Amazon's Warhammer 40,000 Animated Deathwatch Series: Everything We Know So Far

Amazon is doubling down on the Warhammer 40,000 universe. In a major expansion of its relationship with Games Workshop, Amazon MGM Studios is developing not one but two television series set in the grimdark future of the 41st millennium: an animated event series and a separate live-action show. Here is everything confirmed so far about both projects and where they fit into Amazon's broader gaming adaptation strategy.

The Deathwatch Animated Event Series

Origin and format. The animated series is a direct spinoff of Amazon's Emmy-nominated animated anthology Secret Level, which aired in December 2024 and featured a critically acclaimed Warhammer 40,000 short titled "And They Shall Know No Fear" . That short's story will continue into a "long-form" animated event series centered on the Deathwatch . A separate Warhammer Age of Sigmar episode is also being produced for Secret Level Season 2, expanding the Warhammer animated presence on the platform .

Studio partners and key creative team. The series is a three-way collaboration between Amazon MGM Studios, Blur Studio (the animation house behind Secret Level and the Love, Death & Robots shorts), and Games Workshop . Henry Cavill serves as executive producer on the animated series, mirroring his role on the live-action project . Dave Wilson — who directed the original Secret Level Warhammer 40,000 episode — is attached as co-creator and director . John Orloff (Band of Brothers, Masters of the Air) is writing the series .

The producing team is a who's who of genre television: Tim Miller (Blur Studio co-founder and Deadpool director), Natalie Viscuso (Cavill's partner and producing collaborator), Roy Lee (Vertigo Entertainment), and Andy Smillie (Games Workshop) are all involved as producers .

Subject matter. The series focuses on the Deathwatch, the elite chapter of Space Marines drawn from various chapters specifically to hunt alien (xenos) threats . It is described as a "long-form story" rather than a one-off short .

The Live-Action Warhammer 40,000 Series

Status and creative leadership. The live-action series — in which Henry Cavill will star and executive produce — has moved past a period of development limbo. Games Workshop's 2025–2026 annual report confirmed that Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, The Fall of the House of Usher) has joined the project . Cavill personally confirmed via Instagram on August 3, 2026, that Flanagan is the executive producer and showrunner of the live-action series . Cavill and Flanagan are co-writing the script .

Script stage. Games Workshop CEO Kevin Rountree stated that Flanagan has completed "initial outlines" and "should soon be moving on to script" . United Artists has joined the production alongside Vertigo Entertainment and Amazon MGM Studios . The involvement of Flanagan — best known for his acclaimed horror series — has reassured fans that the adaptation is in serious creative hands .

Timeline. Neither series has a release date. Games Workshop has been explicit that the live-action project could take "years" to reach screens, calling it a "long-term partnership" with Amazon .

Amazon's Broader Gaming Adaptation Slate

Amazon Prime Video has quietly built the most aggressive lineup of video game adaptations of any streaming service . Here is the full slate:

Series	Status
Fallout	Emmy-winning first season; Season 2 premieres December 2025; Season 3 in development
Tomb Raider	Live-action series starring Sophie Turner as Lara Croft, written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Production began in 2026
God of War	In development at Prime Video
Mass Effect	In development at Prime Video
Wolfenstein	In development at Prime Video
Life Is Strange	Live-action series recently announced and in development

This slate, combined with the two Warhammer 40,000 series (animated and live-action), positions Amazon as the single biggest streamer investing in video game-to-screen adaptations — a bet that is already paying off with Fallout's Emmy success.

Key Takeaways

• Two Warhammer series are in active development simultaneously: an animated Deathwatch event series and a live-action series starring Henry Cavill.
• The creative teams are stacked: Blur Studio for animation, Mike Flanagan for live-action, with Cavill executive producing both.
• No release dates are set and Games Workshop has cautioned that the adaptations "will take years to bring successfully to market."
• Amazon is betting big on gaming adaptations beyond Warhammer, with at least six other major game-to-screen projects in various stages of development.