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Would be awesome, and would help GW gain some momentum.

Because the last 40K screenplay Abnett wrote was awesome...



Sorry, I'm a fan of his books, but Ultramarines was just a huge disapointment on pretty much every level.

I agree with Iansaniak. It captured none of the purpose of space marines, there weren't enough people to protect and the plot twists were poor.

I also don't like Dan abnett. It's cool if hollywood turns our toys into hollywood genre movie marines; they just better fething make sure it has battle scenes that would make Saving Private Ryan gak itself.

I just hope Abnett is good at writing kids movies because the only way a 40k movie is getting enough funding to be done right is if it caters to the PG crowd.

Abnett has written some good books. He's also written one of the two BL books I stopped reading because they were so bad (Brothers of the Snake) and his last 40k movie, Ultramarines, was awful.

So if Dan Abnett is out, who would you like to see write a hypothetical 40k movie?

I vote whoever wrote the "world engine" fluff, but only for the battle scenes, maybe goto for the plot?

one more thing, if a 40k movie was made, I think making it about Ciaphas Cain might be the only way it could succeed even though I'm not personal a fan, don't dislike him though, I'm just kinda neutral.

I'll pass on that. I'd trust it a lot more if it was ADB or the likes, but I'd rather it'd be a full team of writers working on the screen rather than a single person. Say, ADB and a Hollywood veteran.

And people, it'd sell like hotcakes without being PG. Even people with little knowledge of W40K would likely watch it, they'd just have to make it easier and more open for people without an understanding the fluff to enjoy it. Either way, the movie would certainly do well if properly managed. After all, the Expendables was largely senseless violence and it still was a great and fun movie, same with a lot of Hollywood senseless action movies. Ironically, W40K might do better playing UP the violence than suppressing it- as I doubt a mainstream audience would even understand a complex plot with W40K.

 thepowerfulwill wrote:
So if Dan Abnett is out, who would you like to see write a hypothetical 40k movie?.

Joss Whedon.

Lawrence Khasdan.

Alex Proyas.

Robert Kaymen.


Directed by Joss Whedon, or Luc Besson.

 Vaktathi wrote:
Abnett has written some good books. He's also written one of the two BL books I stopped reading because they were so bad (Brothers of the Snake) and his last 40k movie, Ultramarines, was awful.

Really? First 40k novel I read was BotS, and I loved it.

The Ultramarines movie was appalling, the plot was sketchy at most.
I think even CS Goto may have done a better job, lol.

Wasn't there a fan made movie called the Lord Inquisitor or something in the works? Heard ADB is writing their script.

 insaniak wrote:

 thepowerfulwill wrote:
So if Dan Abnett is out, who would you like to see write a hypothetical 40k movie?.

Joss Whedon.

Lawrence Khasdan.

Alex Proyas.

Robert Kaymen.


Directed by Joss Whedon, or Luc Besson.

Good suggestion, but I meant out of the GW writers, not to say that Joss Whedon wouldn't do an awesome job, but let's face it, he is Joss Whedon and he would actually put some of the dark humor back into 40k

 thepowerfulwill wrote:
Good suggestion, but I meant out of the GW writers, not

Other than Abnett, do any of GW's writers have any experience with screenplays?

Being able to write a good book (or a bad one, for that matter) is no guarantee of ability to write a good screenplay. Case in point: Stephen King.

 insaniak wrote:

 thepowerfulwill wrote:
Good suggestion, but I meant out of the GW writers, not

Other than Abnett, do any of GW's writers have any experience with screenplays?

Being able to write a good book (or a bad one, for that matter) is no guarantee of ability to write a good screenplay. Case in point: Stephen King.

I didn't say they would be any good, I was asking if there was anyone who would be better, I don't know the authors that well.

But that's the whole point... Wthout any of them having written screenplays, there's just no way of knowing who would be any good.

I'd like to say ADB would be good... I certainly enjoy his books. But I expected Abnett to be good as well, so, who knows.

From what stories I saw, it's gonna start all right , sets the done, followed by action, time spend to set up characters that dies quickly without any note and then quick rushed finale and roll credit.

Inquisitor Jex wrote:
From what stories I saw, it's gonna start all right , sets the done, followed by action, time spend to set up characters that dies quickly without any note and then quick rushed finale and roll credit.

Yeah, you do kind of get the impression with Abnett that he just writes in a mad frenzy until he looks up, notices how much he has written, and goes 'Crap, hit my page limit!' and just tacks an ending on in the last page...

 insaniak wrote:

 thepowerfulwill wrote:
Good suggestion, but I meant out of the GW writers, not

Other than Abnett, do any of GW's writers have any experience with screenplays?

Being able to write a good book (or a bad one, for that matter) is no guarantee of ability to write a good screenplay. Case in point: Stephen King.

James Swallow, author of Flight of the Eisenstien, wrote The Butterfly Effect's.

Edit: Not Butterfly Effect (wrote a novella for it though), but he has written Star Trek Voyager's One - episode #193, and Memorial - episode #236.

I think step 1 would be to address what the movie would have to focus on. Space Marines are iconic to 40k, I think they'd have to be shown in the movie and given a chance to do awesome stuff. at the same time, Space Marines may have issues being the protagionist. given whom they are. a more human main char would be needed. this doesn't nesscarily mean we can't have Marines as a huge focal point (ADB's nightlords series is a good mix of the human and the marine. as it the earlier HH books with their rememberancers) so a Marine movie would likely need a human protagionist to act as the "viewing lens" The Transformers movies are a good example of this too. (and show some of the weakness inheriant in it)

I think a good way to address it might be a inqusitor and their retuine.

