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I think the original (and best) Space marine would foot the bill - the brothers of Trazior Hive from neophytes to full Imperial Fist SM's, covering implants, Scouts, Chaos, Tyranids, dark and disturbing iniations and religious rites (Chaplains drinking initiates blood and using the defecated remains as marbles?), eating brains and piloting Titans....

What a film that would make!

I say Eisenhorn. Not only is one heck of a story, it shows the audience how f*cked up is the life in the 40k, millenium. It isn't only about massive battles, you have plenty of detective work and character development AND you get the massive battles anyway.

Eisenhorn would be sweet.

Tiarna Fuilteach wrote:
Did they ever get aorund to doing that inquisitor film?

You mean The Lord Inquisitor? It's still in production.

 MandalorynOranj wrote:

Tiarna Fuilteach wrote:
Did they ever get aorund to doing that inquisitor film?

You mean The Lord Inquisitor? It's still in production.

Yeah thats the one cheers mate

Realistically, only some kind of simple story about Space Marines or Inquisitors would be able to make it in Hollywood, and even that is nearly impossible.

However in my fantasy, I'd like some big-budget HBO mini-series on the Heresy in the tradition of Game of Thrones.

I have not read many of the BL books and I am not an expert on the entire 40k universe, but I think a movie set in the present (40k) universe with flashbacks to older, memorable battles would be the best for an introduction film. This way almost every race, and imperial organization could be represented in some capacity. Personally my favorite moments from The Lord of the Rings films involved showing massive battles fought in the past(the beginning of the Fellowship of the ring, and the massive ork battle in The Hobbit).

I also agree that at least for the first film an Imperial guard regiment would be the best for the audience to relate to. Or someone who would have access to archives/knowledge of these ancient battles, like an inquisitor even though I hate them fluff wise, too xenophobic but that's just me. Even ancient tech priest of Mars or Dreadnaught.
Or...it is revealed later in the story that all of these events are being told by a space marine going through the final stages of becoming an asarte, and during his meditations his genetic memories from the geneseed actually are replayed for him. I know it sounds too much like Assassins Creed, but that could be interesting.

As for which enemy to face, any battle for Armaggedon seems good, or even the crusade against the Tau by Sicarius. I think if you have a movie, it has to be a series. The best "bad" guys to face would be Necrons, Tyranids, and the ultimate...forces of chaos! But if it is a series, you should save chaos for last, and maybe start with the Necrons.

Well I rambled on for too long. Thanks, great topic.

Hmm, I actually quite like the above idea ^.

If it were to be based around an Imperial Guard regiment's experiences, but told by an Astartes, then Helsreach, or any Armageddon setting, would work perfectly. In any case, the best of both worlds would be to show it from two viewpoints - the eyes of an astartes and the eyes of a guardsman. If I remember rightly (Sitting here referencing my own copy of Helsreach )...

I would also love to see a Fallout 3 style video game ( Made by Bethesda of course) set in Necromunda or any other Hive planet.

Would be an awesome idea i think.

Firstly, a WH40K movie really couldn't work. There's not enough of a fan base to warrant the massive amount of money it would cost for CGI alone to produce it. There'd be no way to recoup the cost of production unless every single WH40K fan on the planet went to see it a dozen times... with 5 friends.

That said, I'd love to see a HH film. Tell the story from the standpoints of a number of key individuals, but not Horus or the Emperor - Lorgar, Sanguinius, Saul Tarvitz and Luther come to mind as excellen main characters. You'd have to be careful not to allow it to become CGI porn in the sense that it would be tempting to just show battle after battle. The intrigue and machinations of the key players is just as compelling in the 40K universe as the warfare itself. Focus much of the production on that and you might grab some fans.

In an event... I can't ever see it happening, but I'd love to see it.

Why not Horus Rising? I think it would be a great beginning to the story, IF it was picked up for more than one, they could do the next two. I think the first 10 novels are made for movies.

