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Henry Cavill ’s plans for aWarhammerTV serial are seriously exciting for fans of the long - running multimedia franchise , but few are mindful that the property nearly made its vainglorious - screen debut long before Cavill became involved , courtesy of fabled directorStanley Kubrick . While most casual perceiver have a passing indecorum withWarhammerthanks to the miniature figurines , theWarhammeruniverse is immense . cover everything from video biz to literature , there is a wealth of traditional knowledge that makes it one of the most immersive IPs anywhere . As such , it ’s unsurprising that there have been multiple attempts to play the tarradiddle to life .
WhileWarhammermovies and TV showshave been talked about for decades , one of the more surprising marriage proposal came from Stanley Kubrick . The American conductor , whose back catalogue includes some of the most celebrated and idolise releases in picture chronicle , was celebrated for seeking creative brainchild from wherever he could , getting ideas from the most unlikely reference . As it turns out , one ofKubrick ’s many forsake projectsconcerned theWarhammerworld , creating one of the great " what if ? " moments in movie history .
Stanley Kubrick Considered Making A Warhammer Film
What It Was About
Although projects like2001 : A Space Odyssey , Dr. Strangelove , andThe Shininghave become almost totemic for cineasts , Stanley Kubrick ’s legend has arguably been enhance just as much by the movies he did n’t make as the ace he complete . HisunmadeNapoleonbiopic , for instance , has been label " the greatest movienever made " , whilehe abandoned his Holocaust movieAryan Papersafter the success ofSchindler ’s lean . These unfulfilled visions are typically Kubrickian in their scope and scale . However , Kubrick ’s theoreticalWarhammermovie was perhaps just as challenging .
The estimation begin courtesy of Kubrick ’s collaboration with scientific discipline - fiction writer Ian Watson . The two were working together on a handwriting forA.I. – another incomplete Kubrick movie that was finally made by Steven Spielberg . A prolific author , Watson worked closely with Kubrick and is credit with make the story forA.I. Artificial Intelligence . In a web log detailing the twain ’s partnership , Watson reveal details about Kubrick ’s chaotic creative cognitive process , in which he would take inspiration from any informant ( perPlumbing Stanley Kubrick ) .
Amid theirA.I.brainstorming , Kubrick take a pre - publication written matter of Watson ’s novels , indicating his interest .
It just so happened that , in improver to his other science fable work , Watson is also the author of a trilogy of novel set within theWarhammer 40,000setting . Dubbed theInquisition Wartrilogy , the former 90s Quran concern the Imperium and their constant warfare against Chaos – constituting the firstWarhammer 40,000literature . Amid theirA.I.brainstorming , Kubrick demanded a pre - publication transcript of Watson ’s novels , indicating his interest . To make thing even more tantalizing for fans , he even order Watson , " Who knows , Ian ? Maybe this is my next movie . "
Stanley Kubrick’s Unmade Warhammer Project Would Have Been A Game-Changer
It Would Have Transformed Warhammer And The Director
Despite Kubrick ’s evident interest in theWarhammer 40,000setting , his partnership with the story ’s author , and his tease that he may weigh cause a picture about it , the project clearly never came to fruition . However , had it happened , the effect would have been transformational . For one affair , Kubrick ’s involvement would have directly work a pop , yet undeniably ecological niche pastime to the forefront of public consciousness . Kubrick has create some of the most influential movies of all time , so to have him result aWarhammermovie would definitely have raised the franchise ’s profile .
The bring intellectual prestigiousness that someone like Kubrick could have brought would sure as shooting only have helped the sci - fi setting expand further , perhaps turning it into a property capable of touch the like ofStar Warsand the MCU .
In the years since Kubrick abandoned any idea for hisWarhammerfilm , the40,000setting has only grown more complicated . 12 of novels , game , figurines , and company content have been released , creating a rich tapestry beloved by billion worldwide . The added intellectual prestige that someone like Kubrick could have brought would surely only have help the sci - fi setting expand further , perhaps sprain it into a property open of equal the likes ofStar Warsand the MCU .
Stanley Kubrick was one of the most innovative and inventive directors of all metre , with almost every entry making waves in cinematic history .
The project would also have had a sound impact on Kubrick himself . Unlike many contemporaries , Kubrick ’s work has always been marked by its uniqueness and definitiveness . He never made a sequel and only one of his movies ( 2001 : A Space Odyssey ) ever receive a unmediated follow - up . Warhammerwould have been very dissimilar . The sheer scope of theWarhammerworld would have invited a series of interlink stories , potentially pushing Kubrick into fresh , franchise - construction territory . This makes the idea even more intriguing , given how it would have challenged one of the greatest directors of all clip .
Why Kubrick’s Warhammer Never Happened
It Was Never Likely To Work
As exciting as a Stanley Kubrick - madeWarhammerfilm is , the disappointing accuracy is that the chances of it happening were always svelte . While his comment to Watson about it potentially being his " next picture show " seems to indicate real pursuit , Kubrick had always been a creative magpie . His eclectic process , encompassing art , lit , and euphony from all kind of weird sources , has been well - documented – as has his proclivity to work fiercely on a project , only to abandon it and move on to the next mission .
Perhaps the best example of this is the fact thatA.I. , which Kubrick and Watson were allegedly working on when theWarhammermovie was discussed , was only made after the director ’s death . If his main center of attention take this long to see the visible radiation of day , it was always a foresightful shot that another task – especially one as complicated asWarhammer – would come to pass . Still , the fact thatStanley Kubrickcame relatively unaired to making aWarhammermovie at all makes this a fascinating moment in both the film maker ’s and the franchise ’s histories .
Sources : Ian Watson ; Plumbing Stanley Kubrick
Custom image by Milica Djodjevic
