Warhammer 40,000 TV Series in the Works

Warhammer 40,000, the adolescent sci-fi favorite that began life as a miniature wargame before spawning novels, video games and even a movie, is set to get its very first small-screen adaptation.

Big Light Productions, led by The Man in the High Castle creator Frank Spotnitz, has teamed with Warhammer 40,000 rights holder Games Workshop on a live-action TV series, Eisenhorn.

The series will be set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, where mankind teeters on the brink of annihilation. While humanity’s armies wage unending war across a million battlefields, in the darkness, a secret conflict rages, fought by the agents of the Imperial Inquisition. Drawing from sci-fi, fantasy and crime genres, Eisenhorn will see Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn and his band of investigators fight to thwart the monstrous schemes of aliens, heretics and demons before mankind’s doom is sealed.

Spotnitz will act as both showrunner and executive producer on the series, which will be based on novels written by New York Times best-selling author Dan Abnett (Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men, The Horus Heresy). Originally published in 2001 by Black Library (Games Workshop’s publishing imprint), the books have been reprinted in multiple languages and have sold over half a million copies globally. Abnett also wrote the script for Warhammer 40,000's only feature-length outing, 2010's Ultramarines: A Warhammer 40,000 Movie (which featured a voice cast including Terence Stamp, Sean Pertwee and Jon Hurt).

“We are delighted to collaborate with Games Workshop to develop the beloved visionary world of Warhammer 40,000 into a TV series," said Spotnitz in a statement. "Warhammer 40,000 is steeped in rich and complex lore, with a myriad of traditions and stories that have accumulated over time in this thrilling and complex world, making it one of the most exciting properties to adapt for television audiences and the franchise’s loyal global fanbase. There is nothing else like it on television, and we are incredibly excited to tap into our own experience creating imaginative, complex and compelling worlds to bring this incredible saga to the screen."

Added Games Workshop's global head of marketing and media Andy Smillie: "Warhammer 40,000 has a massive global fanbase — they are a passionate community of Warhammer hobbyists who love to engage with our characters, stories and games. I’m truly delighted we are able to develop a show that will reward their loyalty."

Big Light Productions’ creative director Emily Feller (Ordinary Lies, Trust Me, Medici) will also serve as an exec producer on the series.