'Metropolis' TV series canceled amid writers strike and rising costs

Sam Esmail's long-awaited adaptation of Fritz Lang's iconic 1927 sci-fi film Metropolis has fallen victim to the increasing uncertainty in Hollywood, fueled by labor unrest and economic challenges.

The high-budget UCP series, slated for release on Apple TV+, had been in preparations in Australia but has now been permanently halted. The dedicated crew received the disappointing news that the ambitious project would no longer move forward with production, despite originally aiming for a summer start.

UCP, the studio behind the series, confirmed the cancellation of Metropolis, citing the mounting costs and uncertainties resulting from the ongoing strike as the primary reasons for this difficult decision, as stated by a studio representative.

Metropolis had been in a state of limbo for the past seven weeks. Due to the writers' strike commencing on May 2, production scripts for the extensive and visually stunning series were not yet finalized. Consequently, this delay prevented the establishment of budgets and other crucial aspects of pre-production.