By Steve Dinneen
Henry Cavill is to head up a new Warhammer 40k TV series for Amazon, with the announcement coming just days after his time as Superman appeared to have been cut short, and he announced he was leaving Netflix series The Witcher.
The rollercoaster week, which began with heartbreak for fans of fantasy series The Witcher but ended with the geek universe going into meltdown after their long-time hero Cavill, who has been a prominent advocate for the science-fiction tabletop game Warhammer 40,000, announced he would be starring in and executive producing the upcoming show.
Details are as yet thin on the ground but the 6′ 1″ actor – once tipped to be the next James Bond – seems purpose-built to step into the power armour of a 40k space marine, the burly defenders of the human-led Imperium.
“For 30 years I have dreamt of seeing a Warhammer universe in live action,” Cavill posted on Instagram. “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.
“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.”
There is no timeline yet for when the show might appear but 2024 seems the earliest it might materialise.
Cavill looked all set to return as Superman after appearing in the end credits sequence for Black Adam this year following a five year hiatus. But he announced on Instagram last week that he would not be returning after all after the studio decided to go in a different direction and instead focus on the character’s younger years.
Warhammer 40k is the most popular title produced by tabletop gaming company Games Workshop. The firm grabbed headlines over lockdown after a blistering rise in sales, putting its market cap at £3.3bn – higher than M&S and ITV, having already outpaced even Tesla in terms of growth over the previous five years.
Its stock has since slumped amid rising import costs but the game remains hugely popular amongst both teenagers and older people returning to the hobby in later life.
The move into TV comes after Games Workshop has worked hard to push its own streaming service Warhammer+, which has been criticised for its lack of content.
The post Henry Cavill to head up new Amazon show for FTSE 250 darling Games Workshop appeared first on CityAM.
