Everything You Need To Know About Warhammer Before Henry Cavill’s New Show

Hollywood leading man and beloved DCEU staple Henry Cavill skyrocketed to superstardom when he played the legendary Superman in 2013’s Man of Steel, with the actor going on to reprise the epic character multiple times in the ensuing decade. Cavill has showcased his range as a performer with memorable roles in films like Mission: Impossible – Fallout, Argylle, and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, garnering further acclaim for his role as Geralt of Rivia in Netflix’s The Witcher.

An avid gamer since childhood, Cavill has been a passionate, longtime fan of the miniature tabletop wargame Warhammer 40,000 for decades, and in December 2022, news broke that the actor would be partnering with Amazon Studios to bring the beloved game to life on both the big and small screens. Let’s take a look at what Warhammer 40k is all about and Cavill’s involvement in the highly anticipated adaptation.

What Is the Game ‘Warhammer 40k’ About?

Created by Games Workshop in 1987, Warhammer 40,000 is the most popular miniature wargame in the world. It takes place in a dark and dangerous future in which human civilization has become stagnant and plagued by malevolent supernatural monsters and aliens. Set in a time known as the “Dark Millennium,” the galaxy is consumed by relentless war and conflict and is besieged by the corrupt faction “Imperium of Man,” ruled by a “living God” known as the Emperor of Mankind. In Warhammer 40k, humanity must fight for self-preservation and a place amongst the stars against the malignant forces of Chaos and alien races.

The immersive game features a mixture of monster, alien, and human model warriors and is played on a battlefield consisting of hills, buildings, trees, and terrain, with each player moving around the board and fighting their opponent’s warriors. The tone of Warhammer 40,000 is exemplified by its slogan “In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war,” and its sci-fi setting is violent and dystopian, with humanity in a perpetual state of conflict with occult forces, hostile aliens, evil gods, and daemons.

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In addition to the tabletop game, the overwhelming success of Warhammer 40,000 has spawned countless spinoffs, including video games and novels set within the universe. In December 2022, news broke that Man of Steel’s Henry Cavill would be joining forces with Amazon to both star in and executive produce a TV series based on the game. The actor took to his Instagram to announce that the exciting creative collaboration was officially underway after years of rumblings, beginning his heartfelt post by saying:

“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.”

Henry Cavill Is Bringing the Expansive Game to Life

Cavill has been a longtime fan of Warhammer 40,000 and has spent decades immersing himself in its thrilling and intricate universe, with the Hollywood leading man working closely with Amazon Studios to finally get the expansive project greenlit in 2022. Vertigo Entertainment and Games Workshop’s Andy Smillie and Max Bottrill will be executive producing TV versions and films along with Amazon MGM Studios, having successfully fended off rival competition to acquire the rights to the game. GW’s creative director Smillie said at the time:

“It’s great news and we’re absolutely thrilled; we’re working with a fantastic triumvirate in Henry, Vertigo, and Amazon. 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!”

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After excited (and equally anxious) fans began to worry that production had stalled on the live-action adaptation, Cavill revealed in a recent interview with Esquire that the project was still moving forward and that it’s “tricky” to get right, before expressing that the whole experience has been “a dream come true” and “different from what I’ve done before.” Cavill has become the driving force for the project, and his involvement has quelled the fears of Warhammer lovers since the actor himself is such a passionate fan of the game. He said of the creative process:

“It is a tricky IP, and a very complex IP, and that’s what I love about it. The challenges that come with putting this on the page in a way that is doing justice to that complexity, that trickiness, and that nuance, is a challenge I’m enjoying enormously.”

The cutthroat, cynical world of Warhammer is extremely expansive, and the TV adaptation has endless source material it can pull from to bring the captivating game to life, to both its detriment and benefit. Since the universe is so vast and detailed, production will undeniably take quite a long time to prepare for and develop, but the fact that Cavill is anchoring the project should bode well for its potential future success. In the meantime, fans of the actor can get their fix by seeing the former The Witcher star headline three upcoming films: In the Grey, Voltron, and Enola Holmes 3.