Elseworlds Warhammer 40,000

[YorkNecromancer]

1920's Batman fights Cthulhu:
http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090828034841/marvel_dc/images/6/60/Batman_The_Doom_That_Came_To_Gotham_3.jpg
Batman fights Dracula, is turned into a vampire, becomes literal Batman.
http://oyster.ignimgs.com/wordpress/stg.ign.com/2014/04/6.jpeg
Elderly Batman comes out of retirement, murders Joker, Robin is female, is considered best Batman story of all time despite personal sociopathic tendencies of lunatic author.
https://ditto004.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/dark_knight_returns.jpg
Batman is Frankenstein; brings back father's corpse as monster. Corpse-monster turns into ludicrous giant bat-thing.
http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100608173429/marvel_dc/images/9/95/Batman_Castle_of_the_Bat_001.jpg
Batman meets fascist future lawman. Giggles ensue
http://www.strangekidsclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/dredd-batman.png
Batman hunts Predator with baseball bat in terrible 'bat-man' pun.
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff184/Lucean/Rumble/BatmanVsPredatorBook3-26.jpg
Batman is Adam West.
https://38.media.tumblr.com/43f80556c87b53f8e890737fff7ccac8/tumblr_nacsud9ywo1th9iiyo1_400.gif
Batman is an interesting character.
https://throughtwoblueeyes.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/batman_3_the_dark_knight_rises-1680x1050.jpg?w=676
Batman is a less interesting character than his more charismatic opponent.
http://www.audienceseverywhere.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/dark-knight-interrogation.jpeg

Bat-mite explains how Batman works:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=ci6EzCRM0AI

So here's the thing. Quite a few of us on BoLS don't like the deeply regressive, hypermasculine aspects of Warhammer 40,000. We love the game, but put simply? We'd like there to be more women and people of colour involved.

Elseworlds is the imprint DC uses for its 'alternative universe' stories - those that do not fit in the current canon, some of the more famous/ridiculous ones I've included above. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elseworlds) Batman isn't one character; he's whatever the writer wants him to be, an idea to hang an infinite number of entirely valid alternate narratives on.

I propose an Elseworlds 40K for those of us who are dissatisfied with things as they are.

It's basically 40K, but with a number of key differences:
1.) Half the Primarchs are female.
2.) A minimum of one third of the Primarchs are noticeably people of colour.
3.) Any other differences people propose to increase the diversity of Warhammer 40,000 as it currently exists.

That's basically it, because everything else is just painting your dudes in different skin tones, or using Statuesque Heroic Scale heads. No changes to story events, no changes to narrative history, nothing.

We just gender flip a few of the Primarchs, and some of their Consuls/lieutenants.

So the key question I propose is this: which Primarchs are female? Who do you shift and why? Also, who gets to play them in the inevitable 'Game of Thrones'-style HBO series this idea will inevitably generate?

The only ones that are definite for me are that Horus has to become female - entirely so Natalie Dormer plays her - and Lion El'Jonson stays male, because his doomed love story with Luther is the most tragic romance in all of 40K and we can't lose it. Otherwise, the floor is open.

N.B.: OBVIOUS DISCLAIMER THAT I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M WRITING BUT GOD KNOWS I'M GOING TO NEED IT GIVEN HOW THESE THINGS HAVE GONE SO FAR EACH AND EVERY TIME THEY'RE EVER MENTIONED. This is a hypothetical thought experiment. It takes nothing away from Warhammer 40,000. We're photocopying the background, not erasing it. We're not threatening anyone's hobbies or taking away anyone's toys. We're not changing canon - this is an alternative universe with its own canon that is essentially the same apart from better diversity. If you want to explain how Space Marines aren't female, it's worth remembering that sometimes Spock has a beard: the alternate universe is a key Trope throughout sci-fi. If you don't want to join in the fun, then don't. But you should, because Natalie Dormer in Terminator Armour is totally worth it.

