"Mr. Robot" creator
Sam Esmail will write and direct a TV adaptation of
Fritz Lang's classic 1927 sci-fi film
"Metropolis" for Apple TV+. The streamer has handed a series order to the project.
The original silent film, which was written by
Thea Von Harbou based on her 1925 novel of the same name, is set in a futuristic dystopian world ruled by a wealthy elite, who live in the towering skyscrapers of Metropolis, while workers toil underground. The film was remarkable for its pioneering visual effects, elaborate set designs and expressionist filmmaking style.
"Metropolis" has been named the 35th greatest film of all time by the British Film Institute.
Plot details for the show are being kept under wraps, but Esmail will write and direct every episode. The project has been a long time in the making. Esmail first started developing it with UCP and Anonymous Content in 2016, and last year the writer/director said that he was working on the pilot script.
Esmail is also executive producing Starz's
"Gaslit" and Peacock's
"Angelyne" and
"The Resort". He is developing a
"Battlestar Galactica" reboot for Peacock, and the alternate history drama
"The American Throne" at UCP. He is also currently writing and directing the Netflix feature film
"Leave the World Behind" starring
Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali and
Ethan Hawke.
