Amazon Signs a Deal to Create the ‘Warhammer Cinematic Universe’

Amazon (AMZN) and the UK’s Games Workshop announced Tuesday that they have reached an agreement for Prime Video to create a franchise out of the game maker’s Warhammer 40,000 universe.

The deal showcases the interest that content companies still have in the idea of franchises, or “cinematic universes,” that can be made out of well-known intellectual property (IP).

Box office numbers have slowed from their Avengers: Endgame peak for Disney’s (DIS) Marvel Cinematic Universe, leading to speculation about the path forward for the so-called MCU. The recent Deadpool & Wolverine looks to be the first MCU movie to see its U.S. ticket sales reach the top 10 in MCU history since Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

As MCU Ticket Sales Have Slowed, Other Well-Known IP Has Thrived

Despite the slowdown in numbers for the MCU, studios are still betting on IP like Warhammer. The Tuesday announcement said Amazon has acquired the exclusive rights to make movies and TV shows out of the franchise, with no dollar amounts or production timelines disclosed, though Superman star Henry Cavill confirmed his involvement in the project on social media.

There have been notable non-MCU successes that movie and TV studios have seen in recent years, from the box office smash of Barbie to TV shows based on video games like HBO’s The Last of Us and another Prime Video project, Fallout, which were well-received by critics.

A successful movie based on a tabletop game like Warhammer, set in the far-flung future, wouldn’t be unprecedented. Last year’s Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves was well-reviewed, and made north of $200 million in ticket sales on a $151 million budget, according to Variety.

Along with potential critical success or positive fan reception, Jefferies analysts noted Tuesday that the Prime Video Warhammer franchise becoming a hit could boost Games Workshop’s sales of Warhammer models, books, and other products.

Cavill has previously played a character associated with a video game, portraying Geralt in Netflix’s (NFLX) Witcher series, which was inspired by a series of books.