Mike Flanagan Explains Why Warhammer 40,000 Is a ‘Brutally Difficult Adaptation’

Mike Flanagan says adapting Warhammer 40,000 for television is “brutally difficult” because its enormous fictional universe offers no simple entry point. The project is part of Henry Cavill’s planned Warhammer 40,000 screen universe, with Cavill set to star.

Flanagan contrasted the task with adapting Stephen King’s The Dark Tower, which he plans to follow book by book, starting with its two central characters. Warhammer 40,000 has around 700 full-length novels, with many characters and events spanning thousands of years; Flanagan said the challenge has also been enjoyable.