What Henry Cavill's Warhammer Show Could Look Like

Here's what the grim-dark far future could have in store.

We all know now that Henry Cavill will not be returning as Superman. It's clear James Gunn has other plans for his new DC Cinematic Universe that don't include Cavill. He's also stepping out of the role of Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher Netflix series, too, which means that he's going to have a lot of time on his hands in the near future.

Luckily, Amazon swooped in and grabbed Cavill, giving him a part in and executive producer role for a new series based on the Warhammer 40,000 IP. Cavill has been a long-time fan of Warhammer, and so a lot of fans are extremely excited to see what he'll come up with. There are a few ways that this project could present itself, so let's dive into what Henry Cavill's Warhammer series could look like.

For the uninitiated, Warhammer 40,000 takes place far into the future, where humanity has set out into the stars and found that pretty much everything in the galaxy wants to kill it. From the brutish orks to the advanced Tau, there are plenty of species that are each fighting for galactic dominance.

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It's clear, then, that Warhammer 40,000 has a pretty massive scale, and Henry Cavill's project could lean into this by retelling the story of the Horus Heresy. The Horus Heresy actually takes place ten-thousand years before the events of Warhammer 40,000, but it is one of the most important events in the universe.

The Horus Heresy involves the Imperium of Man - the central human faction in Warhammer 40,000 - essentially splitting in two after the Emperor's favoured son turns against him. I could spend hours writing about the events of the Horus Heresy, but essentially it acts as Warhammer 40,000's Trojan war, with great, demigod-like characters clashing with one another and consistent tragedy throughout.

If Amazon wants to match the scale Warhammer 40,000 is known for, and wishes to put Henry Cavill in the power armour of a Space Marine, the Horus Heresy is probably their best option. It sets up the setting with interesting characters and a central narrative that, if done well, could even hook those who aren't previous fans.

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Though Amazon certainly has the budget to cover a galactic war, they may want to put a smaller, more concise story into their upcoming series to better test the waters. If that's the case, the Eisenhorn novels have often been picked by Warhammer fans for being great stories primed for adaptation.

Where the Horus Heresy is a massive war, the Eisenhorn novels give Warhammer fans a story on a much smaller scale, focusing on essentially Warhammer 40,000's version of Sherlock Holmes. With interesting themes and a lot more humanity at its heart than the story of the near-omnipotent male power fantasy Space Marines, Eisenhorn could be the way to go for Amazon.

Warhammer fans will be debating what this series should look like until it eventually releases, but there are plenty more options apart from the few we've gone over today. There's even the potential for an entirely original story, though this would be a somewhat dangerous option considering the attachment Warhammer 40,000 fans already have to the stories in the setting.

What do you think a Warhammer 40,000 series should look like?