Big news from the grimdark future! Warhammer 40,000 is officially heading to Amazon MGM with Henry Cavill leading the charge

Man of Steel star Henry Cavill is finally bringing his beloved Warhammer 40,000 to Amazon, with a year of negotiations between the streamer and Games Workshop leading to a deal finally being announced.

Games Workshop and Amazon have announced (via GameFragger.com) that they’ve finalised a deal to create a Warhammer 40,000 Cinematic Universe overseen by Justice League and The Witcher star Henry Cavill.

It was last December when we first learned of plans for the two companies to spend a year figuring out “creative guidelines for the films and television series to be developed by Amazon.” The news was met with excitement, but it was cautioned that the deal would “only proceed if the creative guidelines are mutually agreed between Games Workshop and Amazon.”

In a new statement, Games Workshop confirmed that both parties managed to get the deal across the finish line in the nick of time. “It’s official – Games Workshop and Amazon Studios have finalized their deal – the creative guidelines are nailed down, and we’re all set to bring Warhammer to the screen.”

“It might have taken a year but it was a year well spent! And what fun – sifting through the enormity of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, debating characters, story arcs and the thematic grit that underpins it all,” the company continues. “Of course, as with all carefully crafted things, this all takes time… and trust us when we say, everyone involved is las-focused on getting it all just right.”

No script has been written at this stage and we don’t have any details about the story Amazon and Games Workshop plan to tell. Unsurprisingly, “it’ll be some years” before the first of these Warhammer 40,000 projects reaches our screens.

As well as producing, megafan Cavill will also star in a franchise we expect to be built around him. On Instagram, he shared the following with fans:

“My incredible team and I, alongside the brilliant minds at Games Workshop, have been working away in concept rooms, breaking down approaches to the enormity and magnificence of the Warhammer world. Together, we’ve been sifting through the plethora of incredible characters and poring over old tomes and texts. Our combined efforts have led us to a fantastic place to start our Universe, which has been agreed upon by those up on high at both Amazon and Games Workshop. That starting place shall, for now, remain a secret. Watch this space, though – more to come in time!”

Warhammer 40,000 is a dark, dystopian science fiction universe set in the 41st millennium. The Imperium of Man, a totalitarian empire led by the immortal Emperor, fights to protect humanity from numerous alien races, chaos gods, and internal corruption. The galaxy is rife with war, where space marines, massive starships, and armies of alien creatures clash in brutal conflict.

It’s a grim, never-ending battle for survival, where the forces of order and chaos vie for dominance, and hope is scarce. Needless to say, it has all the makings of a potentially great live-action franchise.

Stay tuned for updates as we have them.