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Hi all,

I was sat back in my barracks last night nursing a hangover, when I decided to watch a movie. 'StarWars episode III' went on, with little or no intention. Then it hit me as I glanced over my book shelf, seeing 'Soul Drinkers' omnibus, that why am I not sat sat here, nursing a hangover watching 'Horus Heresy: Fulgrim'. The history and fluff about the 40k universe is MASSIVE. Not only do we have a unique hobby in our hands, where anybody with a little bit of patience and imagination can turn out some amazing models, we have 'Dawn of War' which, I must say most people who have no clue about the modelling aspect of the hobby have sat and played (and enjoyed). The books that been written are awesome (the fluff that is in Horus Heresy has shaped the way I see Adeptus Astartes). The comradarie that comes with playing against an opponent who is as equally enthusiastic about the hobby.....WHY are there no films about this stuff.....why are there no people dressed as Space Marines and Orks and Tau at the local Sci-Fi conventions? Can anybody tell me why the hobby that I love and adore, from the books and computer games, through to the hours of modelling and painting,is not on the big screen?
I'm sure LOTR wouldn't have been released as a stand alone GW production had blokes like myself not wanted to re-enact Helm's Deep with true scale mini's, thanks to Peter Jackson's vision.

DAMN DOUBLE POST!!!

We have Ultramarines on the horizon. Hopefully that will raise some awareness!

DoW and DoWII have helped a ton too!

40k is getting bigger. There's a 40k movie coming out soon, there are people who wear 40k costumes and such to conventions, there are more and better 40k books being put out by the Black Library, there are now 40k computer games that have achieved mainstream popularity, etc. As far as I can tell, 40k is in fact becoming more and more of a "phenomenon."

Here is a space marine costume http://kaaskop.deviantart.com/art/Holy-warrior-of-Terra-II-55248676

"Ultramarines" isn't going to do a damn thing to raise awareness of 40k, it is a direct to video release. Did Starship Troopers 2 OR 3 help that franchise?

The reason Star Wars is superior is that more people will see a Star Wars movie in a given year than people probably even play 40K. It is a cult classic, and a great movie.

The average general populace would NOT like the 40K universe. People like nice, happy stories not ENDLESS GRIMDARK. Yes, the 40K universe has a lot of fluff to it, but it isn't something most people are interested in.

Star Wars is campy, happy, and fun with a nice story and the good guys win.

40K is depressing, morbid, and you don't know who won because everyone is pretty evil and the story ended with an Exterminatus. THe Exterminatus EVEN KILLED THE PUPPIES!!!!

Mattlov wrote:"Ultramarines" isn't going to do a damn thing to raise awareness of 40k, it is a direct to video release. Did Starship Troopers 2 OR 3 help that franchise?

Yes. They were successful movies which made money for the franchise owners.

@Mattlov. I see your point about Starwars being camp and all that.....Hayden Christian WTF.

Anyway back to the point.I didn't realise they were making a film, but aren't 'Ultra-Marines' too.....bland. I mean I love the boys in blue, especially in Graeme McNeill's novels, but they just don't flick my switch. Maybe I'm wishful thinking in some 4 film epic leading up to the Istvaan V dropsite massacre, or Sarpedon's dual with Chapter Master Gorgoleon or Captain Lysander's escape from the Iron Warrior's home-world (what was that called again). But I see the point that films only sell if kids don't have nightmares of being dragged kicking and screaming into the warp through a tear in reality under the bed......

Mattlov wrote:"Ultramarines" isn't going to do a damn thing to raise awareness of 40k, it is a direct to video release. Did Starship Troopers 2 OR 3 help that franchise?

The reason Star Wars is superior is that more people will see a Star Wars movie in a given year than people probably even play 40K. It is a cult classic, and a great movie.

The average general populace would NOT like the 40K universe. People like nice, happy stories not ENDLESS GRIMDARK. Yes, the 40K universe has a lot of fluff to it, but it isn't something most people are interested in.

Star Wars is campy, happy, and fun with a nice story and the good guys win.

40K is depressing, morbid, and you don't know who won because everyone is pretty evil and the story ended with an Exterminatus. THe Exterminatus EVEN KILLED THE PUPPIES!!!!

