Despite the <em>Warhammer 40k</em> franchise having existed for decades, Event Horizon remains the closest thing to a live-action movie. While Henry Cavill’s Warhammer 40k TV series is still in development, the fact it has been in the works for three years and counting without entering production is slightly concerning.
There have been various Warhammer video games or animated spinoffs from the saga, but it’s a uniquely tricky property to bring into live-action. Its world is a mashup between medieval and futuristic designs, and the amount of lore within it can be overwhelming to newcomers – or even fans, in some cases.
Event Horizon Is Still The Closest Thing To A Live-Action Warhammer 40k Movie
That said, Cavill is a lifelong Warhammer 40k enthusiast, so the series is in good hands. While there has yet to be an official live-action take set in the universe, Event Horizon is the closest there is to a Warhammer movie. Sure, it might not feature any chainswords or Space Marines, but the influence is there.
Specifically, the design of the titular spaceship with its “Goth-Tech” feels lifted right out of the Warhammer universe. The Paul W.S. Anderson movie actually used Notre Dame Cathedral as inspiration during the design phase, explaining why everything is so baroque and menacing.
The biggest link between Warhammer 40k and Event Horizon is the use of a hellish, “Chaos” dimension. This is where the ship disappeared into for seven years, and it sounds a lot like Warhammer’s “Warp” dimension, a place where Chaos Gods dwell, and a sea of overwhelming psychic energy flows.
Exposure to this energy drives people to madness and violence, in addition to causing mutations. In short, it’s a very bad place, and the way Event Horizon depicts the massacre of the original crew or Weir’s (Sam Neill) demonic transformation lines up quite well with Warhammer’s Chaos Dimension.
Fans Have Labeled Event Horizon A Stealth Prequel To Warhammer 40k
Event Horizon’s screenwriter Philip Eisner once confessed to being a Warhammer fan, and that may have influenced his creation of this hellish parallel universe. Fans of the franchise have practically adopted Event Horizon as an unofficial Warhammer 40k prequel, depicting mankind’s first encounter with the Chaos Realm.
In Warhammer, humanity has developed the “Gellar Field” to shield itself from the effects of the Warp while traveling through it. Event Horizon might show what happens when there is no shielding from the psychic energies this dimension contains, and it’s not pretty.
The Event Horizon: Dark Descent prequel comic strengthened those ties further, with its version of what happened to the crew and the demonic beings involved. The film may not have been designed as a <em>Warhammer 40k prequel, but when looking at how well they fit together, it’s hard to deny the links.
-
-
The Warhammer 40,000 universe is rich with lore and characters that have captivated fans for decades. It has expanded into various media forms including novels, video games, and board games.