I think a 40k Battles novel would do well. I personally think Battle for the fang would be awesome. You have a Daemon Primarch, an ancient Dreadnought, Sorcerers, void battles, regular humans, chaos mutation, a massive siege gun, space wolves slaughtering spireguard, then getting their butts whooped by some rubric marines, all ending in a massive fight down the side of a cliff. And I can imagine an AWESOME trailer to Raise the Dead by Winds of Plague!

HH is too long and drawn out for a movie series, but a TV series maybe.

Yes, if it was a TV series the best it could do would have funding like GoT or Walking dead, and even then I don't know if the special effects would be good enough.

Someone might have said this before but a Rogue Trader series similar to Firefly could be entertaining, but still doesn't seem like it could reach the scale of the battles in 40k. Massive battles fought over many planets just can't be done with the rag-tag crew of one ship!

I also think that if the movie is done in a way where non fans of 40k will want to see the movie, and the only way to do that in my opinion is to give it amazing special effects.

Hell, movies like the remake to total recall, and even the new G.I. Joe movie had terrible plots, and bad acting but still made Millions at the box office because people wanted to enjoy the graphics on the big screen. Then again, there is fine line between great battle graphics, and war porn.

 Traejun wrote:
Firstly, a WH40K movie really couldn't work. There's not enough of a fan base to warrant the massive amount of money it would cost for CGI alone to produce it. There'd be no way to recoup the cost of production unless every single WH40K fan on the planet went to see it a dozen times... with 5 friends.

That said, I'd love to see a HH film. Tell the story from the standpoints of a number of key individuals, but not Horus or the Emperor - Lorgar, Sanguinius, Saul Tarvitz and Luther come to mind as excellen main characters. You'd have to be careful not to allow it to become CGI porn in the sense that it would be tempting to just show battle after battle. The intrigue and machinations of the key players is just as compelling in the 40K universe as the warfare itself. Focus much of the production on that and you might grab some fans.

In an event... I can't ever see it happening, but I'd love to see it.

If a silly toy franchise from the 80'ies/90'ies such as Transformers can be made into a big budget action movie trillogy, then I think a movie in the 40K univserse could be made aswell, just hopefully with less stupidity, poor acting, and completely worthless comedy.
I would probably pass out for a second if one of the Gaunt's Ghosts books were made into a grimdark millitary sci-fi movie with good, but relatively unknown actors in it.

I keep hearing about Ghounts Ghost's...I guess it's that good?

And yes if they can make a movie called BATTLESHIP for crying out loud then they can make a 40k movie. That movie was one of the worst I have ever seen, and it had Liam Neeson.

It would have to appeal to a wider audience, to people who have not and probably will not play warhammer ever. It has to show to the audience that this a massive universe with mythology, and the darkness that comes from a universe at constant war.

Also, please for the love GOD! No Paul Wes Anderson to direct! That man has ruined AvP and every Resident Evil movie! He would probably make a 40k movie following the Sister's of Battle or the Dark Eldar. Or he could make everyone happy and bring back one of the lost legions, who are led by their Primarch...Mila Jovivich.

Correction...Lady Gaga.

Battleship was probably done as a tax write-off, as it cost 209m to make, and made less than 100m back, even with overseas box office accounted for. It is the very definition of a bomb.

... and you say that like a SOB movie would be bad. I'd pay money to see Milla in a set of Sororitas Power Armor... or as a Sister Repentia.

 Psienesis wrote:
Battleship was probably done as a tax write-off, as it cost 209m to make, and made less than 100m back, even with overseas box office accounted for. It is the very definition of a bomb.

... and you say that like a SOB movie would be bad. I'd pay money to see Milla in a set of Sororitas Power Armor... or as a Sister Repentia.

More than pay to see her in the armor, I'd pay for the inevitable scene of her out of it....

Mmmhmm...

 MandalorynOranj wrote:
I think if it's going to be live action it's gotta be either Gaunt's Ghosts or Eisenhorn. Both focus on ordinary people so it wouldn't have to be any more special effects-heavy than the average summer blockbuster. Neither requires much knowledge of 40k to function, in fact those are both books I recommend to non-40k players as an intro to Black Library. And most importantly, both are fething amazing!

