That's right my friends, there is going to be a Warhammer 40,000 movie. Now don't get your hopes up too much because the movie, titled Warhammer 40,000 Ultramarines, is only going to be a 70-minutes straight to DVD release.

The film is being dubbed a sci-fi thriller that will look to use CGI animation and state of the art production techniques. The film is being developed by Codex Pictures, who have developed the Bionicle trilogy of DVD films, and so far there is no word about a release date. Erik Morgensen of Games Workshop, the company who created the Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 worlds for their tabletop miniature game, had this to say:

"Over the years, we have been approached again and again by all sorts of producers and film companies wanting to take our intellectual property to the screen. We have always believed that, in the right hands, the stories, themes and characters from the Warhammer 40,000 universe would lend themselves perfectly to the movie genre. We're working closely with the talented team at Codex Pictures, who have an excellent understanding of the Warhammer 40,000 intellectual property and an inspired vision for the movie. We can't wait to see our universe come to life on-screen."

Now I think this is fantastic news as I am a closet Warhammer fan. I never quite got into the miniatures, which Games Workshop created back in 1987, but I have been a huge fan of the real time strategy games based on the Warhammer 40,000 universe that Relic has created. They just have so much character to them with these varied and distinct races,each with their own traits, heroes and history which allow you to really delve deep into this world Games Workshop have created. If the movie is anything like the animated cut scenes in the games created by Relic then this will be one seriously cool movie. Also the decision to do a straight to DVD release first is a good idea because that way they will be able to ascertain whether there is a suitable market for a proper theatrical release either animated or live-action.

Obviously my favorites are the Space Marines as they are the epitimy of kick ass, super-soldiers picked from the best of the best to get surgical modifications and other improvements to make them the ultimate fighters. They are then decked out with impressive weaponry and armor that just make them look so cool. With the subtitle Ultramarines one would assume that the movie will based around the exploits of the Ultramarines, one of many Chapters of Space Marines in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. They are an obvious choice because they have one of the longest histories in the game and are one of the most powerful factions of Space Marines. Anyway I'll definetley be on the look out for any more information about this movie as it comes up.