“Eisenhorn,” Warhammer 40k TV series in the works

No Ciaphas Cain, Hero Of The Imperium?

Will only watch if they make the God Emperor look like Trump.

If this is done correctly - and that’s a gigantic if - this could be rad as frick. The Eisenhorn trilogy is fantastic, but they can’t go half-arse with the setting. 40K works because it takes its premise, which is occasionally ridiculous, absolutely seriously, without a hint of satire. I’m not sure Hollywood is capable of doing that.

As long as its not geedub wanking smurfs or the tau for all its screentime.

I really think the 40K universe has the potential to be the “next big thing” in pop culture in terms of intellectual properties. It has all the things needed:

-A readymade setting whose overarching themes (order versus chaos, civilization versus decay, faith versus disbelief, etc.) are easily accessible to anyone.

-For those who are so inclined (by which I mean nerds), the backstory is incredibly rich and detailed, so they can dive in as deep as they want.

-There are a lot of stories that have already been told in this setting, so there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. They can simply be adapted to the screen (Eisenhorn, the Horus Heresy, some of the Gaunt stories, etc.).

Note that I said it has the potential to be. It’s certainly no guarantee. As I mentioned above, I believe that how Hollywood treats the material will determine whether or not it takes off. The heroes of the 40K universe all tend to be strong, alpha-type characters, but more than that, they all tend to be people who take their faith intensely seriously. It’s difficult for me to imagine Hollywood being willing to present that kind of character without giving in to their compulsion to mock, or at least implicitly question, the very idea of faith, which destroys the underpinnings of the setting. Faith in the Emperor may or may not be misplaced - the stories are generally pretty coy about that - but, in the 40K mythology, either way it unifies mankind against the forces that beset and seek to destroy it, and so it has immense value. Free thinking, nonconformity, and tolerance (the progressive Holy Trinity) are quite literally tools of the Enemy that is Chaos, and as such are negative traits that must be rooted out if humanity is to survive.

I just can’t see Hollywood being willing to present that kind of setting as is. They will frick it up.

I agree. I want to be all in on this, but I don’t trust Hollywood to adapt the Imperium the right way. It’s okay to show the brutality of it and still get the message across. It’s not glorifying it to show the extent of how horrible an oppressive regime can be.

Luckily, Eisenhorn is the “anti-hero” character of the Inquisition, who does question what he’s doing. The thing is...HE has to do the questioning within. You can’t have episode after episode of rebellious characters still being good guys (or even surviving the week).

It has the potential to be the most badass thing ever put on TV, but also half-hearted schlock. You need to go all the way with this property. Most people have no idea how good these stories are or how much action is contained within.

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I just can’t see Hollywood being willing to present that kind of setting as is.

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This doesn't look like it's a typical Hollywood "Let's take someone else's IP and run it through our script by numbers machine" It's Frank Spotnitz' own production company teaming with Games Workshop to make this. Spotnitz most recent high profile show is The Man in the High Castle and he got his start working on XFiles, so he has a history of working on high quality scifi.

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Spotnitz (left) said, “We are delighted to collaborate with Games Workshop to develop the beloved visionary world of Warhammer 40,000 into a TV series. Warhammer 40,000 is steeped in rich and complex lore, with a myriad of traditions and stories that have accumulated over time in this thrilling and complex world, making it one of the most exciting properties to adapt for television audiences and the franchise’s loyal global fanbase. There is nothing else like it on television, and we are incredibly excited to tap into our own experience creating imaginative, complex and compelling worlds to bring this incredible saga to the screen.”

Andy Smillie, Games Workshop’s Global Head of Marketing & Media, said, “We’re thrilled to be working with Frank and his team at Big Light. Warhammer 40,000 has a massive global fanbase – they are a passionate community of Warhammer hobbyists who love to engage with our characters, stories and games. I’m truly delighted we are able to develop a show that will reward their loyalty. Inquisitor Eisenhorn represents one of the best-loved characters within our worlds, and we’re excited to share his exploits and adventures with audiences new and old. Frank and his outstanding team at Big Light have done amazing things with other properties, bringing complex worlds to the screen, and we can’t wait to see what our partnership produces for the grim darkness of Warhammer 40,000.”

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LINK /

Agreed on the Eisenhorn “anti-hero” aspect of that particular story. However...

SPOILERS!





























...his turn to heresy in the name of the Emperor is not the “triumph of nonconformity” that standard Hollywood pablum would want to cast it as. At the end of the Eisenhorn trilogy, while he may have won his immediate personal battle against Chaos, the implication is strong that he will, ultimately, lose the war because of his lapse and end up a worse evil than the one he fought so hard to destroy. He is in the same position as Quixos was a century before him - victorious over Chaos solely because of Chaos, and thus forced to admit to himself, at least tacitly, that faith in the power of the Emperor is useless in the face of mankind’s most dangerous and powerful foes, and dark forces must be harnessed to save mankind from even darker forces - which of course is exactly what the Ruinous Powers would want him to think. The trilogy is not the story of Eisenhorn’s triumph, but rather of his fall.

We should also see Inquisitor Ravenor - the “before” version - which could be cool.

I’d love to see what they could do with the “after” version for sure!

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I really think the 40K universe has the potential to be the “next big thing” in pop culture in terms of intellectual properties. It has all the things needed:

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Agreed. The WH40K universe is awesome. I was introduced to it playing PC games many years ago. I've read the Eisenhorn and Gaunt books and it would be easier to adapt those. But it would be amazing to see some movies/tv shows with Space Marines down the road too.