Won't happen as long as GW has the IP. They're afraid of any kind of advertising/expansion of 40k for whatever reason.

Even if by some miracle GW did lose 40k (a blessing) it still would be a big disaster if it was a movie or w/e. It's a fairly unknown (in mass market terms) universe that's overly complicated to the casual person. On top of that, nothing new works in movies today. All sequels, comic books, remakes, and low-budget horror

Good thing 40k isn't new in the slightest . Anyways, I agree with you. It's too much to be explained.

Oh god, could you imagine Joss Whedon writing a serial about a rogue trader? Firefly 2.0, only with more grim and death?

 Harriticus wrote:
It's a fairly unknown (in mass market terms) universe that's overly complicated to the casual person.

Mutant Chronicles got a movie.

It apparently wasn't very good... but it still got made.

So..... maybe.

I really enjoyed Ultramarines. But there was a huge problem. To anyone that bought the film that came with the graphic novel, it would be apparent what was wrong with the film.

I think a lot gets lost in production and Dan Abnett had a decent story but it got cut up.

So the little graphic novel that came with the movie, had the first 20 minutes of what should have been the movie in it. I think that this was a budget/deadline thing. Someone went, "Oh crap we won't make it on time or on budget, how about a graphic novel?"

Pretty stupid. All the complaints about the long walking sections, missing parts, etc. come from the fact that the story is missing a huge chunk.

Here it is:

- There was a huge battle on Algol with Tyranids
- The captain chose to go to a rescue mission to the Shrine World with an untried Tac squad - they just got promoted from scouts, there was no one else in range
- He had no other option due to the tyranid infestation on Algol, the company took a lot of casualties but needed to maintain a presence so he took this new squad
- The SGT was the only survivor of the previous squad, got promoted, was unsure of himself, this was hinted at but not explained

Add that twenty minute to a 70 minute film and you have a decent film.

But, why do a story like that for an intro to 40k film? I have no idea.

There are a couple of great stories already out there that would do a fine job of intro-ing 40k. Dawn of War 1, Chaos Gate, the battle for Armageddon, etc.

It is unfortunate, because of the bad reception to the first movie means that there will be a hard time getting another and the whole thing is rife with background for so many films. Horus heresy anyone?

BUT what I like about the film as a 25 year fan:

The universe is represented correctly.
Marines feel like marines.
No asinine Hollywood style Ultramarine and Sister of Battle/Female Inquisitor/Eldar/Female Rogue Trader love story of any kind
Good dialogue
Good acting
The Holy Bolter is Background effective, not game effective

What could have been better:

More bad guys
bigger battles
plot didn't make too much sense under a microscope
Imperial Fists died too quickly



Anyway, I enjoyed having a movie, I still enjoy watching it. I wold love to see Gaunt's Ghosts as a film series and the Heresy. I feel Dawn of War 1 would've made a great SM movie series and the story is there. Just change the chapter to IF,



Automatically Appended Next Post:

 insaniak wrote:

 Harriticus wrote:
It's a fairly unknown (in mass market terms) universe that's overly complicated to the casual person.

Mutant Chronicles got a movie.

It apparently wasn't very good... but it still got made.

Yeah, was on netflix a few years ago, I caught the first half up late and had to go to bed, it was good, don't know about the rest of it but wanting to see it total.

 Gorgrimm wrote:

Imperial Fists died too quickly

Wait, the Imperial Fists died to quickly? Did you manage to catch the Black Legion in the 5 seconds before they suicided enmasse? Guess the EoT corrodes their armour rather drastically huh...

Also some of the dialogue was really bad, even from Terence. The plot was pretty poor, the twist (singular) was predictable, as was the ending. The villains were a complete joke, for the brief moment we saw them, and for a movie which hyped the CG there were quite a few moments when I wondered to myself "How the hell did that slip through?"

 insaniak wrote:
Because the last 40K screenplay Abnett wrote was awesome...



Sorry, I'm a fan of his books, but Ultramarines was just a huge disapointment on pretty much every level.

I actually interviewed him about this. When asked "Did it turn out the way you expected." He actually said "You know? It did. However, I learned a lot about writing a screenplay with this experience."

So it was his first go at it. I would totally give him another shot.

The UM movie was hilariously awful on so many levels, but I believe the setting may yet spawn a good movie. I just predict a lot of QQ regarding SM power level. In both directions.

GW can't afford to finance a two hundred million dollar movie.

I always thought a space hulk movie would be monumentally awesome. Scary, grim dark, accurate to the fluff, and glorious blood angel slaughtering tyranid action. But it would need a budget that it could never aquire.

 WE Drake Man wrote:
I always thought a space hulk movie would be monumentally awesome. Scary, grim dark, accurate to the fluff, and glorious blood angel slaughtering tyranid action. But it would need a budget that it could never aquire.

So basically Aliens except the marines aren't complete and total pussies?

Yep, make him and the BL crowd consultants, base the script in one of his novels (I'd settle for either Necropolis or Horus Rising) but put some Hollywood screenwriter in charge.

As long as it is not Bob Orci and/or Damon Lindelof, I'll be fine.

Oh, and get Guillermo del Toro to direct it!.