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Ok I know the idea of a 40k movie has been done to death, a comment from my stepson made me start thinking about it again the other day. My stepson is twenty eight and works for a production company in London, did four years at Uni to get his degree and such like (background covered). Anyway he's down visiting the other week and I drop him off into town. Whilst driving in we talking about my hobby as I'd been painting that day and suddenly says he can't understand why there has never been a 40k movie. His opinion was it was crazy as there was so much stuff there. I reply with a number of things I'd heard why it won't happen and he generally dismissed them. The points I raised were:

Firstly it is a big universe so where would you start. He could see the point of that, but I did say I would of thought that the Eisenhorn books would make a good film. It would be good sci-fi and be neutral enough for non 40k players to enjoy, but with enough content for 40k lovers.

The second point was one that I'd been told by a GW staffer. Their comment was that most movie company's would want to be able to make money from the extras as well, but GW have that covered... as they are a model company. My stepson said fair point, but not all movies have "merchandise" to go with them. There is also the fact that GW have issued a licence before for those large Space Marine models to be made, so it's not unheard of.

Third point was IP and control. He pointed out that J K Rowling allowed her books to be made into movies, so where is the problem with IP? Plus she had / has input on the set. You also have Transformers, Bratz, GI Joe and a ton of Marvel super heroes. They all have products with copyright & IP but appear to have no problems with licencing it out to a movie company.

So do you think the points are valid or are GW way off the mark here?

Wolfstan wrote:He pointed out that J K Rowling allowed her books to be made into movies, so where is the problem with IP? Plus she had / has input on the set. You also have Transformers, Bratz, GI Joe and a ton of Marvel super heroes. They all have products with copyright & IP but appear to have no problems with licencing it out to a movie company.

This I think is the thing. Your response should have been that GW is not J.K. Rowling. Just becuase one entity does one thing doesn't mean that another will. All that means is that it is possible for a person or entity to license their material if they choose to do so, not that they have to and GW doesn't appear to want to. I think it is breaking down a little as we have slowly seen GW do more outside projects like the Sideshow statues and vidya games. I think with the success of the vidya games we may be getting closer to them making a movie but we aren't there yet.

I'll just put this here...

Got a copy of the full movie and it's not bad for something made by fans. Couldn't really understand the reasoning behind GW being such ares over this. I know there was the whole IP thing, but as I already mentioned you have Harry Potter, Transformers, GI Joe, Bratz, Wolverine, X-Men etc, etc. They would all of had IP issues, but were licensed in a way that allowed the movies to be made, without the IP owners losing their control.

Please feel free to enlighten me if I'm off the mark here, interested to know.

I am pretty sure that the makers of the movie had an agreement that they ended up breaking somehow... knowing GW though I would say that they "reserved" the right to drop the guillotine on the whole project.

A WH40k movie? Of course it would work, and the publicity it would create would be absolutely amazing, not something GW would willingly pass up. The problem of course is money, and Hollywood charges and arm and a leg to produce high end action flicks.

It would obviously cost millions, perhaps in excess of a billion considering the adjustable costs involved in such large projects. The main problem is the fact that someone would absolutely demolish the GW franchise in WH40k due to this acceptance of an absolute.

You are going to make a SMurfs movie, there is no two ways about that one. Knowing this I can surmise that GW would only take action to make a flick if they had some investors, and investors in such a sensitive bit of IP can cause serious problems for a business.

The monkeys with cigars would not end up happy... but they might manage to change GW into a full time design company, with a focus on the DESIGN and not the games. My only hope if they decide to do this, is to have their own design team hawking over the production team at every turn, which means that they would have to formulate a very specific plan, and totally ruin the market they are developing now.

Rowling has managed to get the balance with Harry Potter. As far as I understand it she spends alot of time on the set and is refered to if any changes are needed. Obviously she is aware that what may work in the book won't work on the screen, but she is stil able to stop them ruining it.

