Agreement with Amazon for films and television series

[Magos Takatus]

5 minutes ago, Marshal Reinhard said:

Having a writer grasp the codex lore section of a given faction they're expected to write about is a 'bare minimum'. Yes asking can be faster, but it requires time from the answering party as well.

 

Lost track of the number of recently ruined IPs where the writers of recent installments didn't care to take in what came before it.

 

 

EDIT: that said not to sure if i believe the rumor. For all their faults though GW has been pretty good at make sure that when third parties license the IP what comes is pretty congruent with rest

I have to agree to a degree. While I wouldn't expect the writers to have an absolutely comprehensive understanding of the lore, weeding out the people that think some basic research into the IP they are working on is beneath them can't be a bad thing considering how many other franchises have received dreadful adaptations.

[Tastyfish]

GW also have a bunch of documented experiences in handing over pretty expansive 'lore bibles', with emphasis on the core themes of the setting and factions.

Writers aren't going to be consulting the off the shelf codex.

[Inquisitor_Lensoven]

11 hours ago, grailkeeper said:

I saw that too.

 

Seems a bit dickish. Asking questions is a perfectly normal and much faster way to get info.

The post I saw didn’t phrase it as people asking questions, but pitching ideas inconsistent with the lore

[firestorm40k]

On 2/28/2026 at 4:53 AM, Nephaston said:

Unless the News comes from GW, Amazon, Warhammer Jesus Henry Cavill himself, or reputable actual news sources (and maybe Valrak) it is most likely Bait.

100% this. Also, I’d add to the list people who actually work in the film and/or tv industry who have insider knowledge of the development process for media works, or an insight into what’s happening. ‘Leaks’ for this aren’t like when GW releases leak, e.g. someone who works on a factory sends a potato cam pic to a mate who shares it on Reddit, nor will the come from warehouse mistakes that send out a miniature before it’s been officially announced.

 

I have no insider knowledge of the industry, but as a film fan I follow websites that do report on industry news, and leaks/information tends to drip out when people involved - writers, directors, actors etc - begin discussing contracts/signing on to a project.

 

There’s also an order that these things seem to come together - if it’s a film, producers will announce they want to make a film, then writers and/or director are announced before casting happens.

 

For TV it’s similar, producer(s) then a show runner is announced (possibly also a writer’s room), then directors and actors after.

 

Based on decades of following film news, we won’t see anything reliable until a decision is made on what project they’ll move forward with (40K film or tv show?). 
 

So, just to reiterate the above post - there are only a few verifiable sources for realistic information on this, ignore everything else as hearsay, lies or click bait.

[Black_Shadow1379]

YouTube short talking about these rumors

Also some YouTube comments from the same guy. Amazon wanting to buy GW? That’s something I never heard about. I can say I’m glad it ultimately didn’t happen.

Edited March 1 by Black_Shadow1379
Wrong link initially put

[ZeroWolf]

15 minutes ago, Black_Shadow1379 said:

YouTube short talking about these rumors

Also some YouTube comments from the same guy. Amazon wanting to buy GW? That’s something I never heard about. I can say I’m glad it ultimately didn’t happen.

You know, can't say I would be surprised to learn that part was true. I also bet it's a thought Amazon will circle back to depending on how the show lands. Bet the higher ups at GW would have loved it though

[Inquisitor_Lensoven]

36 minutes ago, Black_Shadow1379 said:

YouTube short talking about these rumors

Also some YouTube comments from the same guy. Amazon wanting to buy GW? That’s something I never heard about. I can say I’m glad it ultimately didn’t happen.

I think we’re all happy that didn’t happen.

 

when a company like Amazon buys GW I’m done with the products they produce.

[Robbienw]

Glad that wasn’t possible if true.  Amazon ownership would be the kiss of death.

[Doghouse]

Good lord no, I can't even begin imagine what that would mean for the company if Amazon bought them out. Probably a repeat of the Hasbro fiasco with D&D.

 

I personally think any 'leaks' are utter twaddle unless if comes from an official source, I've seen loads of AI shorts generated on Youtube click baiting this stuff. The one with Cavil sat up till 2am crossing out lines from 300 word paragraphs like an overworked school teacher with a red pen did make me laugh though! 

 

I'm not convinced he's got full control to be honest and a lot of his dubious partnerships in the past have produced subpar end or failed performances. I'm sure he's a lovely guy with the best intentions and seems enthusiastic but I'm not sure that's going to be the sure fire win that people seem to be hanging their hopes on.

 

I'm hoping Highlander will shed some light if he has as much control as the media seems to make out.

 

In all honesty I think we will more likely see a massive influx of AI generated movies over the next couple of years and lots of legal action no doubt.

 

So in short I am optimistic, but at the same time old enough and world weary enough to have found out the hard way that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

[Aramis K]

A sale to Amazon would just be so so bad.

