Metropolis TV Series From Mr Robot Creator Scrapped Amid Writers Strike Limbo

Many folks might not be fully cognizant of the continuing Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike and the impact it has already had on the film and television industry. Rest assured, this is not an accident; it is by design.

The WGA spent several weeks negotiating with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) prior to striking. The complete list of proposals is available publicly, but it boils down to better compensating writers for their work; regulating AI to ensure it isn't used to devalue and exploit the work of writers; improved transparency when it comes to streaming viewership; and doing away with "mini-rooms" and similarly harmful labor practices that allow studios to take advantage of writers. 

Far from entering these negotiations in good faith, the AMPTP spent the lead-up to the strike amassing a "strike-proof" slate that will allow them to wait out the strike for the rest of 2023, if necessary. It was also the studios that severely low-balled the WGA to begin with, offering them about one-fifth of what was asked for in terms of annual financial compensation. On top of all that, the studios flat-out ignored the WGA's requests to regulate AI, and instead offered to hold "annual meetings" to discuss the matter. 

Currently, the ball is in the AMPTP's court. Since the previous contract has expired, the WGA cannot hold a vote to end the strike until it has a new deal to present its members. It's the studios, in other words, that are to blame for your favorite shows and movies halting production as the strike progresses. The studios are also the real reason why Sam Esmail's ambitious TV series "Metropolis" is no longer happening.

"Metropolis," a new re-imagining of director Fritz Lang's 1927 silent film classic that was itself based on the 1925 novel of the same name by Thea von Harbou (who also wrote Lang's film), was a passion project for Sam Esmail. The "Mr. Robot" creator had been teasing the series for years prior to its official announcement in 2022 when it was picked up for streaming on Apple TV+, with Universal Content Productions (UCP) producing. "Push costs and uncertainty related to the ongoing strike led to this difficult decision," a representative for UCP told Deadline.

The irony of UCP blaming the writers' strike for Esmail's "Metropolis" being canceled shouldn't be lost on anyone. Writing about Lang's film for /Film's Top 100 Movies Of All Time, Witney Seibold noted, "The frustrating thing about Fritz Lang's 1927 sci-fi epic is that it always remains so relevant." Taking place in the titular futuristic dystopian city, the film centers on the fight for fair treatment among the city's exploited lower-class, who toil away endlessly in boiler rooms underground, maintaining the machines that keep the city running and serving their corporate overlords. Enter Maria (Brigitte Helm), the human would-be revolutionary who is replaced by a perfect robotic replica designed to discourage the city's workers from unifying and rising up in protest.

"Lang was very keen to delve into the fineries of class warfare but, more importantly, into the way the working classes are manipulated by 'savior' figures into voting against their own interests," Witney observed. Given the parallels between "Metropolis" and the way the AMPTP is controlling the narrative around the WGA strike (not to mention the studios' interest in using AI to further exploit artists), the story of this show getting scrapped is an adaptation in its own right.