The problem with current Marines is that yes the gamers will know about them, but the general public won't. I think if you use Marines, it has to be based on the Horus Heresy. This allows for the background to build. I'm pretty certain you could do 2 -3 movies on the Heresy and keep peoples interest. It then gives a good foundation for future stuff.

My preference would be for it to be based on the Eisenhorn stories. You get the 40k universe in a managable chunk, with alot of the 40k universe covered. There are also Space Marines for the diehards, not even vanila Marines, but Deathwatch. They've got to look awesome on the screen! Using Eisenhorn would also allow the expense to be kept under control in the beginning, making it an easier sell to a sceptical studio. I also think you have a more universal appeal, sci-fi, mystery, action and grittiness. If you fan who just wants Space Marines, more Space Marines and even more Space Marines I think you could be missing the point

SMurfs win this game... Or the DOW2 clan, Blood ravens or whatever. People watching the movie are not going to care either way when the bullets and power-fists start making shiny pictures. Black armor sucks... that is a total no go, it totally ruins any course of movement and contrast; unless you plan on hving a white background... and yeah, a white background would be awful. You could have red armor, but a screen of red has no room for any depth in a good gore scene, and they will have to get at least one Beowulf close up gore shot, with a bit of spray and stuff. Pssssttt!!! Stuff like that makes money. Keeping it PG-13 is someone else job, camera movement usually take care of that either way.

If a movie was actually made it would be one of the most unspecified and broad based plots in the existence of Hollywood. Lots and lots of power armor, and then you add a few aliens, it is a superbly effective combination of... stuff.

That unfortunately how Hollywood is set up now, and if you want to make an off the cuff movie (low profit, if any) you will be sore for funding without huge amounts of your own capital.

As long as the movie has the money behind it you could shovel it into theaters and make huge amounts of cash. Make the first broad as all hell so you can measure the reaction to the concept. Then narrow it down, add 2 cartoons and a video game, you got Franchise , not that GW doesn't already have a comfortable set-up in that respect. GW could actually stand to fill the void that the continued Star Wars saga of cuteness and bright colors failed too.

Ah,the old 40K movie topic...well,once again I'll throw my hat in the ring .
As I posted before,IMO the most viable subject for a 40k film would be the Heresy ( 3 films at least 2.5 hrs long each),this way the general populace could be introduced to the 40k universe,each of the major races could enjoy a bit of screen time,and there would be enough BOOM,BANG,BLAM!! for the average movie goer to enjoy...and of course Hollywood would feth it up so bad the average 40k fan would gripe and complain about it until the second coming.
I personaly feel that GWs best bet in conveying 40k to a visual story media would be direct to DVD animated movies,cost kept down,GW retains more control over the direction of the films,no prissy actors or actress to deal with.
Oh and by animated,I do meen animated...not CGI,not anime..old school "Heavy Metal" animation.

Wolfstan wrote:Got a copy of the full movie and it's not bad for something made by fans. Couldn't really understand the reasoning behind GW being such ares over this. I know there was the whole IP thing, but as I already mentioned you have Harry Potter, Transformers, GI Joe, Bratz, Wolverine, X-Men etc, etc. They would all of had IP issues, but were licensed in a way that allowed the movies to be made, without the IP owners losing their control.

German copyright law means the makers can’t release it without GW signing over the intellectual rights for 40k and GW can’t release it because German copyright law doesn’t allow them to sell the rights for the film to GW. It was a no win situation.

FITZZ wrote:Oh and by animated,I do meen animated...not CGI,not anime..old school "Heavy Metal" animation.

Not... gunna happen .

Sadly Wrex..I agree with you,I'm begining to belive old school animation is a lost art,burried under an avalanche of slick CGI & anime.

I'll disagree with you there, a full set of 3 movies 3 hours long of CGI to this standard would own.

I would only be interested in a movie about Space Marinez.

G

When I first saw that trailer on you tube I so hoped it was a movie, turned out to be just the game trailer but I completely agree.

