 years of experience in this industry, I finally feel that I have the skill set and experience to guide a Warhammer Cinematic Universe into life.
“Partnering with Natalie Viscuso at Vertigo has been a blessing beyond words, without her we might not have found the perfect home at Amazon. And having a home like Amazon will give us the freedom to be true to the massive scope of Warhammer. To all of you Warhammer fans out there, I promise to respect this IP that we love. I promise to bring you something familiar. And I endeavour to bring you something fantastic that is, as of yet, unseen.
“Our first steps are to find our Filmmaker/Creator/Writer. Watch this space, my friends.”
Besides losing out on the Superman role, Cavill also exited Netflix’s The Witcher after three seasons. But he still has plenty on his plate, including Matthew Vaughn’s spy thriller Argylle, the reboot of Highlander from John Wick helmer Chad Stahelski, Guy Ritchie’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, and, of course, Season 3 of The Witcher, slated to drop in summer 2023.
