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Would the Heresy make a good film franchise?

Answer: Yes

Would GW ever agree to do it properly? Not a chance.

Welcome to Dakka, AlphaFreds! If you're into narrative campaigns (plenty of HH action, too) then head over to http://www.animosity40k.proboards.com

Laters!

Ahhh... wrong forum much?

It would work better as, IMO, a TV Series, probably in CGI (and not Ultramarines CGI)

We can wish all we want. It will never happen. And i belive 40k will never become succesfully recognized in the film industry, reguardless how badass a 40k movie could be with the right backing and people behind it.

 cincydooley wrote:
It would work better as, IMO, a TV Series, probably in CGI (and not Ultramarines CGI)

Not that it is much better, but something in the realm of Star Wars: Clone Wars wouldn't be bad.

It's a good idea in theory, and could happen. Especially now gw are in partnership with Warner brothers.

I was not aware of this patnership! When was it started?

 cincydooley wrote:
It would work better as, IMO, a TV Series, probably in CGI (and not Ultramarines CGI)

That was my first thought, it would allow for all kinds of stories, changing narrators and protagonists etc. Bacially Clone Wars with more skulls.

A film can only tell one story and needs a single story arc.

boyd wrote:

 cincydooley wrote:
It would work better as, IMO, a TV Series, probably in CGI (and not Ultramarines CGI)

Not that it is much better, but something in the realm of Star Wars: Clone Wars wouldn't be bad.

Exactly what I was thinking

I've always thought an HBO series would be superb, can't wait for a GW exec to man up and sign a deal. With HBO or AMC, it could have as much violence, blasphemy (as limited as it is in the 40K setting), madness and gritty presentation as would be needed to accurately present the HH series. Ideally the cast would be all then-unknowns.

I could also see such a well-done sci-fi series propelling the Warhammer 40K IP to completely new levels of awareness.

Not films, a full-fledged TV series imo. Live-actors, not CGed ones because the intricate conversations and deep political intrigue and rivalries need real humans to powerfully portray.

 PrehistoricUFO wrote:
I've always thought an HBO series would be superb, can't wait for a GW exec to man up and sign a deal.

While it's a nice day dream I don't think this is a question of GW 'manning up'. A series like this would cost $10s of millions and 40k does not have enough of an adult fanbase to justify it.

Even with CGI and green screens you need well paid professionals to design every virtual set, every image, every costume.

No one's jumping to spend millions on a relatively obscure property like this. Even Star Wars floundered as a live action show because it was too expensive. And if Star Wars can't do it...

Midnightdeathblade.
Gw teamed up with Warner brothers for the LOTR and hobbit games.

If GW Did agree to make a film or a TV or web series, with our luck Micheal Bay would be the director and Christopher Nolan would write the scrips lol

In all seriousness though, If they just made everything CGI like star wars the clone wars, I believe it would do rather well, CGI equipment is becoming less and less expensive to buy and use, look at 3D printers as a comparision

I don't think it would happen, but if it did, I think a trilogy, or somewhere around that length, would be best. I don't think 40k has the fanbase to last more films than that.

I say three, It would have to be like Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings, important plot only, drop any minor characters who aren't required for the main plot, long movies anyway, and stupid big budget. Otherwise -1 movie, kill the ultrasmurf propaganda film.

Knowing how GW likes to market long-term, an HBO Miniseries would be great.

Look at the Space Operas of Battlestar Galactica, Stargate SG-1, Firefly, Children of Dune, I think they could feasibly pull it all off. Even looking at the storytelling from Game of Thrones each episode touching on the lives of the main characters.

However, IF it were to make it as a movie I would hope they wouldn't go beyond a trilogy. Focus on the main plot points otherwise you would lose the audience in the expanse of the world.

Then would you include much if any of the Eldar, Necron, or Orks? Or just focus on Brother v. Brother conflict?

Furthermore...who would you cast for each of the Primarchs? The Emperor?
The Sigilite?

 ChaoticMind wrote:
I say three, It would have to be like Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings, important plot only, drop any minor characters who aren't required for the main plot, long movies anyway, and stupid big budget. Otherwise -1 movie, kill the ultrasmurf propaganda film.

This is why LoTR should have stayed as books (imo). Though considering the source material, HH probably wouldn't suffer nearly as much from PJ & his SO "interpreting" it. Although it would more likely get the J.J. Abram's "treatment."

As previously mentioned, a ("grown up") Clone Wars type series would be great for any 40K story.

considering the target audience of GW pre-teens to 14 the HH would not be inline with the marketing something like the clone wars cartoon maybe based on the ultramarines tyrannic wars that
way you could have pretty much faceless enemies dying by the bucketload but as their animals fly right by the age rating censors even marines dying wouldn't be a problem aslong as they kept the helmets
on with the odd hero to command them

5+, but only if they are R rated. I want to see Fulgrim and Konrad go absolutely bat gak!

Well its never gonna happen! An HBO series would be unbelievably good there's not enough sex for it to reach a wider audience, maybe it should just stay as an endless book franchise

AlphaFreds wrote:
Well its never gonna happen! An HBO series would be unbelievably good there's not enough sex for it to reach a wider audience, maybe it should just stay as an endless book franchise

HBO doesn't need sex for a show to be good. Band of Brothers had no sex that I could think of, and that was a great series.

Hey, there's a thought, how about Band of Brother - 40k edition? It could focus on the relationships between the different Primarchs, and how they end up turning against each other.

I said 5+. Just because I want more films than Harry Potter got.

I would love some great CGI Warhammer movies, but as with many great films in the last couple of decades with source material, the writers will trim the fat not making this or that character a major part of the story, if at all, and we'll have to listen to nerd rage ramblings about how Salamanders are supposed to be charcoal, not African looking, and that's what "ruined" the movie for them.

If they were to do movies, perhaps try the same styling of the Avengers. Have a few movies highlighting different chapters and such, intertwine them a little, and then have a movie or two that wraps it all together. It might take about 6 movies to do, but if done well, they could have a lot of success. The main thing is meeting the balance of "fanboy" expectations, and writing the movies to where people not familiar with 40k at all could understand.

 CthuluIsSpy wrote:

AlphaFreds wrote:
Well its never gonna happen! An HBO series would be unbelievably good there's not enough sex for it to reach a wider audience, maybe it should just stay as an endless book franchise

HBO doesn't need sex for a show to be good. Band of Brothers had no sex that I could think of, and that was a great series.

Hey, there's a thought, how about Band of Brother - 40k edition? It could focus on the relationships between the different Primarchs, and how they end up turning against each other.

The relationship idea is a good one. I would watch that.

I don't think the Horus Heresy would be very well suited for adaptation. Too much of the important and interesting stuff is internal (like te Primarchs' thoughts and stuff) that would be tough to portray on screen. I think something without marines would be much better suited to the screen, or at least something with marines as just supporting characters. My vote always goes for Eisenhorn or Gaunt's Ghosts as the best-suited for adaptation.

It *could* make a great film/series of films. But it'd kill WFB!

To make this decent, you would need a budget far above what GW is willing to stake.

would it make a decent film franchise - with the right backing, but i cant really see GW commetting to this unless the "price was right. "

Would it make a great HBO series - F#@k yeah!!

I can see it making a good HBO AMC or sci-fi channel series. I think that's a better idea than making a movie.