'Metropolis' TV series canceled amid writers strike and budget concerns

Sam Esmail's highly anticipated adaptation of Fritz Lang's iconic 1927 sci-fi film Metropolis has fallen victim to the growing uncertainty in Hollywood amid WGA strike.

The anticipated UCP series, originally slated for Apple TV+ and undergoing preparations in Australia, has now been permanently canceled. The dedicated crew recently received the disappointing news that the project, which was scheduled to begin production in the summer, will no longer move forward.

UCP, the studio behind Metropolis, confirmed the decision to scrap the series, stating, "Push costs and uncertainty related to the ongoing strike led to this difficult decision." The studio representative expressed the financial strain and unpredictability associated with the labor dispute as key factors in the cancellation.

Metropolis had been in a state of limbo for the past seven weeks. The delay in completing production scripts before the writers strike began on May 2 hindered the budgeting process and other crucial aspects of pre-production for the visually stunning and effects-driven series.