CGI movie of that standard would be simple excellent and possibly easier to do than making real sets and costumes that look right

Ahtman is correct about the slightly odd Damnatus siutation. GW cannot allow it's release because of German IP Laws. The makers cannot sign over the rights to GW, and GW lose their IP and Copyright if it's released.

As for why there hasn't been one, a variation on Point Two that the OP posted. It's not so much that GW already do the Marketing, so much that they have been approached, and have always had the Caveat of maintaining control over the Movies Marketing Rights. Take the LotR triology. Two seperate licenses from that. Tokein Estates, and Newline Cinema. GW holds both, allowing them to reproduce likenesses of the characters in the film, as well as stuff not in the films.

GW don't want to risk damaging their IP with McNurgle Burgers, Horus Shakes, and lots of dodgy overpriced toys. Plus, consider how violent the films would be to be done properly. Bolt Rounds explode inside you. Thats an awful lot of exploding people, easily pushing it to a 15 rating in the UK, or even an 18 rating. This precludes much of GW's customers from seeing it in Cinemas....

Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
GW don't want to risk damaging their IP with... lots of dodgy overpriced toys.

....AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

All too easy Herr Doktur...

MeanGreenStompa wrote:I'll disagree with you there, a full set of 3 movies 3 hours long of CGI to this standard would own.

Ok MGS,you have a point there,very nice and yes, I would definatly enjoy films of that qaulity,however,my origanal point stands,I do sadly miss old style animation.

What is wrong with is being 15 rating(or PG-13... sort of) movie?

I would spontaneously combust (spell checker fail... combustion but not combust... fail) if they made a super toned version of WH40k... seriously.

How in high hell are you going to make a movie about death and destruction appropriate for young kids. Don't get me wrong it doesn't have to be saving private ryan, but at some point something is going to have to spray blood everywhere. Guts are inappropriate of course, unless they are green.

So... you could make SMurfs blown in half, but the 80's are over and some parents would be offended either way by that kind of violence. There is really nothing in WH40k that even resembles people besides IG (SM are like 8 feet tall... that is not a person, and they are cyborgs, just make their guts green and problem solved, no joke.) stuff, and we all know how crazy it would be to represent the guardsmen in full effect .

FITZZ wrote:
Ok MGS,you have a point there,very nice and yes, I would definatly enjoy films of that qaulity,however,my origanal point stands,I do sadly miss old style animation.

I think then you should check out a very good animated film that blends traditional cartoon to disney standard with some very nice CGI. It's called Titan AE and I'm really very fond of it and strongly recommend it.

I'll OT no further now.

Is not just the violence.

The Imperium is, and always has been, an extremely Facist Military Junta. You step out of line, and you die. Horribly. They might even flatten your Planet with Virus Bombs.

HTH combat is fought with freaking CHAINSAWS! I really dread to think of the cuts the BBFC would demand in order to give it a rating!

Colour of blood... in chainsaw or any other violence. I saw a documentary with Peter Jackson and he said if the orcs had had red blood, LotR would have been an 19 certificate movie, them having black/greenish blood meant he could get the certificates much lower.

Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:Is not just the violence.

The Imperium is, and always has been, an extremely Facist Military Junta. You step out of line, and you die. Horribly. They might even flatten your Planet with Virus Bombs.

HTH combat is fought with freaking CHAINSAWS! I really dread to think of the cuts the BBFC would demand in order to give it a rating!

I honestly don't see how a "realistic" 40k film (animated or live action) could be made and not have an R rating,the content,both in it's social aspects and in the amount of violence,just wouldn't IMO,translate very well in a PG-13 film.

Realism is purely a matter of context, and I guarantee their are connections to make this stuff happen.

Those are not chainsaws if you cannot hear them, and some screaming and loud sounds will cover that just fine. They are also chopping up plant people, so there is no problem at all. Moss-men, plant people, whatever they are wonky Orkses. In the realm of fantasy Orks GW has some of the silliest designs, so there would not be all that much of a problem making the Orks relatively "kid-friendly"; as in not scary enough to make a grown up scared... you know you some of these designs scare you . Dragons that are just too shiny to be scary and the like, shiny stuff isn't scary, GrimDark is scary. So you compromise (thank god... GrimDark is not brown/grey, brown/grey... black/grey, end credits) with a combination of perspectives and get something that Pixar could produce with help... my god this could be absolutely superb if done appropriately. My brain is drooling at the thought of something like this happening .

