Apple TV+ secures series adaptation of 1927 film 'Metropolis'

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited March 2022
An adaptation of the 1927 classic sci-fi film "Metropolis" is heading to Apple TV+, with a series order placed for the retelling of the story by Sam Esmail.




The show is written and directed by Esmail, known for producing shows including "Mr. Robot" and "Gaslit." Esmail will also be the showrunner and an executive producer under Esmail Corp alongside Chad Hamilton, as part of a content deal with UCP.

The show was originally being developed between USP and Anonymous Content with Esmail onboard as early as 2016, reports Deadline. In 2021, Esmail let on that he was working on a pilot script.

"Metropolis," originally directed by Fritz Lang and written by Thea von Harbou, is based on the novel of the same name, also written by Harbou. The silent film, made in Germany, was considered a pioneering film, with it being referenced in many areas, including Queen's music video for "Radio Ga Ga."

Though the film was initially panned and suffered from numerous cuts in length, it has become iconic as one of the first sci-fi feature films to be produced. It is considered one of the world's most influential films, and is inscribed in UNESCO's Memory of the World Register.

The film follows Freder, the son of a powerful man in a city, one which features a gigantic class divide where workers keep a city running for the comfort of elites. Freder meets worker Maria, and the two attempt to bring the workers together with the city master, Freder's father.

There is no known timeframe for when the show will enter production and reach Apple TV+, but the original film is available to rent and buy on iTunes.

Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 14
    toestortoestor Posts: 1member
    The film was not just a "sci-fi" film. It contains major sociopolitical criticism. It will be interesting to see how (much of) this might be made relevant for today's context.
    auxio12Strangersentropysjony0
  • Reply 2 of 14
    gweedogweedo Posts: 5member
    I have little confidence in this trend to attempt to turn classics into shows given what they did to Foundation.
    williamlondonllama
  • Reply 3 of 14
    mattinozmattinoz Posts: 2,299member
    Oh, sweet production tech is at a point this could be done visually amazing and still essentially black and white. There is certainly a bigger story that could be told. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 14
    ppietrappietra Posts: 288member
    gweedo said:
    I have little confidence in this trend to attempt to turn classics into shows given what they did to Foundation.
    yeah! Foundation was extremely disappointing... For all mankind is 100 times better 
    williamlondonRudeBoyRudyllama
  • Reply 5 of 14
    JWSCJWSC Posts: 1,203member
    If the original was a pioneering film, I would expect nothing less for this remake.  No pressure Apple.  ;)
    foregoneconclusion12Strangerslolliverwatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 14
    JWSC said:
    If the original was a pioneering film, I would expect nothing less for this remake.  No pressure Apple.  ;)
    Yeah, it takes some chutzpah to want to remake Metropolis. That said, it's certainly going to be interesting to see how they approach it. 
    seanjlolliverwatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 14
    Foundation is awesome! I think they did a phenomenal job with it.
    Metropolis… to think this movie was made in 1927 is mindboggling. The visuals and the storytelling are stunning and remarkably ahead of their time by decades. A work of true genius.
    12Strangerswilliamlondonmknelsonravnorodomronnseanjllamalolliverzoetmbwatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 14
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    I can't begin to understand why anyone would think this is a good idea.
    edited March 2022
  • Reply 9 of 14
    crowley said:
    I can't begin to understand why anyone would thing this is a good idea.
    LOL
  • Reply 10 of 14
    seanjseanj Posts: 318member
    And it gave the world the first hot female robot  ;)
    llamawatto_cobrajony0
  • Reply 11 of 14
    DAalsethDAalseth Posts: 2,783member
    I have no problem with them remaking Metropolis. 
    I have a problem taking what is a very good movie and trying to make a series out of it. I've seen too many good ideas that were spoiled by taking what was a couple or three hours of material and spreading it over nine or ten. It's like they didn't learn the lesson from The Hobbit. 
    edited March 2022 williamlondonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 14
    entropysentropys Posts: 4,152member
    toestor said:
    The film was not just a "sci-fi" film. It contains major sociopolitical criticism. It will be interesting to see how (much of) this might be made relevant for today's context.
    More likely it will do what Amazon did to Venezuela in the second series of Jack Ryan.  
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 14
    sunman42sunman42 Posts: 262member
    Too bad Brigitte Helm isn’t available.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 14
    chasmchasm Posts: 3,275member
    A. I thought Foundation was pretty good, but we’re barely 1/3rd of the first book …

    B. I’m very intrigued by the notion of a Metropolis series. The original had way too many cool/important ideas crammed into it (which is why large chunks of it were only restored in the last decade — it kept getting cut to be simpler for audiences to grasp).
    williamlondonwatto_cobrajony0
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