Cindy Ord, WireImage
What you need to know
- Amazon and Games Workshop announced an agreement Tuesday for Prime Video to produce films and TV shows about the game maker's Warhammer 40,000 franchise.
- Discussions about the partnership have been ongoing for several months. Henry Cavill, Superman’s star, will be a part of the project.
- The agreement shows there is interest in well-known intellectual property, despite a decline in box office revenue for Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Amazon (AMZN), and UK-based Games Workshop, announced on Tuesday they had reached an agreement to allow Prime Video create a Warhammer 40,000 franchise based off the games maker’s universe.
It shows that the content industry is still interested in franchising, “cinematic universes,” Intellectual property (IP) is a well-known source of material that can be used to create new products.
The box office has slowed down from its Avengers: Endgame peak, which led to speculation on the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The recent Deadpool & Wolverine looks to be the first MCU movie to see its U.S. ticket sales reach the top 10 in MCU history since Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
While MCU ticket sales have slowed, other well-known IP has thrived
Studio’s continue to bet on IP, like Warhammer, despite the MCU slowdown. Amazon’s announcement on Tuesday said that they had purchased the rights to produce movies and TV series based off the franchise. However, no details were given about the dollar amount or the production schedule. Superman star Henry Cavill did confirm his involvement with the project through social media.
The last of Us, a TV show based on a video game, and Fallout, another Prime Video production, were both well received by critics.
A successful movie based on a tabletop game like Warhammer, set in the far-flung future, wouldn't be unprecedented. Last year's Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves was well-reviewed, and made north of $200 million in ticket sales on a $151 million budget, according to Variety.
Along with potential critical success or positive fan reception, Jefferies analysts noted Tuesday that the Prime Video Warhammer franchise becoming a hit could boost Games Workshop's sales of Warhammer models, books, and other products.
Cavill previously played Geralt in Netflix’s (NFLX), Witcher series. The series was based on books.
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