Blame the WGA Strike or the fact that the idea was wonky from the jump, but Metropolis is no longer becoming a series.
Hailing from creator Sam Esmail, the mind behind Mr. Robot, Metropolis was set to be the filmmaker’s passion project. It would’ve been a direct adaptation of Fritz Lang’s classic 1927 sci-fi film Metropolis. Deadline reports the “ambitious project will not move forward with production, which had been targeting a summer start.”
Little was known about the project. Briana Middleton & Lindy Booth were the only actors attached to star as casting was still underway. The filming was to take place in Victoria, Australia, with UCP producing and Australia’s VicScreen attracted to the series.
A UCP rep confirmed the news: “Push costs and uncertainty related to the ongoing strike led to this difficult decision.”
Metropolis is a 1927 German expressionist science-fiction film directed by Fritz Lang and written by Thea von Harbou in collaboration with Lang. The film follows the attempts of Freder, the wealthy son of the city master, and Maria, a saintly figure to the workers, to overcome the vast gulf separating the classes in their city and bring the workers together with Joh Fredersen, the city master.
Many recognize the film for the iconic robot known as Maschinenmensch. The gold-plated figure has become a staple in film history and was just a small example of the film’s lavish production design.
In an attempt to capture the right tone and style, Deadline notes Esmail was working on Metropolis for more than seven years.
