Mike Flanagan in talks for Henry Cavill's Warhammer 40,000 series
Deadline reports Mike Flanagan may executive produce Amazon MGM’s Warhammer 40,000 series, with Henry Cavill attached to star.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
3 min read
Mike Flanagan is in talks to join Amazon MGM Studios’ Warhammer 40,000 TV series as an executive producer, Deadline reports, adding fresh heat to Henry Cavill’s long-brewing Games Workshop adaptation.
The deal is not finished, according to Deadline. The outlet also reports that it has not yet been decided whether Flanagan would serve as showrunner if he joins the project.
Cavill is already attached to executive produce and star in the series. Amazon MGM Studios picked up global rights to Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000 in December 2024, with Cavill positioned at the center of the screen project.
What is the Warhammer 40,000 TV series about?
Warhammer 40,000 is based on the British miniature war game from Games Workshop. The story is set in a far-future universe where humanity’s empire faces traitors, alien powers and the influence of destructive gods, according to Deadline.
The property has long been known for its sprawling science-fiction mythology, built around war, empire and cosmic horror. The Amazon MGM series is the major screen adaptation now being developed from that world.
Deadline reports that Vertigo Entertainment’s Roy Lee and Natalie Viscuso worked with Cavill to secure the Warhammer 40,000 rights before bringing the project to Amazon. Vertigo is executive producing alongside Cavill, Games Workshop’s Andy Smillie and Max Bottrill, and Amazon MGM Studios.
Why Mike Flanagan would be a notable hire
Flanagan already has a fresh link to Amazon MGM Studios. Deadline reports that he signed a multi-year overall deal with the studio in March to develop and produce original series.
The first project under that pact is Carrie, Flanagan’s series version of the Stephen King novel. Deadline reports that the show is scheduled to arrive on Prime Video on Oct. 7.
Flanagan’s television résumé includes The Fall of the House of Usher, Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Bly Manor, The Midnight Club and The Haunting of Hill House. On those projects, Deadline notes, he has worked as creator, writer, director and showrunner.
His feature credits also have a heavy horror streak. Deadline lists Doctor Sleep and Gerald’s Game, both Stephen King adaptations, along with Ouija: Origin of Evil, Hush, Before I Wake, Oculus, Absentia and 2024’s The Life of Chuck.
The Life of Chuck won the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, according to Deadline.
Flanagan is also writing, directing and producing The Exorcist: Martyrs for Blumhouse and Universal Pictures. Deadline reports that Scarlett Johansson, Chiwetel Ejiofor, John Leguizamo, Diane Lane, Carla Cugino and Laurence Fishburne star in that film.
No release date, plot specifics or production timetable for Amazon MGM’s Warhammer 40,000 series were reported.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.