Mike Flanagan Teases 'Very Cool and Unexpected On-Ramp' Into the World of Warhammer 40,000 for Henry Cavill's Amazon TV Show

Horror specialist Mike Flanagan has issued an update on his hotly anticipated live-action Warhammer 40,000 TV series, teasing something “unexpected” for fans. Last month, he discussed the challenges of adapting Games Workshop’s long-running and complex Warhammer 40,000 universe into a TV show, calling it “brutally difficult.” In a new interview with Deadline, he said much the same, although did give fans something new to chew on.

Flanagan, writer, director, and showrunner of a number of much-loved Netflix horror TV shows including The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, and The Fall of the House of Usher, stated: “Henry Cavill would be furious if I divulged anything about what we’re working on. All I can say is that Warhammer is a fascinating world. The challenge, as anyone familiar with it knows, is finding a way in — it’s so big. There are 700 novels, discounting the [table top] game, the interactive elements and so much of the rest of the lore.”

Despite this challenge, Flanagan insisted he had found “a very cool and unexpected on-ramp into it, which I think is very exciting. I’m sworn to secrecy on all of it, but I’m having the time of my life working on it.”

For background, Flanagan has signed a multi-year deal with Amazon to develop and produce original series for the studio, the first of which was his adaptation of Stephen King’s horror classic, Carrie. While *Carrie* Season 2 is confirmed, Flanagan is also working on Warhammer 40,000, which will be part of Henry Cavill’s Warhammer 40,000 Cinematic Universe. The former Superman actor is set to star in the show, although we don’t know which character he will play.

Speculation suggests that Flanagan might adapt Dan Abnett’s wonderful Eisenhorn series. An Eisenhorn adaptation would be theoretically tighter in scope than some of the grander Warhammer 40,000 stories and help keep production manageable. The story focuses heavily on Gregor Eisenhorn and regular humans rather than the giant genetically enhanced warriors. This approach could be “very cool and unexpected” for casual fans who expect to see Space Marines fighting, as a show about an Inquisitor would offer a different entry point into the massive lore.