Not to mention I've now got the image of Mallory Archer as Peturabo in my head, and I think that might be a good idea too.

http://24.media.tumblr.com/6a1b9133eb8175059a17f03698bbe5ba/tumblr_mpr65gY6sY1r7jx1ro1_500.gif

Nine Primarchs need genderflipping and all eighteen need actors. Not to mention The Emperor, Malcador the Sigilite, and every badass mentioned in those HH books. Remember: the aim is a 50:50 split - for every character you keep male, you have to flip one to female, and every third character needs to be of an ethnicity other than white.

[Kirsten]

my immediate thought is to flip some of the pairs, as it were. so where you have Dorn and Perturabo, one becomes female, same with Corax and Kurze, Angron and Russ.

I vote female Angron for starters.

[YorkNecromancer]

Is that not too obvious? They're already sort of paired up with the whole 'Chaos/Loyalist' thing.

Though female Kurze is cool as hell.

Also female Angron; get some Lucy Lawless up in that. Or Ronda Rousey. Who, yes, I have a terrible crush on at the moment.

[Kirsten]

I don't think it is too obvious, I think it makes sense personally.

Curze, Angron, Mortarion, Alpharius could possibly work.

Ferrus, Dorn, maybe the Khan...

[YorkNecromancer]

Okay. So: Kurze vs Corax - who flips and why? Dorn vs. Peturabo - who flips and why?

I'd go with flipping Kurze (because he's not an obvious choice, and as he is, he's kind of this generically dull Batman rip-off). That and Dorn, because then if Gulliman stays male, you've got your OTP.

As for actors, I call Natalia Tena for Kurze (she was terrifyingly spoggle-eyed in the 'Black Mirror' Xmas special). As for Dorn? My immediate thought would be Gwendoline Christie, but that's a little too obvious. You need someone who can radiate utterly inflexible authority at all times. Hmmm.

Cate Blanchett, assuming we haven't pegged her for The Emperor? Or Taraji P. Henson. She's amazing as an absolute moral figure/badass in 'Person of Interest'...

[Kirsten]

I can't really give you a why, it just seems to work for me. actresses are something I know nothing about really, so no idea there.

ethnicity, Vulkan and Khan are obviously none-white, some of the others could easily be as well if you think about their legion's location, even if they are not depicted as such. The Imperial Fists on Inwit for example, the Iron Warriors on Olympia could have a more Mediterranean look given the Greek leanings of the planet fluff. Prospero as well with the clear Middle Eastern vibe.

[YorkNecromancer]

Like the idea of Iron Warriors as Mediterranean; same should go for Blood Angels, what with Baal's climate.

Prospero natives have to be Arabian. Quite like the idea of making the Ultramarines of African descent, just because it's different. Not to mention, it establishes a precedent.

[Kirsten]

Prospero natives have to be Arabian.

that is what I said :p

African Ultramarines work, their Roman-esque influences can work for things like Carthage and later Roman occupation of North Africa as well. So Salamanders, White Scars, Thousand Sons, Ultramarines, Iron Warriors, we need one more for the ethnicity factor.

[YorkNecromancer]

Love the idea of Carthaginian Ultramarines; that one's genuinely perfect.

And I was agreeing with you when it came to Prospero, not claiming the idea for my own! :) *privately curses the interwebs lack of prosodic and paralinguistic features*

Maybe make the Dark Angels Asian-Chinese? Either that or maybe the Emperor's Children? You could play into a different kind of archetype - a more scholarly/artistic one, rather than the kung-fu cliche. I'm thinking of the calligraphy scenes from 'Hero'; that strikes me as a very Emperor's Children-ish art form.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icSwt4hUPTs

[Kirsten]

Well the Deathwing are Native American of course, so that works for them

[YorkNecromancer]

I'd forgotten that.

Yeah, works for me. So Native American Dark Angels, and Chinese Emperor's Children?

