Lately, Henry Cavill has been back in the spotlight thanks to his upcoming fantasy projects. After officially leaving The Witcher, allegedly due to creative differences with the producers, he suddenly had time to dive into other new ventures like Warhammer 40K. But if we’re honest, the news isn’t exactly exciting for fans hoping to see this universe come to life on screen. That’s because the Highlander reboot is now Cavill’s big priority. As much as he loves Warhammer, the reality is that the game adaptation is still very far from a reality. And in the entertainment industry, timing is everything; a delay like this is a major setback.
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The hype around Warhammer 40K kicked off big when, back in 2022, Cavill was announced as both star and producer of a project set in that universe. It was one of those combos that felt inevitable: a beloved actor in the geek community, a franchise with a devoted fanbase, and a streaming giant ready to invest heavily in genre content that could easily expand into movies and TV shows. But three years have passed since the announcement, and aside from a brief Instagram post last year about a partnership with Amazon, there’s been zero tangible progress. No showrunner, no director—the so-called “development phase” seems to have just become another way of saying “project on ice.” Meanwhile, Highlander is moving full steam ahead.
In July, Cavill told The Hollywood Reporter that the Highlander reboot was taking up all his attention. The production already has everything in place: a director, a nearly finished script, casting underway, shooting schedules lined up, and even a projected release date. In other words, there’s a clear plan. Warhammer 40K, meanwhile, remains a cool concept in Amazon’s hands, but with no real practical priority. Sure, things might be happening behind the scenes that we don’t know about, however, it’s especially frustrating since the adaptation was sold to the public as Cavill’s personal project. Without his time and energy, nothing moves.
In May, the actor opened up to Esquire about bringing the game to the screen and hinted at how challenging the project is. “[Bringing Warhammer to life] is a dream come true, but it’s different from what I’ve done before, in the sense I haven’t had my hand on the tiller of things before. It’s wonderful doing that. It is a tricky IP, and a very complex IP, and that’s what I love about it,” he said. “The challenges that come with putting this on the page in a way that is doing justice to that complexity, that trickiness, and that nuance, is a challenge I’m enjoying enormously.” So yes, the project seems to still be alive, but the real question is: when will it finally come to fruition, considering the time and all the complexity involved in trying to adapt it?
It’s understandable, since Cavill is only part of the Highlander reboot cast and doesn’t have major production control, that his availability is limited. He might come back to Warhammer 40K with full force eventually, but by then, who knows what could happen? The risk is that, when the adaptation finally moves forward, market interest (or even Amazon’s priorities) might have shifted elsewhere. Either way, it’s certain that if Cavill is going to be 100% focused on the reboot likely for the next two years (considering its release date), fans are going to have to be very patient.
Bottom line: Warhammer 40K is progressing really slowly and, for now, is a secondary project for Cavill. All that’s left is to hope that once Highlander wraps, nothing else interrupts its focus. But the current reality is clear: the hype is starting to cool, the timeline has basically evaporated, and the long wait has only gotten longer.
Do you think the game adaptation will actually get off the ground, or has it already missed its timing? Let us know in the comments!
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