While wargamers all over the internet were delighted to learn that Henry Cavill, he of the big arms and a penchant for nerddom, would be leading the charge for a Warhammer Cinematic Universe, it turns out there is only one thing stopping it, for now. It would seem that Games Workshop and Amazon have yet to formally sign any deal that might help bring such a project to life.
According to the half-year report that Games Workshop released to investors yesterday, the project is only in the earliest stages of exploration, and nothing concrete has been signed. “We have not signed any contracts in the period reported. We have agreed, in principle, to explore opportunities to exploit our IP with Amazon Studios.” the company states. They also say they will not give any further details at this time, but are confident that they “will bring the worlds of Warhammer to the screen like you have never seen before.”
Cavill originally announced the project on Dec 16 via an Instagram post which was quickly followed by positive statements from both Amazon and Games Workshop. While everyone involved is eager for the project to go ahead, there are still a lot of details to be worked out.
This will be Games Workshop’s first real chance at making the games they have been developing for decades genuinely mainstream. While popular and undoubtedly the most successful company in the wargaming industry, Games Workshop’s properties lack the kind of mainstream penetration enjoyed by Dungeons & Dragons.
A hugely successful show, or series of shows, on Amazon could see knowledge of Games Workshop and interest in their hobbies explode, propelling the company to new heights of success. Interestingly, the quoted lines above contain the word “worlds of Warhammer,” indicating that Games Workshop wants to see multiple shows crossing multiple games.
While confusing to outsiders, Warhammer has become a catch-all phrase that Games Workshop uses to describe their entire product line, which is made up of Warhammer 40K, a futuristic, large-scale game that is their most successful property, Horus Heresy, set ten thousand years before Warhammer 40K (often referred to as Warhammer 30K by fans), and Age of Sigmar, their take on a fantasy based game. There are also smaller-scale skirmish games like Necromunda, Kill Team, and Warcry, along with more traditional “board game” style offerings like Underworlds.
With such varied offerings, decades of products and lore-building, and hundreds of different characters and factions across multiple games, it means Games Workshop has a uniquely rich library to pull from to develop their shows. It also means that the process of getting a concrete plan in place that both Games Workshop, Amazon, and other stakeholders all feel confident in might take longer than we think.