[Kirsten]

that might work

[Rev. Tiberius Jackhammer]

Not to mention I've now got the image of Mallory Archer as Peturabo in my head, and I think that might be a good idea too.

http://24.media.tumblr.com/6a1b9133eb8175059a17f03698bbe5ba/tumblr_mpr65gY6sY1r7jx1ro1_500.gifThis, this, all of this, please.

And I'd vote for Magnus not readily matching up with any gender.

[Kirsten]

good call, I really like the idea of a non-gendered Primarch

[Morgrim]

Hm. If a reasonable portion of the legions themselves are female, does that mean that at the very least Alpharius should look androgynous? Since they've all got to be able to mimic each other.

[Gotthammer]

It is a bit depressing that the wargaming equivalent of this


1920's Batman fights Cthulhu:

Batman fights Dracula, is turned into a vampire, becomes literal Batman.

Elderly Batman comes out of retirement, murders Joker, Robin is female, is considered best Batman story of all time despite personal sociopathic tendencies of lunatic author.

Batman is Frankenstein; brings back father's corpse as monster. Corpse-monster turns into ludicrous giant bat-thing.

Batman meets fascist future lawman. Giggles ensue

Batman hunts Predator with baseball bat in terrible 'bat-man' pun.

is "what if some people were female and not-white - possibly also have emotions besides shouting and scowling".

(not hating on the idea, just eyerolling at the boringness of wargaming)

[eldargal]

Yep, kind of turning off wargaming 'cos of it. It's like it's a decade behind comics and video games and when you're making comics and video games look progressive you're in trouble.

But I like this idea.:) No female Sanguinus though...

[YorkNecromancer]

just eyerolling at the boringness of wargaming

It's the fact you can legitimately and unironically refer to 40K as 'backwards' that depresses the piss out of me. :( Infinity, Warmachine, Malifaux, every other non-historical wargame are at least marginally better by having some diversity of gender and ethnicity. Yeah, some are a little more problematic than others, but 40K is the only one who stubbornly refuses to join the modern world.


If a reasonable portion of the legions themselves are female, does that mean that at the very least Alpharius should look androgynous? Since they've all got to be able to mimic each other.

So Alpharius played by David Bowie, Omegon played by Tilda Swinton?

Because you know that works...


No female Sanguinus though...

Absolutely not. No female Fulgrim, either.

Possibly a female Jaghatai Khan? And a female Ferrus Manus?

[eldargal]

Hehe Ms Manus. yes. Do it.:p also Jaghatai Khan.

Lucy Lui.

[Houghten]

my immediate thought is to flip some of the pairs, as it were. so where you have Dorn and Perturabo, one becomes female, same with Corax and Kurze, Angron and Russ.

I vote female Angron for starters.

Does everybody have a pair? Dorn and Perturabo are as obviously each others' counterparts as cheese and biscuits, likewise Ferrus and Fulgrim, but does Corax pair up with Kurze or Alpharius? Is Horus' counterpart Sanguinius, The Lion, Guilliman? Possibly we match Guilliman up with Lorgar instead (note: definitely keep Lorgar and Erebus as white males, to avoid any Unfortunate Implications). Why the hell is my mind trying to justify its subconscious pairing of Mortarion and Vulkan? (Speaking of Vulkan: female Vulkan. Smithing is very much a traditionally male profession, so turn that on its head.)


No female Sanguinus though...

I can't tell if you're saying "nobody has mentioned female Sanguinius yet" or "definitely no female Sangiunius please."

Because of Sanguinius' inherent sparkly prettiness, I'd say keep him as male. Hell, turn the bishie dial up to eleven, even. Make him the most effeminate-looking man who ever wore high-heeled power armour.

---

How do we go about working with the Alpha Legion, I wonder? Do we stick with the "they all look the same" idea of AL from the novels, or do we abandon it and diversify the Legion? Perhaps Alpharius never takes zir helmet off and nobody actually knows what ze looks like or identifies as?

