John Heder, a screen actor best known for his role as nerdy highschooler Napoleon Dynamite in the film of the same name, is starring in a new documentary all about miniature gaming, the grimdark aesthetic, and Warhammer 40,000‘s long-time lead artist John Blanche. ‘The Grim and the Dark: the search for John Blanche’ will release in Spring 2025.
According to the blurb on producer Trademark Films’ website, Heder first encounters the grimdark aesthetic in a game store while “looking for a gift for his kid”. Obviously Heder is an entirely separate human being from his most famous movie character, but something feels deeply right about Napoleon Dynamite’s child playing Warhammer 40k.
What follows is a journey “all over the world”, with interviews with “prominent grimdark authors, game developers, and dedicated fans”. The trailer currently hosted on the website opens with a shot of the Space Marine statue in the Warhammer World carpark in Nottingham, UK, indicating at least one stop on the world tour.
Heder’s ultimate goal is to meet art legend John Blanche, a man who had a phenomenal influence as an illustrator, concept artist, and art director, for Warhammer fantasy and Warhammer 40,000 during his 46 year tenure at Games Workshop. If that all sounds interesting, you can pre-order the documentary now for $12.00.
The documentary promises to delve into the grimdark aesthetic more broadly than just Warhammer, potentially looking into the inspirations for the art style, and other places it has manifested. One part of the trailer shows a visit to a medieval dungeon. Another brief shot shows a Shrine Anchorite, a model for the indie wargame Trench Crusade that has recently smashed its funding goals on Kickstarter.
The presence of the Anchorite suggests the documentary will cover the Inq28 scene to some extent. Inq28 is a vibrant community of kitbashers who initially made custom models to represent all the grimdark weirdos on the fringes of the Warhammer 40k factions; they’re now producing original indie wargames.
If you’re interested in the grimdark aesthetic, check out our recent interview with Thomas Elliott, another Games Workshop artist who is creating an original grimdark scifi universe called Eskaton.
Source: Wargamer