 

I imagine Amazon speculate about buying anyone they deal with, but GW needs to stay out of US hands, IMHO. It's a distinctly British IP and manufacturer.

[Robbienw]

Massively.  It’s distinctly British, any kind of US takeover would ruin it.  No offence to US fraters, the US does its own type of sci fi well.  This just isn’t it.

[Mechanicus Tech-Support]

I can't believe people actually think that FB thing was real or how quickly some on the internet think this is going to be made.
God of War was officially ordered in December 2022
Principal photography began on February 27, 2026, in Vancouver, and it is expected to wrap on April 7, 2027

GW and Amazon just finalized the deal in 2024, principal photography hasn't even begun heck we know nothing of casting even

[The Praetorian of Inwit]

I really wouldn't be surprised if other companies have considered buying GW. That seems to be the way of the world. 

[ZeroWolf]

2 hours ago, Doghouse said:

Good lord no, I can't even begin imagine what that would mean for the company if Amazon bought them out. Probably a repeat of the Hasbro fiasco with D&D.

 

I personally think any 'leaks' are utter twaddle unless if comes from an official source, I've seen loads of AI shorts generated on Youtube click baiting this stuff. The one with Cavil sat up till 2am crossing out lines from 300 word paragraphs like an overworked school teacher with a red pen did make me laugh though! 

 

I'm not convinced he's got full control to be honest and a lot of his dubious partnerships in the past have produced subpar end or failed performances. I'm sure he's a lovely guy with the best intentions and seems enthusiastic but I'm not sure that's going to be the sure fire win that people seem to be hanging their hopes on.

 

I'm hoping Highlander will shed some light if he has as much control as the media seems to make out.

 

In all honesty I think we will more likely see a massive influx of AI generated movies over the next couple of years and lots of legal action no doubt.

 

So in short I am optimistic, but at the same time old enough and world weary enough to have found out the hard way that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Was Henry supposed to have any control with Highlander? I thought he was only attached to star, plus after highlander 2, I don't think there's anyway to majorly screw up.

[Flaherty]

4 hours ago, The Praetorian of Inwit said:

I really wouldn't be surprised if other companies have considered buying GW. That seems to be the way of the world. 

There aren't many companies that could afford GW. GW is bigger than Mattel by market cap. Hasbro is 2X as large, but is focusing more on turning its IPs into video games. Acquiring GW would be more like a merger and would make sense with WOTC, but it would be a major swing. Bandai would make the most sense from a business model POV, and is 3X GW's size, so they could conceivably make it happen. 

 

There are a few players in the video game world whose market cap would allow them to pay $6B+ for GW, but it's hard to believe many of them would want to get into the toy manufacturing business. Licensing makes infinitely more sense.

 

I'd wager huge sums that Amazon never seriously considered buying GW. It would be a legitimately bizarre place for them to enter into the world of manufacturing. 

GW is much like Lego – it's product and business model are atypical and their scale makes them a hard tuck in for almost any acquirer. 

[HeadlessCross]

On 2/28/2026 at 2:50 AM, Marshal Reinhard said:

Lost track of the number of recently ruined IPs where the writers of recent installments didn't care to take in what came before it.

Yeah and asking questions to clarify is a good thing LOL

[phandaal]

17 hours ago, Robbienw said:

Massively.  It’s distinctly British, any kind of US takeover would ruin it.  No offence to US fraters, the US does its own type of sci fi well.  This just isn’t it.

 

Given how modern US writers turned Star Trek into Gen Z college drama, and are currently banking on the first Star Wars film in seven years being about a green Yoda plushie, no I don't think we do sci-fi all that well here anymore. 

 

And yeah, after what Amazon did to James Bond as soon as they got the rights (sad grandpa Bond getting nuked to death), plus the abomination that was Rings of Power, I cannot blame any Brit for wanting them far away from other British properties.

[Evil Eye]

23 minutes ago, phandaal said:

 

Given how modern US writers turned Star Trek into Gen Z college drama, and are currently banking on the first Star Wars film in seven years being about a green Yoda plushie, no I don't think we do sci-fi all that well here anymore. 

 

And yeah, after what Amazon did to James Bond as soon as they got the rights (sad grandpa Bond getting nuked to death), plus the abomination that was Rings of Power, I cannot blame any Brit for wanting them far away from other British properties.

Seconded here. Amazon having any kind of creative control over 40K would be horrendous- GW can make some pretty terrible decisions themselves, they don't need help!

[Ripper.McGuirl]

I work in film and the timeline from “lets do this!”  to “I just watched it!” is long, variable, unpredictable, and often frustratingly difficult even when literally everyone involved is passionate about and eager to see it happen.

I havent been tracking this terribly closely, but nothing I have seen or heard about has sounded any different than the twisty turny development process of basically everything we have ever watched.

