Amazon is doubling down on the grimdark. The studio is developing a new animated “Warhammer 40,000” series that grows directly out of the fan-favorite episode from its video game anthology “Secret Level,” and Henry Cavill is on board as an executive producer.
A Spinoff Grown From Secret Level
When “Secret Level” landed on Prime Video in late 2024, its “Warhammer 40,000” installment stood out from a lineup of fifteen game-inspired shorts. That episode, titled “They Shall Know No Fear,” played as a follow-up to the events of Space Marine 2 and put the spotlight on Titus. The response was strong enough that Amazon is now expanding it into a full series rather than leaving it as a one-off.
The anthology itself has been on a hot streak. “Secret Level” became Prime Video’s largest animated series debut in its opening week and earned a second-season renewal, so building out one of its most talked-about worlds is a logical next swing for the streamer.
The Team Making It
The creative core carries straight over from the short. Dave Wilson, who directed the “Warhammer 40,000” episode and served as supervising director on “Secret Level,” is the co-creator and director of the new series. He is developing it with John Orloff, whose credits include “Masters of the Air” and “Band of Brothers,” a pairing that points toward the kind of grounded military storytelling the setting rewards.
Blur Studio, the animation house behind “Secret Level,” is returning to produce, with tabletop giant Games Workshop involved to keep the lore intact. Wilson has framed the anthology as more than a showcase, describing it as a launchpad designed to spin smaller stories into bigger ones, and he has spoken about wanting to tell a long-form tale in this universe for more than twenty years.
The Deathwatch Takes Point
Plot specifics are being kept quiet, but Amazon has confirmed the series will center on The Deathwatch, an elite order of Space Marines assembled to hunt down alien threats across the galaxy. It is a strong pick for episodic storytelling, giving the show a built-in structure of specialized missions against xenos horrors while leaving room for the character work that made the Titus short connect.
Two Warhammer Projects Running in Parallel
The animated series is not Amazon’s only bet on the franchise. It is being developed alongside the live-action “Warhammer 40,000” series that Cavill is attached to lead, a role the longtime tabletop devotee has been open about chasing for years. With Cavill producing the animated show and starring in the live-action one, Amazon now has two major Warhammer efforts moving at the same time, a clear signal the company sees a durable audience for the Imperium beyond a single episode.
For 40K fans, it means the corner of Amazon that delivered one of the best video game adaptations in recent memory is getting the room to tell a much larger story.
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