A 'Warhammer 40,000' animated series is in development at Amazon MGM Studios, with Henry Cavill on board as an executive producer, Variety reported on 3 August 2026.

The show is a spinoff of 'Secret Level', Amazon's animated anthology series that ran individual episodes based on popular video games and tabletop franchises. One of those episodes, devoted to 'Warhammer 40,000', aired in late 2024. Blur Studios, which produced 'Secret Level', returns as the animation house, with Games Workshop — the British company that manufactures the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop miniature wargame — partnering alongside Amazon MGM Studios.

The new series will focus on the Deathwatch, an elite unit of Space Marines tasked with hunting down alien threats. It is a long-form story set in the sprawling science-fiction universe, rather than a single anthology instalment.

Dave Wilson, who directed the 'Warhammer 40,000' episode of 'Secret Level' and served as that show's supervising director, is the co-creator and director of the new animated series. He is developing it alongside John Orloff, whose writing credits include 'Masters of the Air' and 'Band of Brothers'. Wilson said that 'Secret Level' was designed as a launchpad for larger stories and that he has wanted to tell a long-form story set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe for more than twenty years, according to Variety.

The executive producer roster is crowded. Cavill and Natalie Viscuso will executive produce through their banner, joined by Tim Miller — the creator of 'Secret Level' — and Dave Wilson for Blur Studios. Roy Lee of Vertigo Entertainment and Andy Smillie from Games Workshop round out the team.

The animated project is not the only Warhammer series moving at Amazon. Cavill is also attached to lead a separate live-action 'Warhammer 40,000' series in development at Amazon MGM Studios, and the two projects are being developed in parallel. According to Deadline, filmmaker Mike Flanagan is in talks to executive produce the live-action series, and per some reports, to showrun, write, and direct it as well. That report was published on 28 July 2026.

For context on the players: 'Secret Level' was an anthology — each episode a self-contained story drawn from a different game or franchise. The new animated series breaks from that format to tell one continuous Deathwatch story across what is being developed as an event series, meaning a limited, high-profile run rather than an open-ended weekly commission.

Cavill's involvement carries weight for fans of the franchise. He has been publicly associated with Warhammer for years and is known for his interest in tabletop gaming. With both a live-action and an animated series now in development under his executive production, Amazon is building out a slate of Warhammer 40,000 content rather than a single adaptation.

No release date, episode count, or premiere window has been announced for either project. Both remain in development.