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In sad news, it's being reported that Sam Esmail's adaptation of Metropolis has been canceled by Apple TV+.
Deadline initially reported the news of the cancellation; calling it “one of the highest-profile casualties of the growing uncertainty in Hollywood driven by labor unrest against the background of economic headwinds.”
The report also includes that the Metropolis adaptation was prepping for production in Australia and that the crew has just been notified that the project is being canceled. Briana Middleton was set to lead the series and Lindy Booth had been cast in a “major role.” It was targeting a summer start for cameras to begin rolling. A representative from Universal Content Productions (UCP) confirmed this report to Deadline, saying, “Push costs and uncertainty related to the ongoing strike led to this difficult decision.”
It's a shame as the Metropolis-Apple TV+ production was projected to create around 4,000 jobs for industry workers.
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This report apparently shouldn't be all that surprising as Deadline noted that Metropolis has been in limbo for nearly two months. Production drafts of the scripts hadn't been finished before the WGA writers' strike started on May 2 which in turn delayed budget-setting and other parts of the pre-production process.
Metropolis is a 1927 film by Fritz Lang and an adaptation of Thea von Harbou's 1925 novel of the same name. The silent film is a staple of any film class as it's one of the first sci-fi films ever.
Sam Esmail, who had been working on getting the Metropolis adaptation off the ground for years, first gained widespread notoriety for creating, directing, and acting in Mr. Robot. He has since directed episodes of Homecoming and is currently filming a film called Leave the World Behind with Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, and Kevin Bacon.