Um Starwars Episode 3 and 5 were meant to be dark. Hence Anakin turning into Darth Vader and all the Jedi dying in Episode 3, and in Episode 5 Han Solo getting captured and carbonited (I'm not sure that's a word) and Luke getting his hand chopped off.

SideEffect46 wrote:

Um Starwars Episode 3 and 5 were meant to be dark. Hence Anakin turning into Darth Vader and all the Jedi dying in Episode 3, and in Episode 5 Han Solo getting captured and carbonited (I'm not sure that's a word) and Luke getting his hand chopped off.

Yes, they were dark, but they weren't GRIMDARK, ie. there is really no hero and everything you do is really only to stave off your own death for a little while. With Star Wars, you know that even with this little bit of sadness, everything will turn out for the good.

But thats what I personally enjoy about about the 40k universe...its GRIMDARK. It's never-ending and forever evolving (except the Imperium....SAY NO TO NEW TECHNOLOGY). But it only takes one author,professional or otherwise,to shine a small glimmer of light and then we have a movie to be proud to attend in home-made polystyrene tactical dreadnought armour...

ah ok I understand. Yeah I would definetly watch a 40k movie because you would never know who is going die and how (Tyranid Feast, Ork Choppa, Slaanesh groping, etc.).

40k is a table top game. It just doesn't have the same draw as a film series. THough like others have pointed out, the DoW series of computer games has really brought in more awareness (thats how I got involved in 40k), and an upcoming movie could really boost 40k's popularity or at least get more people interested.

Exactly....this is what I'm on about. The 40k universe is full of heroes and heretics,xenos and other beings. All it needs is a script that follows one such story from beginning to end...no matter how it finishes. The amount of material that 40k gamers come up is endless. Just look at the discussions in this forum. Normal guys talking about the 40k universe as if it actually happened. Why has no-one latched onto this and made glorious epics about the horrors and small miracles that 40k has to offer

you can probably chalk that one up to GW, them and their C&D

I'd perfer a movie about the IG so more people can relate to them.... for the first scene it has to be an EPIC Saving Private Ryan type of thing!

SideEffect46 wrote:I'd perfer a movie about the IG so more people can relate to them.... for the first scene it has to be an EPIC Saving Private Ryan type of thing!

It probably is the opening scene. IG gets their butts handed to them, and then BAM. BLUE SPESS MEHRINES!

The first few books on 'Gaunts Ghosts', When the Tanith lose their home-world.....I can see it now. Stuff of legends.




Automatically Appended Next Post:
With a dash of Ultra-marines.....I like it.....but I'd prefer Red space marines....more chance of exterminus

and then it goes *blam*boom*dakka dakka*FREEM*pew pew*pow pow*chainsaw noises*baby crying*cell phone ringing*popcorn being thrown* and then just the space marines are left standing and one IG is left alive to tell the tale until he steps on a landmine or something, and then the Space Marines all laugh to themselves.

why is 40k not and international phenom?

Because the company behind it wants to keep sole custody of the IP and manufacture of article relating to the said property.

if the rights to to make a movie or a series based on eth 40k universe were to be sold then along with this GW would have to give up their strict control on their properties so studios could manufacture merchandise themselves ( A MASSIVE PART OF THE SUCCESS OF FRANCHISE PRODUCTIONS) opening up the possibilities of..

Bobble head Primarchs.
Tickle me Horus.
Fuzzy wuzzy bedtime Kharn.
Just so no ads featuring Calgar.
Angron supporting blood drives 'GIVE MOAR BLOOD'.

In fact I would like to see all the above but it isnt in GW's interest to let third parties manufacture.

Ultramarines the movie will fall. GW stores will not be supplying this when it jumps to DVD and they will not be supplying directly to FLGS. Basically your whole core key demographic isn't being reached You can't rely on GW to work with anyone else to get it promoted reliably either.

A distributor will pick it up and then what...lost amid a myriad of other releases without any heavy incentive to promote either.

I would like to see 40k become more popular, so long as the efforts made are at least somewhat genuine and entirely profit-driven.

Dawn of War was what introduced me to 40k. I started reading the novels(Ultramarines Omnibus being the first) and modding DoW.

Now I pretty much own 70% of the BL novels and consider myself a pretty sharp fluff veteran.