This. I was scrolling down to see if anyone was gonna steal my thunder. To be a success its got to appeal to people who have no idea what 40k is or the storylines. Thats why I'd say Gaunt's Ghosts style. "OK, regular soldiers in space, fighting big bad guys in big armor... kinda like Gears of War or something." Cool. Non-fan likey.

You start packing a lot of story into a movie and you get fan boyz mad cause you didn't spend enough time on their favorite part, and you get non fans mad cause they have no idea what the heck is going on throughout the movie. To go into any depth like HH, your talking a style like the Avengers Movies. You'd have to do a movie on a few main Chapters involved. Then a final Movie of the battle (or two)...Maybe Istvan V then the siege of Terra.

 Bonde wrote:

 Traejun wrote:
Firstly, a WH40K movie really couldn't work. There's not enough of a fan base to warrant the massive amount of money it would cost for CGI alone to produce it. There'd be no way to recoup the cost of production unless every single WH40K fan on the planet went to see it a dozen times... with 5 friends.

That said, I'd love to see a HH film. Tell the story from the standpoints of a number of key individuals, but not Horus or the Emperor - Lorgar, Sanguinius, Saul Tarvitz and Luther come to mind as excellen main characters. You'd have to be careful not to allow it to become CGI porn in the sense that it would be tempting to just show battle after battle. The intrigue and machinations of the key players is just as compelling in the 40K universe as the warfare itself. Focus much of the production on that and you might grab some fans.

In an event... I can't ever see it happening, but I'd love to see it.

If a silly toy franchise from the 80'ies/90'ies such as Transformers can be made into a big budget action movie trillogy, then I think a movie in the 40K univserse could be made aswell, just hopefully with less stupidity, poor acting, and completely worthless comedy.
I would probably pass out for a second if one of the Gaunt's Ghosts books were made into a grimdark millitary sci-fi movie with good, but relatively unknown actors in it.

Except every kid I knew played with Transformers. To this day, the vast majority of people I know have no idea what WH40K is until I tell them about it.

It's not difficult to make a silly sci-fi movie, tons get made all the time. Look at the latest Tom Cruise vehicle.

It's really difficult to make a good sci-fi movie

The hbo miniseries sounds like a great idea! It could be done during the horus heresy or about a space marine chapter beginning with their first battles until finally building up to the destruction of the chapter. That could also be done with imperial guard.

Black comedy movie following the life of two grots a la "Clerks."

 doktor_g wrote:
Black comedy movie following the life of two grots a la "Clerks."

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ladies and Gentleman we have a WINNER!!!!

I think it hands down has to be the horus heresy. They made a load of harry potter movies based on the books why cant they do a similar amount of films based on the horus heresy? The only problem I can think of would be they would have to decide who it was aimed at, if they make it child friendly like harry potter it would ruin it. I want to see space marines hacking at each other with chainswords. They would definitely have to make it an 18.

DOW 2's overall plot seems to be rather conducive to a movie.

Don't live action movie actors have some sort of union requirement where they have to have their faces shown? So everyone will be running around without helmets... unless its CGI.

Not really. Ron Pearlman shows up in heavy makeup far more often than he shows up without it. Having a SAG card definitely provides some benefit, but not every actor has one.

However, having a bunch of faceless guys in armor would be like trying to watch a Star Wars movie from the POV of the Stormtroopers. If everyone on the screen looks exactly the same, you're not going to establish rapport with a character.

I think if they make a movie they should make their own chapter for movies(like relic did with the blood ravens) that way they dont have a chance to mess up any of the existing chapters fluff.

Tiberius Atellus wrote:
I think if they make a movie they should make their own chapter for movies(like relic did with the blood ravens) that way they dont have a chance to mess up any of the existing chapters fluff.

If they make another movie, the last thing they should do is make it about Space Marines.

 -Loki- wrote:
If they make another movie, the last thing they should do is make it about Space Marines.

This. You can invlove Space Marines, their actions, their perceived legendary-ness by the other characters/forces in a cameo/back-drop capacity... just don't make it about Space Marines (i.e. don't have them as the protagonists).