of Sam Esmail (mr robot) big budget sci-fi series Metropolisbased on the 1927 Fritz Lang film of the same name, was abandoned amid the ongoing writers’ strike and rising production costs.
As reported deadline, the ambitious Apple TV+ series that was in the works in Australia, has been shut down for good, with the team informed that the project will not go forward. Production was slated to begin this summer.
“The push costs and the uncertainty of the ongoing strike have led to this difficult decision,” said a representative of UCP, the production studio behind the series. deadline.
Briana Middleton (The Tender Bar) was to host the series, with Lindy Booth (LIBRARI-) was also tapped for a major role. Based on the 1925 novel and screenplay by Thea von Harbou, Metropolis is set in a futuristic dystopian society, where Freder, the privileged son of a city master, and Maria, a rebellious teacher, fight to overcome the city’s huge class divide and bring the workers together.
Due to its wide scope and heavy use of special effects, the series was expected to raise a significant budget. This was made worse because production drafts of the scripts were not yet finished before the writers’ strike began, which delayed setting budgets and other crucial parts of pre-production.
The series was to be filmed in Australia’s state of Victoria, where it was projected to create nearly 4,000 jobs, according to the data. deadline. But the decision was made to abandon the project due to rising costs related to delaying production, building and running expansive stages, and intensive labor and visual effects work.
Esmail, who is best known as the creator, writer and director of the award-winning series mr robothad worked at Metropolis for over seven years. He was expected to write, direct and executive produce the eight-episode series, which was picked up by Apple TV+ last year.