Henry Cavill’s Warhammer 40K series: Production, cast, everything we know

Henry Cavill’s joint venture with Amazon Prime to get a Warhammer 40K series off the ground feels more real than ever. So, what do we actually know about it?

Along with being the star of projects like The Witcher, and The Justice League, as well as a show-stealing cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine, Henry Cavill is equally well-known for his off-screen activities. The man is an unabashed PC gaming fanatic who nearly missed the news that he’d been cast as Superman because he was raiding in World of Warcraft.

His real passion, however, is Warhammer 40K. Cavill outed himself as a superfan of the tabletop wargame and has been trying to get a cinematic universe based on the hobby off the ground for over a year now.

Recent developments surrounding the project have been incredibly positive and it looks as if things are finally set to go ahead on Cavill’s Warhammer 40K project. Here’s what we know.

How did Henry Cavill’s live-action Warhammer 40K universe come about?

The real beginning of this story happened over two years ago in December of 2022 when Amazon MGM Studios acquired the global rights to Warhammer 40K for television and film.

Following his departure from The Witcher series on Netflix and the news that he would no longer play the Man of Steel in Superman: Legacy, it was revealed that Amazon had partnered with Henry Cavill in their Warhammer 40K venture.

Cavill would be spearheading the creation of a Warhammer 40K universe of potential film and TV projects as a producer. The move was well-received by fans of the hobby as a number of interview spots with Cavill regarding Warhammer 40K had positioned him as a sort of unofficial ambassador.

Things appeared to be full steam ahead for the project but roadblocks emerged when it was revealed that Games Workshop would need to sign off on numerous stages of the project. In December 2023, the company responsible for the tabletop game officially agreed to the creation of a Warhammer 40K universe on screen and gave the go-ahead to Cavill and Amazon to get started.

What began at this time was a long mediation process in which Amazon and Games Workshop would go back and forth in an attempt to navigate creative differences. News regarding the Warhammer 40K live-action project was quiet for a while until it was revealed in August 2024 that an agreement had still not been reached.

Games Workshop set a timeline for Amazon, which now had until December 2024 to agree to the creative guidelines that the company had outlined for the property. There was speculation that the project might never see the light of day and Warhammer fans were anxious.

Fortunately, just before the cutoff on December 10, Games Workshop revealed that the agreement had finally been reached and Henry Cavill’s live-action Warhammer Universe is in active production. Cavill himself took to Instagram to celebrate the news.

“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,” Cavill announced in a post.

“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.”

Amazon’s live-action Warhammer universe: Early details

Given that the agreement and greenlight for Cavill and Amazon’s Warhammer universe is still fresh, details are remarkably scarce. Deadline has reported that “based on the material produced by the writers, a decision was made to proceed with the development of a TV series as the first project”.

This does line up with comments from Cavill regarding the scale of the Warhammer 40K universe and the challenges of bringing it to screens. Other than the fact that we’re getting a TV series to kick things off, not much else is known in terms of plot or characters. We’ll be sure to keep readers updated as developments emerge.

Live-action Warhammer 40K series cast & crew

Much like details regarding the narrative of Amazon and Cavill’s live-action Warhammer 40K series, word on those working on the project is similarly quiet. As of yet, a showrunner has not been selected and neither have writers.

It has been confirmed that as well as producing the series, Henry Cavill will be starring in it as well. Now that the show has been officially greenlit, people are throwing their hats in the ring to work on the project.

House of the Dragon star Abubakar Salim has expressed an interest in being a part of the series, albeit in a joking fashion.

Noted Warhammer 40K author Graham McNiel has also given a genuine plea to help write the show. McNiel is responsible for landmark Black Library novels Mechanicum and A Thousand Sons as well as being a part of the writing team for Netflix’s Arcane.

Both would be tremendous additions to the team currently building this live-action Warhammer 40K TV series. When official roles are confirmed in the future, we’ll ensure they’re listed here.

That’s everything we know about the state of Henry Cavill and Amazon’s series for now. If you’re eager to see an early glimpse of what to expect from a partnership between Warhammer and Amazon, check out our review for Secret Level.