40k should be a movie. Come on, guys, I would go and see a movie that was faithful to 40k, that was Saving Private Ryan-style (not necessarily gore, but with lots of badass action), and etc. I envision a movie with Death Guard marching forward, being pelted by lasfire, the courageous Guard shooting limbs off and blowing holes through them, and of course the Death Guard not falling, continuing to march forward. The Imperial Guard are then massacred and all seems lost until the Space Marines arrive and then it turns into some amazing war scene where there is just gratuitous amounts of AWESOMENESS. Scenes with Guard and what they must go through and the sacrifices they make. About the Space Marines and their valor in battle. Local PDF forces fending off waves of Tyranid Gaunts in small, cramped corridors of a palace while trying to get out to send a distress call. Battles against Necrons where they are being pelted and knocked down but just don't die. Apocalyptic battle with the Imperium against a Horde of Orks. Maybe scenes with someone being tempted by Chaos vefore betraying and destroying lots of stuff.


40k has the potential to be an endless goldmine for amazing movies. We just need wirters and directors that are fans of 40k/GW guys, with lots of guidance from GW, along with an amazing director that is also familiar with 40k, and you have a phenomenon.

And all you naysayers can shut up. 40k movies? It can be done.

Unless Farseer Taldeer starts hooking up with the Vindicare and Doomrider bumbles around for comic relief I Don't see hollywood understanding or taking interest.

The other problem I would imagine is the scale of marines and the scale of live actors.

No, you don't need live actors. Look at the clones from Star Wars. All of them were CGI, create from one actor doing all the animations. And if it's as grim dark as it's sopposed to be, it will probably be a squad strande on a toxic dead planet who must gather small resistance groups together and take back the city against an traightor governer... I think that woul make a good story.

Shaman wrote:The other problem I would imagine is the scale of marines and the scale of live actors.

Could use CGI.

I always imagined 40k movies being CGI. Anyone love the Final Fantasy movie (The one with the spirits that ran off with your soul in a post apocalyptic setting....can't remember the fecking name). 40k movies can be made and I honestly believe they would be HUGE. GW can't hold back forever, LOTR is as popular as a table top game despite GW not owning all the rights. It can be done....or so help me god I'll be in Nottingham hitting them all with my ring hand

40k presents an ideal venture for a holywood film company to exploit, thing is so do about a thousand other existing sci fi works which are perhaps even more lucrative. For example say I was a film producer and I wanted something to make a film out of do I chose the largely unfamiliar 40k stuff or one of the million un made in film form Marvel/Star Wars/Star Trek/Matrix/(insert other from thousand strong list here) story's which come with the added bonus of familiarity to film audiences, there for some guaranteed audience.

IvanTih wrote:...there was an german unofficial film Inquisitor which was shut down by Gw,but you can see the film on youtube...

It's on youtube now? could anyone point me towards it, I can't find it.

whatwhat wrote:40k presents an ideal venture for a holywood film company to exploit, thing is so do about a thousand other existing sci fi works which are perhaps even more lucrative. For example say I was a film producer and I wanted something to make a film out of do I chose the largely unfamiliar 40k stuff or one of the million un made in film form Marvel/Star Wars/Star Trek/Matrix/(insert other from thousand strong list here) story's which come with the added bonus of familiarity to film audiences, there for some guaranteed audience.

IvanTih wrote:...there was an german unofficial film Inquisitor which was shut down by Gw,but you can see the film on youtube...

It's on youtube now? could anyone point me towards it, I can't find it.

Here are the links,enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFrdBubVT78
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg32YWCmbBw&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlPGQfK4rYo&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0XNf0G5ugs&NR=1
Everything is in english.

The reason why 40K is not an international phenomenon is that the story and setting have limited appeal.

Star Wars has nearly universal appeal. 40K is basically a game for death metal fans.

Dakka users don't understand that because they are too close to it.

But films like Aliens/Starwars/Startrek all started somewhere...I think GW should stop being a god-damn toe dipper and just jump in the deep end...

IvanTih wrote:

IvanTih wrote:...there was an german unofficial film Inquisitor which was shut down by Gw,but you can see the film on youtube...

It's on youtube now? could anyone point me towards it, I can't find it.

Here are the links,enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFrdBubVT78
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg32YWCmbBw&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlPGQfK4rYo&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0XNf0G5ugs&NR=1
Everything is in english.