[eldargal]

Don't make Sanguinius female. With the wings and the self sacrifice and the vampire thing it would become kind of tropey and icky. Making Sanguinus male but not stereotypically male would be nifty though.

[YorkNecromancer]

Sanguinius has to stay male; he's got that whole Renaissance-thing going on that, like EG says, does just become tropey as hell if he's female. Don't know about the high-heeled armour, but definitely he needs to be beautiful rather than handsome. He's a literal angel FFS!

Alpha Legion need to be completely androgyne; with their helmets off, they just look sort of... in-between. Which is perfect for infiltrators - all they need is the right outfit and they can pass as anyone of any gender. Make it so their geneseed is a little like Erskine's supersoldier formula in 'Captain America'; it amplifies what was already there in the Primarch. In Alpharius' case, the need for infiltration through all levels and strata of society (because that's what the Emperor designed zir for). So in this setting, the 'natural' gender for all Alpha Legion is basically trans/third sex, because it makes them better infiltrators.

They can literally be anyone.

Not to mention, we don't have a trans Primarch yet. This would give us one, and without actually changing the canon of what the Alpha Legion is or does. It does bring somewhat worrying implications of 'trans = evil', which would be the only problem I have with it... But the Alpha Legion in HH are quite explicitly said to be operating to their own agenda - even Horus doesn't know what they're really after. So we could potentially make the Alphas' mission one of infiltration - they're the Emperor's Severus Snape, designed ahead of time just in case Chaos managed to pervert any of his Primarchs, so they could infiltrate any rebellion that does happen, and undermine it from the inside when the time is right. They look bad, but they were Good All Along. Which actually has some interesting story opportunities and some interesting metaphors you could explore.

Not to mention, it gives you the opportunity to play 'Loyalist' or 'Chaos' Alphas in the modern era, something no other Legion gets, which would be cool as hell.

[Mr Mystery]

Night Haunter - defo female.

And yeah - defo Sanguinius still male. Srsly - nerds, and a female whose troops suffer from Blood Rage? The pointless drivel writes itself!

[Kirsten]

nerds, and a female whose troops suffer from Blood Rage? The pointless drivel writes itself!

yeah that was my thinking, you don't want a female primarch and an obvious blood affliction...

[Morgrim]

Hang on, I think we've got Lucy Lui playing two different primachs at the moment, don't we? Or am I getting confused?

Big thumbs up for Alpharius/Omegron being Bowie/Swinton. Image here (https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/15/b0/69/15b0694e50f49ba7dbef045bcced6dc3.jpg) for anyone that doesn't get the reference.

[Kirsten]

Lucy Lui doesn't have the right moustache to be the Khan

[Gotthammer]

Y'all mentioning ladies like Lucys both Liu and Lawless who are alright but get someone like Pauline Nordin (http://sabreblade.tumblr.com/post/43001842960/pauline-nordin-the-ultimate-personal-trainer-on), Rin Nakai (http://impossiblescentofpine.tumblr.com/post/111173253006/mesmermized-the-indomitable-rin-nakai-16-wins-1), Xin Li Cao (http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_T9FK7xegbbE/TQ55M8yD1VI/AAAAAAAAA9s/QQv6PFKaS5c/s1600/Xin+Li+Cao-01-bloggym.jpg), Tomoko Kanda (http://www.girlswithmuscle.com/images/full/482918.jpg) and of course Gina Carano (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-40iJ540O1NE/UEdxmJ0emPI/AAAAAAAAFDs/EbS0I69RIA0/s1600/gina_carano_ring_mma_fighting_combattimento_pugno. jpg).

[Mr Mystery]

Vulkan.....

Grace Jones.

Thus I win the thread.

[YorkNecromancer]

Grace Jones lacks the compassion and humility to be Vulkan. Angron? Sure; she's a completely credible Angron. But not Vulkan.