[Inquisitor_Lensoven]

51 minutes ago, Ripper.McGuirl said:

I work in film and the timeline from “lets do this!”  to “I just watched it!” is long, variable, unpredictable, and often frustratingly difficult even when literally everyone involved is passionate about and eager to see it happen.

I havent been tracking this terribly closely, but nothing I have seen or heard about has sounded any different than the twisty turny development process of basically everything we have ever watched.

Tbh I think everyone being passionate about a show/movie project as fans of a preexisting franchise would likely make it more difficult to get the writing done.

 

just look around at this forum. A bunch of very passionate people yet beyond the most basics of the lore few of us can agree, and let’s not get started on the aesthetics.

remember the IH captain and his club?

or more recently the mutilators and defiler?

 

i think having one or two passionate people and a bunch of people who don’t care as long as they get paid is ideal for a project like this.

[HeadlessCross]

2 hours ago, phandaal said:

 

Given how modern US writers turned Star Trek into Gen Z college drama, and are currently banking on the first Star Wars film in seven years being about a green Yoda plushie, no I don't think we do sci-fi all that well here anymore. 

 

And yeah, after what Amazon did to James Bond as soon as they got the rights (sad grandpa Bond getting nuked to death), plus the abomination that was Rings of Power, I cannot blame any Brit for wanting them far away from other British properties.

Rings Of Power was a remarkably "just okay" watch that got hated on for not its content but the people casted. 

[Evil Eye]

12 minutes ago, HeadlessCross said:

Rings Of Power was a remarkably "just okay" watch that got hated on for not its content but the people casted. 

At the risk of going off topic, absolutely not. It was a complete and total farce that utterly failed at adapting Tolkien's work at every level. Turning Galadriel into a generic sword wielding girlboss when she's supposed to be serene and so unbelievably powerful she doesn't NEED a sword to smite evil is just one example of the absolute nonsense that show tried to peddle.

[ZeroWolf]

6 minutes ago, Evil Eye said:

At the risk of going off topic, absolutely not. It was a complete and total farce that utterly failed at adapting Tolkien's work at every level. Turning Galadriel into a generic sword wielding girlboss when she's supposed to be serene and so unbelievably powerful she doesn't NEED a sword to smite evil is just one example of the absolute nonsense that show tried to peddle.

Not to say issue with the little lore they had to actual got to work with as I believe they only actually got the appendices from LotR and not the bits that might have made more sense (to say nothing of the timeline crunch they had to do to make things work)

[ThePenitentOne]

30 minutes ago, HeadlessCross said:

Rings Of Power was a remarkably "just okay" watch that got hated on for not its content but the people casted. 

I'd say the same about the recent Star Wars trilogy: I remember the trailer for the first movie- Luke Skywalker was in it, but he didn't say a word. The first comment I made to my partner when the trailer ended was "Mark Hamill just did more acting in 15 seconds without saying a word than he did in the entire classic trilogy.

 

But then there was a girl Jedi and Asian cast member, so obviously, the world thought it sucked.

 

(To be fair to haters: It wasn't perfect- I was disappointed with the lightsaber battle against the Emperor's royal guard, because I'm a Kir Kanos fan and I wanted a dust-up as well choreographed as the duel of the fates battle of Darth Maul vs. Quigon and Obiwan... which IMHO is the best Star Wars Choreography of all time).

 

Edit: For the record, haven't seen Rings of Power yet. Loved the LOTR movies, but not so much "The Hobbit" - which I don't think needed to be a trilogy. Shout out to Canadian author Guy Gavriel Kay, who played a pretty big role (as I understand it) in assembling the Silmarillion, which (also as I understand it) provided much of the base for the extended LOTR universe, and whose fantasy world-building skills can take the Pepsi challenge with any fantasy writer.

Edited March 2 by ThePenitentOne

[phandaal]

44 minutes ago, ZeroWolf said:

Not to say issue with the little lore they had to actual got to work with as I believe they only actually got the appendices from LotR and not the bits that might have made more sense (to say nothing of the timeline crunch they had to do to make things work)

 

It seemed like they really wanted to do Game of Thrones, but what they had was the Lord of the Rings appendices. It was obvious that the people in charge had very little concern for whether the show fit with the material they did not have access to. Especially after they drove Tom Shippey away. I could go on and on in a different forum, but one thing that still makes me laugh is thinking about their "reveal" of Mordor. 

 

Coming back around to the topic, I can totally see Henry Cavill being extra sensitive about 40k lore, given Amazon's track record. He also has his experience on the Witcher where he seemed to be the only thing keeping them in check. (I still cannot get over the original "wrinkly" Nilfgaard armor.)

 

However, this particular story sounds too good to be true. I'll believe Henry had a positive impact when the show comes out and it actually fits with the lore.

 

Edited March 2 by phandaal