The Warhammer 40k Henry Cavill relationship is the talk of the town since Cavill revealed his Warhammer 40k movie deal with Amazon. The British actor, known for roles like Superman and The Witcher’s Geralt of Rivia, has made no secret of his love for the game, from model painting to 40k lore. It’s cemented him as the hobby’s most prominent ambassador – and Adeptus Custodes as the official Henry Cavill Warhammer army. Here’s a breakdown of their love affair.
Celebrities don’t often step across into the world of tiny plastic figures being shuffled about on tabletops, at least not publicly, so it’s no wonder fans have sat up and taken notice. Now come with us as we take a journey through Henry Cavill’s Warhammer fandom and celebrate one of the world’s most famous nerds.
Before we set off, though, here’s some more Warhammer goodies. You can stay up-to-date with the latest news in our 9th edition Warhammer 40k codex release date guide, as well as the Warhammer: The Old World guide. We can even tell you all about our best blue buddies, the Warhammer 40k Space Marines.
Henry Cavill and Warhammer 40k
At this point, there’s no doubt that Henry Cavill is one of us. One of the first big stories about the Man of Steel actor was that he almost missed the phone call letting him know he’d got the Superman role, due to being deep in a World of Warcraft raid. Cavill has always had a strong love for PC gaming, but naturally it’s his Warhammer 40k appreciation that has helped him become so beloved to so many Warhammer fans.
Cavill’s love affair with Warhammer, at least in the public eye, emerged during the lockdown of 2020. Many of us rediscovered old hobbies during this period, or developed new ones, and Hollywood stars were no different. In a post on Instagram, Cavill spoke about picking up the paintbrush once again to improve his Warhammer painting skills. He also revealed his long-held love of Warhammer lore. Though he has never played Age of Sigmar, Henry Cavill has made it clear that he’s a firm fan of every aspect of Warhammer 40k.
From there, it all took off. Henry Cavill went on to experience a conversation that felt familiar to many of us when he appeared on the Graham Norton show in 2021. Who hasn’t been at the end of a grilling by someone outside the hobby, causing no end of embarrassment? Cavill handled the questions about painting “World of War Craft” with grace, causing many viewers to speak up on social media in defence of both the hobby and the actor. This Warhammer chat with Graham Norton did also bring the hobby to the attention of Tom Holland, who noted that Henry Cavill’s description sounded amazing.
In the months and years that followed this, Henry Cavill has become increasingly entwined with Warhammer. He posted a picture of him on a jet reading Penitent by Dan Abnett, made a little reference to an alternate name for the Emperor of Mankind, and shared one of his most recently completed models – a golden Custodes he painted using Adrian Smith’s famous artwork as inspiration.
February of 2022 brought Henry Cavill on a pilgrimage to that most holy of Warhammer sites, Warhammer World in Nottingham. Whilst there he took the time to answer questions and pose for selfies with the surprised Warhammer fans. Even Games Workshop staff got in on the action, and who can blame them?
Now that his love for Warhammer 40k is out in the open, the wider fandom has taken notice. Henry Cavill has been immortalised by one hobbyist in Warhammer form. Titled ‘Heinrich Cavillius’ this Adeptus Custodes figure represents around 100 hours of work for Warhammer fan Simon Cook. In addition to this figure, Cavill is available as a High Elf hero in Total War: Warhammer 2 DLC. As Cavill’s a fan of PC gaming and the Total War series in particular, we think this is an excellent fit.
The Henry Cavill Warhammer 40k movie
While promoting The Witcher, Cavill mentioned that ideally he’d love to star in a Warhammer 40k TV programme, if there were one developed. He reiterated his love for the game’s setting but noted that there would be a small conundrum for him if he were to be cast: he can only play one character.
With so many rich, intriguing characters to choose from in the Warhammer 40k setting, limiting himself to just one is a troublesome quandary. Suggestions such as a Primarch or Gregor Eisenhorn were made, but Henry Cavill only replied that he’d have to “talk to Games Workshop”.
In December 2022, fun speculation about Henry Cavill starring in a Warhammer screen adaptation suddenly became a reality. We now know Henry Cavill has made a TV and movie deal with Amazon to star in and executive produce at least one Warhammer 40k screen adaptation. While the contracts are yet to be finalised, it looks like Amazon has nabbed the rights for 40k series, films, and more – and Cavill is the figurehead of the whole thing.
We can already think of a few other nerdy celebs who would want a role in the adaptation. The literal same day as Cavill’s announcement, Midnight Mass actor Rahul Kohli (who has in the past commissioned his own personal Warhammer Rahul Kohli mini army) tweeted saying he and Henry should get a Warhammer movie or series going. Sex Education star Asa Butterfield replied with enthusiasm, saying “I’ll play a servitor if I have to”.
What’s next for Warhammer and Henry Cavill?
It looks like Cavill will have a lot on his plate 40k-wise for some time now. However, if he can get a successful series or film off the ground, the sky’s the limit for his next nerdy undertaking.
Maybe one day he’ll even star in a 40k videogame like the one in our 2022 April fools story. The fake game, which hoodwinked much of the Warhammer internet, had Cavill playing the Emperor in an open-world RPG by Dark Souls creator FromSoftware. In case you’ve seen that floating around the interwebs, let us quickly confirm that, yes, we were having you on. Sorry.
Source: Wargamer