If we're gender-flipping Vulkan, it's got to be Taraji P. Henson. If not? Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje; the man can do everything from heartbreaking delicacy to absolute merciless warlord. Often in the same role.

http://www.hisstank.com/forum/attachments/g-i-joe-customs-finished-projects/155836d1422993868-simon-adebisi-hbos-oz-dolemite-simon-adebisi-.png

And while we're on the subject of former Oz actors, JK Simmons for Lorgar.

http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20121110134615/oztv/images/e/e8/Oz-wallpaper-schillinger-1600.jpg.

Although he's possibly a little too old now. Maybe Kor Phaeron? And to anyone who is thinking of him as Cave Johnson, J Jonah Jameson, the dad from Juno, or any of his charming comedy roles, I advise you: watch him in 'Oz' and watch how terrifying the man can be. He's the f***ing Devil incarnate in that series.

*shivers*

[Mr Mystery]

http://www2.pictures.zimbio.com/bg/Peter+Mensah+Spartacus+Blood+Sand+premiere+bd_lVr0 hhtGl.jpg

Vulkan. Duh/

[eldargal]

Idris Elba for emprah.

[YorkNecromancer]

Idris Elba for emprah.

Yes.

[Rev. Tiberius Jackhammer]

good call, I really like the idea of a non-gendered PrimarchWhen it comes to augmented super-soldiers, I'm fond of the idea of them not having a gender identity at all - how we interact with, accept, reject and mediate society's concept of gender in relation to ourselves is an enormous part of the human experience - cutting the super-soldiers off from that is a powerful thing. Still, I don't think this could be applied to 40k without rendering the Marines borderline unrecognizable (non-male Space Marines would be a pretty simple addition, though. Still hoping that happens in an official capacity).


How do we go about working with the Alpha Legion, I wonder? Do we stick with the "they all look the same" idea of AL from the novels, or do we abandon it and diversify the Legion? Perhaps Alpharius never takes zir helmet off and nobody actually knows what ze looks like or identifies as?
Alpha Legion need to be completely androgyne; with their helmets off, they just look sort of... in-between. Which is perfect for infiltrators - all they need is the right outfit and they can pass as anyone of any gender.Personally, I'd lean towards the Alpha Legion being a bit more mutable. In-canon, they've been referenced as performing cosmetic modifications and altering their heraldry frequently (the latter being how Forgeworld's reconciled the crazy variety of Alpha Legion colourschemes there've been).

Perhaps these Elseworld Alpha Legion take those concepts to 11 - their Melanchromic Implant isn't automatic, but instead can be consciously adjusted by the Marine, their Omophagea allows them to modify their genome through eating human flesh and their Larraman's + Ossmodula allows them to rapidly recover from extensive cosmetic surgery. They could quickly assume any physicality needed to achieve their goals. Maybe they even have some Callidus Assassin tech kicking around.

In terms of Primarchs, I suppose that suggestion would place Alpharius Omegon as genderfluid. Could be fun, to have an agendered Primarch (Magnus) to contrast with a genderfluid sibling(s) (Alpharius Omegon). (Admittedly, these aren't fantastic icons of *actual* cases nonbinary gender stuffs.)


Idris Elba for emprah.I'd lean towards an Emperor whose face is never visible, shrouded in blinding light/camera angles. A halfway between "face of God" and "never look at the monster". Still, Idris has a damn solid voice for the role.

[Morgrim]

Now I kind of want to shoehorn Christopher Lee in somewhere, because he is excellent at being the charming-sinister Voice. Maybe as one of the voices of the Fateweaver? Did Fateweaver appear in the Heresy?

[Gotthammer]

Look at all y'all talking like Idris Elba ain't already God-Emperor of mankind smh...

[YorkNecromancer]

When it comes to augmented super-soldiers, I'm fond of the idea of them not having a gender identity at all - how we interact with, accept, reject and mediate society's concept of gender in relation to ourselves is an enormous part of the human experience - cutting the super-soldiers off from that is a powerful thing.

