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nfe wrote:

 Carl wrote:
I have tons of reasons to want a 40k movie, from my obvious passion and decades worth of collecting to just a love for the 40k universe and dystopian future flicks in general. But all of that is absolutely dwarfed by 1 thing.

The massive freak out certain groups would have over even showing a literal fascist, xenophobic, fantastical authoritarian theocracy as the good guys lol. You could make vulkun the star and it would still be a giant collective uproar of objection.

I want to keep this on topic, but all it takes is looking at marvel and it's movies for a glimpse at the thought process in Hollywood. Just watch the new spider man and try and tell me if you think they would support a bunch of space nazis ethnically cleansing Xenos and purging degenerates lol

Not sure. Starship Troopers exists. The Forever War is getting made. Loads of Vietnam films are pretty blatant about thinking everyone is a villain.

Sure ST is satire (though plenty people still manage to take it at face value somehow), and most Vietnam films (and The Forever War is essentially a Vietnam story) have likeable central characters even if they paint the US as the villain, but you can do that with guardsmen or underhive gangers, too.

I was thinking Starship troopers as well, possibly even some of the halo universe. I just don't think that in today's climate starship troopers would even get made.

I think that the major fluff storylines would make for a bad movie. A 40k movie would work better as a series of short stories focusing on individual characters...similar to the Sin City movies. That way the audience can be quickly immersed in the setting without an excessive amount of backstory. Explanatory elements of the setting can be introduced through the character e.g. say an Inquisitor or a Farseer explaining the nature of Chaos to an apprentice. Oh, and if it's isn't going to have an adult rating, don't even bother because it'll be worthless.

I could plot out a 40k movie in 10 minutes:

Act One

IG vs Orks, massive battle. IG are getting SLAUGHTERED. Platoon Leader calling for artillery strikes, heavy weapons teams laying down the dakka. Squad after squad gets overrun. A Commissar, pistol in hand, shouts encouragement to his troops. A few squads break and run. The Platoon Leader says "All squads fall back!" The Commissar shoots him, promotes the first soldier he sees to be the new Platoon Leader, and orders the platoon to stand fast.

The right flank finally collapses and the Orks begin to sweep around, flanking the platoon HQ. Just before the HQ is over run, out of no where the Space Marines dive into the Orks. Assault Marines with pistols & chainswords, tactical Marines hip firing Heavy Bolters, Flamers EVERYWHERE, A Space Marine Chaplain engages an Ork Boss in single combat. The Ork Boss dies as the IG cheer.

Cut to IG Army HQ. Space Marines Captain and IG General have the usual pissing contest, the Commissar and the Chaplain eye each other. "We won the battle FOR you" "We didn't need your help."

The Space Marines demand that the entire IG Brigade accompany them to Planet [i]Whatever{/i] to investigate reports of "strange happenings." The general refuses, the Captain questions loyalty, the Commissar and the Chaplain get into a Big Dick contest.

Eventually the General agrees to send one platoon, and orders the platoon that was just saved by the Space Marines to go. The brand new Platoon Commander is less than thrilled. The Commissar insists that he be allowed to accompany the Platoon, and the General agrees.

The Commissar and the Chaplain eye each other some more.

Cut to the Web Ways. Eldar leaders are discussing a secret mission deep into Imperial space to investigate rumors of "strange happenings." who knows what we will find on Planet [i]Whatever{/i].

Cut to Planet [i]Whatever{/i]. Meteors fall from the sky, break apart into smaller meteors, and land in remote places. We watch as a meteor hits the ground, smoulders, then breaks open. Small insect-like creatures jump out and then burrow into the soil.

Act Two

IG and Space Marines arrive. Character development for the IG Platoon Leader as he interacts with the Space Marine Captain. We grow to love the Platoon Leader, like the Captain, hate the Chaplain, and REALLY hate the Commissar.

The Eldar arrive on the planer in secret and find an ancient artifact, different from and far older than what they had anticipated.

Tryanids start to hatch and spread. They eat everything, and begin to move toward more populated areas.

Space Marine Tech Priests detect "emanations" from a remote location on the outskirts of the populated area. They and the IG go to investigate.

The Eldar discuss what the artifact might be. It is decided that it is probably dangerous. It is ALSO decided that, if that wanted to. they could probably activate it...

Act Three

The Space Marines land. Eldar ships decloak in orbit, cutting off all support. The Imperials encounter the Eldar on the ground, just as the 'Nids attack. Massive battle. The Eldar and the Imperials team up to destroy the 'Nids.

Just as the battle ends, a Necron Monolith erupts from the ground, opening portals that Necron Warriors pour out of.

Coming Next Fall - 40K Part II - The Quest For More Money!


Automatically Appended Next Post:
One thing to keep in mind - Movies these days exist to sell toys. GW HAS the toys. To get the kids to want the toys, the kids have to SEE the movie. That means PG-13.

Also, reading more posts in the thread, I agree that the movie really had to be ABOUT Platoon Leader - How he fell ass-backwards into a job he wasn't ready for simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. About how most of his people, even his sargents, really don't understand how their equipment works, and their Tech Priests are utterly ineffectual.

How the Cult of the Emperor is jammed down their throat constantly

stuff like that

Personally I think it comes down to GW not wanting to give up any rights to their product. The game may have a 'limited' following, but that hasn't stopped Hollywood from going after low interest things, just look at Guardians of the Galaxy. In fact many of the Superhero movies have avid followers that haven't read a comic book in their life. My wife is one of those people

If done right, a 40K movie would be huge, but I think it should be a TV series. There's so much story to tell, a GoT type series would work best.

Part of the issue is also that it's difficult to find an angle on the 40k setting and its stories that might appeal to a mainstream audience or a single source material that would convince studio execs that there was a big budget movie to be made out of it.

The appeal of the setting and all of its core ideas are pretty much as originally envisaged by Rick Priestley et al decades ago. Since then it's been padded out mostly with second rate genre fiction (even the stronger stuff like HH isn't that great...let's be brutally honest).

I fear that it's too much to expect that a writer would be able to get to grips with the setting and produce a screenplay that is true to and worthy of the setting. Most likely we would end up with a film that is utter garbage like the Warcraft movie. No thanks.

In the end, the setting is the backdrop. The movie has to be ABOUT the characters.

Using my plot outline from above, I'm re-imagining it as something similar to The Big Red One - Lee Marvin and his "wet noses" going from North Africa to Italy to Normandy, just trying to stay alive while World War II happens around them.

In my story you have an IG platoon and its instant Platoon Leader fighting Orks, dealing with Commissars & Space Marines, getting shipped out and dropped on another world to fight Tyranids, Eldar and Necrons.

I imagine a scene going something like this:

Private and Platoon Leader are on Planet Whatever, looking up at stars in the night sky.

Private: "Which one's your home?"

Platoon Leader: "Don't know."

P: "Which one's Earth?"

PL: "I'm not sure Earth is real."

P: "But... That's heresy! They can execute you for heresy!"

PL: "If they want to kill me they'll have to get in line. Right now Tyranids got dibs."