You could make a fantastic PG-13 film to put it bluntly. You would need some serious experience on staff, of that there is no doubt.

Wrexasaur wrote:It would obviously cost millions, perhaps in excess of a billion considering the adjustable costs involved in such large projects.

Seriously dude? Billions? No movie, in the history of ever, has cost a billion dollars. Or grossed a billion dollars. No series of movies has cost a billion dollars when the total cost of all films was combined. The highest grossing movie of all time has made what, 450 million dollars? Of course no movie has ever cost a billion dollars.

Once completed, the Harry Potter series will have cost well over a billion dollars, though there will be 8 movies in the series.

Also, I'm pretty sure the highest US gross is still Titanic, with 600 million.

Fun fact: The top box office star by average gross? Stan Lee

Over a number of years a project can accumulate enormous costs. I would think of the series as the whole, rather than consider an individual movie.

I cannot imagine GW even considering making anything less than a trilogy, and that would be a minimum of 50-100 million dollars, and with a few connections they could pull that off with relative ease. This aside, I doubt that GW has seriously invested in this idea, because any movie will cost big bucks if it is worth a damn.

Silverthorne wrote:Seriously dude? Billions?

Perhaps in excess of A billion in no way constitutes multiple billions. Clearly...

Dogma wrote:Once completed, the Harry Potter series will have cost well over a billion dollars, though there will be 8 movies in the series.

If GW got really serious about making huge sums of money, they could very well develop a movie franchise that stands relatively tall in comparison to the HP series. The reason HP was so successful was because of it's massive fan-base... which I am sure that GW can compete with on the whole and comparatively even if you have to include a bit of the LOTR base for good measure. Potential base and what have you can make a massive difference in your CS/PR numbers.

Dogma wrote:Fun fact: The top box office star by average gross? Stan Lee

It is always like wheres Waldo ... but he talks a lot more than Waldo. Okay... he is usually very easy to spot.

MeanGreenStompa wrote:Colour of blood... in chainsaw or any other violence. I saw a documentary with Peter Jackson and he said if the orcs had had red blood, LotR would have been an 19 certificate movie, them having black/greenish blood meant he could get the certificates much lower.

Also, JRRT had already made ork blood black in the books, so it fit well with the original works.

I'd love to see a 40K movie. I agree with the idea of a Horus heresy trilogy to start. The franchise is endless. Spacehulk, Armaggedon, encountering the Tau, etc. etc. Then it would lead to the story of Sigmar as the lost primarch and a bunch of WFB movies. T-shirts, lunchboxes, little kids shoes...

Eventually, there will be a 40K movie. I'm just praying that Wil Smith won't be in it and that they don't add some cutesy Jar-Jar/Orko/Snarff character as the main characters sidekick.

Khornholio wrote:I'd love to see a 40K movie. I agree with the idea of a Horus heresy trilogy to start. The franchise is endless. Spacehulk, Armaggedon, encountering the Tau, etc. etc. Then it would lead to the story of Sigmar as the lost primarch and a bunch of WFB movies. T-shirts, lunchboxes, little kids shoes...

Eventually, there will be a 40K movie. I'm just praying that Wil Smith won't be in it and that they don't add some cutesy Jar-Jar/Orko/Snarff character as the main characters sidekick.

Warhammer 40K the lunch box! Warhammer 40K the t-shirt! Warhammer 40K the flame throwa!

I wanna see the "Space Marine Meets Sister of Battle" love story. We can even give the Space Marine a pet Squig called "Snotball" for comic releif!

Whenever a 40k movie comes out its going to be ridiculously stupid and ruined. (sort of like mutant chronicles...but worse...that movie was almost watchable...almost)

Might as well go the full nine and piss everyone off horrendously.