It's a lovely idea, but in practice, I think it would just end up with them being male, because as we all know, male is the default in fiction. :( Better to have gender specifically represented, including the idea of gender along a spectrum. I really like the idea of Magnus as agendered, and having Alpharius and Omegon as genderfluid is a bit of a masterstroke.

The idea that once you become Alpha Legion, you become genderfluid too (because of the genetic upgrades) is a very nice idea.


I'd lean towards an Emperor whose face is never visible, shrouded in blinding light/camera angles. A halfway between "face of God" and "never look at the monster". Still, Idris has a damn solid voice for the role.

I think the Emperor has to be a man, and just a man at that. The more mundane he is, the more you make the point that the Imperial Creed is basically nonsense, and the whole 'He's a god' is just so much propaganda, which I think is a really important part of the fluff. Sure, he becomes a god - but only because 10,000 years of worship basically create one in the warp; the actual Emperor was just a guy, and an arrogant, foolish one at that.

Bit like Candyman: he exists not as a man, but as story.


Now I kind of want to shoehorn Christopher Lee in somewhere, because he is excellent at being the charming-sinister Voice. Maybe as one of the voices of the Fateweaver?

Surely Christopher Lee gets both Fateweaver and Malcador the Sigilite's roles? Just to leave the audience wondering?

[Houghten]

Christoper Lee would make an excellent Malcador, but then we'd have him and the Emperor both male. How about Judi Dench?

Lee can be Iacton Qruze.

[YorkNecromancer]

Judi Dench is way too obvious; she's the default 'elderly leader woman' ever since being cast as M.

If we're doing a female Malcador, how about Michelle Fairley? Or perhaps Tara Fitzgerald? Kristin Scott-Thomas would be a good call as well.

[Kirsten]

Idris Elba is clearly Gulliman. Morgan Freeman for God Emperor, seeing as he is already god. Kate Beckinsale as Conradina Kurze. Michael Caine as Malcador. Michael Clarke Duncan as Vulkan, because he would have been perfect for the role. Milla Jovovich needs to be in there somewhere.

[YorkNecromancer]

Morgan Freeman better as villain than hero; he should be Kor Phareron, or some other malignant character.

Kate Beckinsale and Milla Jovovich come nowhere near this. I've never seen either of them turn in anything remotely resembling a convincing performance. Granted, Jovovich was good in 'The Fifth Element', but she's normally terrible. Her acting consists entirely of Kubrick Stares when she's being badass, or a quivery bottom lip and stammering when she's trying to emote. She'd need to be amazing in the audition to convince me otherwise. And if she's going to be anything, it's Ollianus Pius: she can show up, die for the Emperor, do her lip quiver thing, and we don't need anything more from her.

Kate Beckinsale is just dreadful. Now, again, that could be because the roles she's taken are no good and the directors she's worked for are workmanlike at best, but I've never even seen her emote. She's just kind of pretty and dressed in rubber. Which is fine if we're making sex films, but honestly, I want the Night haunter to terrify me, not just stare blankly into the distance like a block of wood dreaming of when it used to be a tree.

Now Clare Kramer would be a good Kurze; she was excellent as Glory in season 5 of Buffy.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/e82af32c8b3c04093ff3e45eadd84313/tumblr_mtc9m2oHZJ1qdqqiao2_r1_250.gif
http://24.media.tumblr.com/53f0f31e7f896f41968b54755a89a9bb/tumblr_mtc9m2oHZJ1qdqqiao3_r1_250.gif

Is Michael Caine not a little too Gor-bleedin'-blimey-guvnor Cockney for someone like Malcador?

[Kirsten]

how dare you.

how very dare you.

go sit in the corner and think about what you have done.

[YorkNecromancer]

What?

What did I say?

