Apple TV+ have announced yet another high profile series. This one is Metropolis, inspired by the seminal 1927 sci-fi film by Fritz Lang and coming from Sam Esmail, who created Mr. Robot.
Lang’s film presents a futuristic dystopia where inequality leads to the creation of two separated classes in the titular megalopolis. Living on the top of skyscrapers are the politicians and wealthy industrialists who rule Metropolis, while the workers dwell on the ground while turning the wheels of the machines that keep the city alive.
The story revolves around the son of the city’s master, who joins a leader of the workers while trying to bridge the differences between the two classes and build a better future for everyone. Lang directed the film from a script written by his wife Thea von Harbou, the author of an original novel of the same name.
While the movie garnered average reviews at first, it has since gone on to become a classic and is widely considered one of the first great films of the sound era. Its themes of inequality and class divide, social-political discussions, and the unique futuristic aesthetic remain strong today.
Considering how the film has retained its relevance despite being 95 years old, a contemporary update makes sense. And there might be no better choice than Esmail, who proved with Mr. Robot that he can tackle complex ethical questions about human bounds, work relationships, and modern consumerism while keeping a show accessible for everyone.
Esmail will write and direct the series in its entirety, while also serving as showrunner. So this is very much his baby. The show will be produced by UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group.
There’s no other word on the project right now, including casting, but any actor would want a role in what’s likely to be a big-budget sci-fi epic asking tough questions and drawing in plenty of viewers. Apple will be crossing their fingers that this can be their Westworld, or better.
We might have to wait a while until Metropolis hits Apple though, as Esmail is currently working on a few projects.
He’s producing Gaslit, an upcoming series about the Watergate scandal which stars Julia Roberts and Sean Penn, while he’s also set to direct a film adaptation of Rumaan Alam‘s novel Leave The World Behind for Netflix, which has Ethan Hawke attached to star.
No doubt there will be plenty of news to come regarding Esmail’s Metropolis as it goes through pre-production.
#Peace.Love.Metropolis
