Briana Middleton to lead the Apple series adaptation of “Metropolis,” the iconic 1927 Fritz Lang sci-fi film. The series was officially greenlit by the streamer in March 2022 and will be written, directed, and executive produced by Sam Esmail. He is doing the series with and UCP where he is under an overall deal. Lindy Booth will also star opposite Middleton.
Little is known about the plot of the series but Middleton will star as Finnie Polito, a new character, as the TV adaptation tells a new story.
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The original film takes place in a futuristic city of Metropolis where the wealthy citizens enjoy an indulgent lifestyle while the workers toil away in dangerous conditions to keep the city running. The story follows Freder, the son of the city’s ruler, as he falls in love with a working-class woman and begins to uncover the dark secrets of the city’s power structure.
Booth will play Maria, one of the lead characters from the original movie. In the movie Maria is a saintly figure to the workers, to overcome the vast gulf separating the classes in their city and bring the workers together with the city master.
The project is produced by Universal Content Productions (UCP), with Esmail currently under an overall deal at the studio. The series is set to be a creative and visually stunning adaptation of the silent film classic that will transport audiences into a world unlike any other. Further casting details for “Metropolis” have yet to be announced.
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The 1927 film, which explores themes of social inequality, oppression, and the dangers of technology, was a landmark in science fiction and German expressionist cinema. The film’s stunning visual effects and set design were ahead of their time, and its portrayal of a dystopian society has influenced countless science fiction stories and films in the decades since its release. In recent years, there have been several attempts to adapt “Metropolis” for contemporary audiences, including a 2001 anime version and a 2010 feature film by Osamu Tezuka.
With exact plot details of the series being kept under wraps, it remains to be seen how Esmail will update and reinterpret the themes and characters of the original film for a modern audience.