I'm not really a fan of Morgan Freeman's. He's done some good films, but mostly I think his status is memetic as opposed to based on quality. he just sort of plays the same character every time. Which, you know, is fine if you like that. I thought he was great in 'The Shawshank Redemption', as well as (bizarrely, because it was a terrible film) 'Wanted', not to mention he was superb in 'The Lego Movie' and seems like a genuinely cool guy. But he's not someone I'd call a great actor. A movie star, sure, but not an actor.

And I stand by everything I've said about Jovovich and Beckinsale. If I want a convincing badass who can act as well, I'll go for Tricia Helfer, Katee Sackhoff, Alyson Hannigan, Amber Benson, Anna Torv, Jennifer Lawrence, Sigourney Weaver, Linda Hamilton, Zhang Ziyi, Maggie Cheung, Zoe Saldana, Michelle Rodriguez, or Karen Gillan over either of those two no-hopers.

Also, just realised Lance Reddick hasn't been cast yet. We have to have Lance Reddick.

[eldargal]

Ooh Amber Benson needs to be given a role.

[Rev. Tiberius Jackhammer]

I've thrown together all suggestions into a table for comparison's sake (well, couldn't really work in non-specific casting). Sorry if I missed anyone's suggestions!


Legion
Primarch
Gender
Casting
Legion Details


Dark Angels
Lion El'Jonson
Male

Native American, Chinese?


II






Emperor's Children
Fulgrim


Chinese


Iron Warriors
Perturabo
Female
Mallory Archer/Jessica Walter
Mediterranean


White Scars
Jaghatai Khan
Female?
Lucy Lui
Central Asian


Space Wolves
Leman Russ


Norse


Imperial Fists
Rogal Dorn
Female?
Gwendoline Christie, Cate Blanchett, Taraji Henson



Night Lords
Konrad Curze
Female
Natalia Tena, Kate Beckinsale, Clare Kramer
Conradine: feminine form of Conrad.


Blood Angels
Sanguinius
Male

Renaissance


Iron Hands
Ferrus Manus
Female?




XI






World Eaters
Angron
Female?
Lucy Lawless, Ronda Rousey



Ultramarines
Roboute Gilliman
Male?
Idris Elba
Roman/North African


Death Guard
Mortarion





Thousand Sons
Magnus the Red
Agendered

Arabic


Horus Lupercal
Luna Wolves/Sons of Horus





Word Bearers
Lorgar Aurelian
Male?
JK Simmons



Salamanders
Vulkan
Female?
Grace Jones,, Taraji Henson, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Peter Mensah, Michael Clarke Duncan
"Black"


Raven Guard
Corvus Corax





Alpha Legion
Alpharius Omegon
Androgynous, or genderfluid?
Bowie, Swinton
Legionnaires similar to/as mutable as Primarchs.



Malcador

Christopher Lee, Judi Dench, Michelle Fairley, Tara Fitzgerald, Kristin Scott-Thomas, Michael Caine




Emperor

Idris Elba, Morgan Freeman




(note: definitely keep Lorgar and Erebus as white males, to avoid any Unfortunate Implications).Usually a valid concern, but we might have a wide enough cast to get around that. Unfortunate Implications is more of a "we have one black guy, and he's the antichrist" kinda problem.
(Speaking of Vulkan: female Vulkan. Smithing is very much a traditionally male profession, so turn that on its head.)Like it, gives a pretty fun Transformers: Solus Prime vibe, too.

It's a lovely idea, but in practice, I think it would just end up with them being male, because as we all know, male is the default in fiction. :( Better to have gender specifically represented, including the idea of gender along a spectrum.Definitely agree, the idea wouldn't settle well in 40k. It'd need to be in a setting with very modified super-soldiers who fight alongside unmodified men and women.

The idea that once you become Alpha Legion, you become genderfluid too (because of the genetic upgrades) is a very nice idea.Not sure if I'd go with that angle - some Alphas might, but others would likely have a preferred identity. Having it be "the genderfluid Legion" could feel disappointingly samey in the same way a good chunk of canon Imperial Fists feel interchangeable.

