The moment fans have been waiting for is finally here... for the first time, the Warhammer 40,000 universe will be realised in a feature-length movie on DVD.Ultramarines is a 70-minute sci-fi thriller that will use CGI and state-of-the-art animation production techniques. Games Workshop is delighted to be working with UK-based production company Codex Pictures, who have the momentous task of bringing the Warhammer 40,000 universe to the screen. "

Go check out http://ultramarinesthemovie.com/ for more info.

all the luck to them they have a lot to live up to. im guessing it will involve fighting tyranids?

well, it's not like the bar has been raised very high - for competition it has Inquisitor, Damnatus and the CGI movies in the Dawn of War games.

The fine thing is that this time mighty GW seems to approve. "Damnatus" (while not being to good a movie) was never seen outside of private sessions hold on request by the original producer of the movie. After first greenlighting the fan project, it was legally stomped down and so your only ways of seeing it are a)make an arrangement for an invitation or b) become criminal.

But this time, it seems, we will not have to do either. And this is met by me.

well actually, at the very worst downloading Damnatus would be copyright infringement, which is a civil matter, not a criminal one. It's not covered under criminal law.

Charax said:

Well actually, I hate to be a spoil sport or to reveal myself to the Inquisition as that most dreaded of heretics - the Intellectual Property attorney - but there are criminal penalties under U.S. law for willfull acts of copyright infringement, which if you are downloading Damnatus from a BitTorrent (please don't admit that you are), could apply to you. There are also criminal penalties in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act for interfering with or circumventing Digital Rights Management Information. So, just to be clear, there absolutely are criminal laws in the US (and even more restrictive ones in the UK) prohibiting copyright infringement.

In the US, perhaps, but in the UK Downloading is absolutely not a criminal offense to infringe through downloading. There are situations where uploading becomes a criminal matter, but nobody mentioned uploading (hell, even Bittorrent, which has uploading built in to the protocol, doesn't require uploading to function so long as you have a suitable client - so even using bittorrent it is quite possible to download Damnatus without being a criminal, which is precisely what I stated).

As an attorney I know you're trained to be able to twist arguments, but proving I'm "wrong" about downloading being a civil offense by proving that uploading is a criminal one? That's just shoddy work.

Charax said:

Twist? Haha! I felt compelled to say something to correct the impression that copyright infringement is only ever a civil wrong. It's not. I tried to write it in a lighthearted manner. It was not my intention to twist anything, nor was I trying to be a **** to you. I also did not say anything about the difference between uploading versus downloading because I was not trying to speak with that level of detail, nor did I want to get involved in listing every circumstance in which criminal penalties could possibly be triggered, but suffice it to say there's more than just uploading. My purpose was to provide general information and gentle caution. That's all. But seriously, forget the civil/criminal distinction. Civil is bad enough. Just ask anyone who's been sued by RIAA for downloading music.

Now, I'll hijack this thread no further. Please let's go back to talking about DH, the 40K setting, and this new (hopefully very cool) movie. That's why I come here. If I wanted to have a knock down argument about the law, I'd be doing work while I was at work...

In the 41st millennium, copyright infringement is neither a civil nor a criminal matter... it is HERESY!!!!

All the morale-building vid-flicks are preceeded by ads/warnings from the Munitorum Propaganda dept of the Adeptus Administratum (MPAA) warning that sharing this vid with a friend will lead to BURNING at THE STAKE.

A bit like now, really...

Well, Ultramarines are kind of the "poster children" for the 40k universe. I'm sure if this movie does well then many more will follow. I always thought that Abnetts work would make great movies; Eisenhorn, Ravenor, Brotherhood of the Snake, The Gaunts Ghosts, ect ect. He has made books that cover almost every aspect of the military environment of the 40k universe. Not to mention the Horus Heresy series, which is a great read and story in-it of itself.. I firmly hope that if this Ultramarines movie goes well that they will dig into the black library to make further films. Who knows, maby these films will actually see the big screen.

****, I don't want to see a movie based off of the Ultramarines. Nothing against them, but you see them everywhere. And what have they really acomplished?

I saw we go with Templars. This way we can have a bad ass duel staring the Emperor's Champion! Or Grimaldus fighting to end with every inch of his will and faith to the God Emperor.

Cameron said:

Nooo, The Black Templars have a rich backstory, Ultramarines don't. Which is why GW likes them, they can invent stuff and the 13 year old target market don't have to worry their little heads about complex stuff like that ^^ That's hwy it's a 70 minute film with Ultramarines fighting nids who have no thoguht to confuse their bonny li'l heads ^^

cyclocius said:

Forget the childrens! I want to have a rich, and academy award winning worthy film! Down with the Smurfs!