I'm not really a fan of Morgan Freeman's. He's done some good films,Agreed - he's too cemented as being "a Morgan Freeman character". There are a lot of settings where that character can work very well, but I don't think the 40kverse is one of them.

[YorkNecromancer]

Like your name suggests, you're doing The Lord's work there, Reverend. :)

[Rev. Tiberius Jackhammer]

Like your name suggests, you're doing The Lord's work there, Reverend. :):P I can't take credit for any of the suggestions, all collected from this thread's posters. I don't have any casting ideas; whenever I try to picture an existing actor as a Space Marine they get so bogged down under prosthetics/physical effects that I can't see much of the actor.

[Mr Mystery]

Natalie Dormer for Russ.

1) She is sweetly pretty
2) she has a distinct 'you're all going to die, and I've already worked out precisely how I'm going to do it. Then after, I'm going to have a little drinkie' smirk, which I find adawbs.

[Houghten]

Would you be able to see the smirk through all that beard, though?

Man or woman, I can't picture Leman Russ without a great big bushy beard.

[Mr Mystery]

No beard :p

[Kirsten]

Speaking of big bushy beards, Brian Blessed for Emperor.

[Houghten]

*mentally retitles the HH book "Vulkan lives" to "VULKAN'S ALIVE!"*

[YorkNecromancer]

Brian Blessed for Emperor.

He is good in the role...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu2MXqlDcEs

If he can turn in one of his 'calm' performances, he's probably an excellent choice, actually.

[Kirsten]

Calm? Nobody wants a calm Brian

Mads Mikklesen for Leman Russ

[Kirsten]

Also remember that all big fantasy/sci fi productions must by law include Karl Urban, Sean Bean, and Sirs Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen.

I will also accept either Angela Landsbury or Maggie Smith as Malcador, no others.

Summer Glau for Night Haunter

[Mr Mystery]

Sean Bean - Ferrus Manus

Do I need to explain why?

- - - Updated - - -

As for Malcador....

http://ts2.mm.bing.net/th?id=HN.607998057694365522&pid=1.7p

There's a lot, lot more to her than Dot Cotton.

Yes, I am be srs.

[Morgrim]

Sean Bean - Ferrus Manus

Do I need to explain why?
Dunno, part of me wants him to play an Imperial Guard captain or similar character that is highly ranked enough to talk to the main characters, just low enough to plausibly not be a 'proper' named character in the HH books, to talk about his plans for the future once the Imperium is united...

...and then live. Preferably after doing something that even the space marines are a little surprised he survived. Just to mess with people's expectations. Set him up so that future imperial guard can have a shrine to the patron saint of lucky escapes.

[YorkNecromancer]

June Brown was one of very few things that was great about the BBC adaption of 'Gormenghast' back in the tail end of the nineties. She's got my vote as a potential female Malcador. It's an inspired bit of casting, actually.

As for Sean Bean, he's really got to be Imperial Army. He's too down-to-Earth to be A Primarch. Cast him as the forerunner of Creed, or Solar Macharius. Or maybe Kyr Vhalen.

As for Mads Mikklesen. Yes. All the yes. Frankly, that man can play whatever Primarch he wants. The man's amazing.

[Kirsten]

As for Mads Mikklesen. Yes. All the yes. Frankly, that man can play whatever Primarch he wants. The man's amazing.

yes he is.

Also, I vote Mark Heap, Kevin Eldon, and Bill Bailey for Lords of Terra

Michelle Yeoh as Jaghatai Khan

[YorkNecromancer]

Your vision of the Heresy skews less 'HBO' and more 'Flash Gordon', doesn't it? :)

[Kirsten]

Your vision of the Heresy skews less 'HBO' and more 'Flash Gordon', doesn't it? :)

Flash Gordon via Black Books and Jam

on which note I would enjoy either Dylan Moran or Chris Morris as the Emperor too.