Cameron said:

WHOOOOO!

I kinda agree with Cameron, although I have to admit i know nothing about the Ultramarines. But on the face of it they seem...well...a bit dull. Still, I'd be interested to see what they make of it. Is it going to be made in CGI, with actors? Anyone know if its gonna be a mainly british or american or other production?

Maybe I'm getting old but I actually really like the non combatty bits of 40k stuff now, or the little battles and things. I suppose as its about Ultramarines it's going to be very in-your-face action. Well, interesting news anyway! cheers.

snufkin said:

CGI and balls to the walls action. I think it'll be American voice actors :S

This is very exciting news. I hope the quality level is at leasdt as good (hopefully better) than some of the recent animated DC Comics movies produced over the last few years. Hopefully it does well enough that someone will eventually make a feature film for theaters... or at least more direct to DVD movies that rock.

Well, considering it is only 70 minutes long, I'm sure that the majority of the film is going to action of some kind. Shooting, wrestling for your life against an attacking genesteeler, a possible bomb which will eradicate the tyranid infestation that is growing in the end.

Also, there is the Space Marines video game coming out later on the major consoles, which again, features the Ultramarines.

One of the only reasons why they are so popular, is because they have the name ULTRAmarines. So I see all of these rich 13 kids have their parents buy them massive armies(WH40K tabletop). And they come to play, so confidently, only to have their but whooped by either my Tyranids or my Templars, and they complain saying that I cheated because they have the best army, and killed nothing of mine.

But, enough of my complaints. I just hope that in the Space Marines game, you can unlock different chapter costumes. This way, I can charge into the orks waaagh as a Templar Crusader!

Ultramarines are cool. Get over it. Im just hoping for lots of exploding bodies anf chainswords! haha.

Everybody be hatin' on the Ultramarines for no real reason. Most people just hate them because it's the cool thing to do and they're the common "starter" army. They're still cool and have their own thing though, and you never see me whining because my Salamanders never get any love.

Nigh7gaun7 said:

I've nothing personal agains tthe Ultras they're just so....Uninteresting :S Their chapter master wrote the codex astartes and is sitting in a stasis field.

Blood Angels Primarch had WINGS. And they suffer from The Black RAGE which turns them into CHAINSAW wielding PSYCHOS.

Space Wolves are VIKINGS in SPACE.

Dark Angels have a SECRET that I CAN'T REMEMBER! Something to do with TRAITORS.

Black Templars are CRUSADERS in POWER ARMOUR with CHAINSWORDS.

White Scars ride MOTORBIKES!

Ultramarines are ULTRA! They fight TYRANIDS!

/American action film advert.

cyclocius said:

Haha yeah, cyclocius' got it painted in my head already. I don't hate them Nigh7gaun7, I think it's just such an obvious choice of legion. They're so...standard. Big blokes, big guns, big blue armour. All the other legions have that but with characterful strokes.

On the other hand if theres going to be any balls to the wall action, I want Arnold and the other big hollywood chaps slapping down their classic cheesy lines. A big dopey Schwartzneger marine bending gurdles and shooting aimlessly from the hip. If theres going to be no DH style darkness in it then this is what i want. Make it so filmmakers!

While I am glad that a 40K movie is in the works I'm in the majority when it comes to disliking the Ultramarines. They could have gone with something from the Inquisition to get the "grim dark" aspect, or the Blood Angels (or Dark Angels for that matter) if they wanted a combat oriented movie that was short on story and big on things going boom. The Ultramarines have only a couple real common enemies and are the most straight laced of the cannon SM chapters IIRC, both of the others mentioned are known to travel regularly and have skeletons in their closets that could be plumed for a multilayered story.

Just my two cents.

Nigh7gaun7 said:

Maybe because of the Matt Ward fluff, the newest codex being a slap in the face of everyone else's Space Marine army, or we could just you know, gloss over those.

Either way, I'd rather have a movie with Imperial Guard. I fully admit because I like them a helluvalot better than any Space Marine chapter.

We have to recognise that the Ultramarines are kind of the "poster children" for the 40k universe. If this film does well based on the awesomeness of the setting (and believe you me, it is awesome), then you know film makers will be getting rights to make further films using other chapters, guard, the inquisition, ect ect. Its important to have a good foundation for these things and not sit around complaining that the ultramarines are bland. They are only bland to us because we all know so much about the universe.