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Rising costs and a writers’ strike in the US have led to Universal Studios cancelling Metropolis, an eight-part science-fiction series that was among the biggest productions ever planned for Victoria and poised to inject $188 million into the local economy.
The production, which was to be streamed on Apple+, was announced early last year and had been in pre-production in Melbourne when the axe fell.
The Victorian Government’s creative development agency VicScreen has confirmed that the congoing uncertainty of the US writers’ strike had weighed on the viability of the project.
The Writers Guild of America, representing 11,500 writers, has been at loggerheads since April with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the nine largest studios in the US, over the residuals they receive from streaming services which they say have cut their average incomes over the past decade.
However, rising costs have also been flagged as a reason for the cancellation of Metropolis, which is inspired by Fritz Lang’s 1927 silent film, a cult science fiction classic of the same name.
“It is unfortunate NBCUniversal’s Universal Studio Group has announced that that the production of Metropolis will no longer be going ahead,” a representative from VicScreen says.
“While the withdrawal of any production is disappointing, Victoria’s partnership with NBCU (NBCUniversal) remains in place with a significant estimated expenditure to be delivered over the coming years.”
The eight-part series was expected to create 3,980 local jobs, including 500 Victorian cast and crew and over 2,400 extras, while an estimated 600 Victorian businesses and service providers were expected to benefit from the production.
Business News Australia has sought comment from VicScreen on whether other productions could be affected by the writers’ strike or cost blowouts.
However, the agency says Victoria has a ‘healthy pipeline of film and television projects slated for production’.
“To date there are 12 productions set to film in Victoria for the remainder of 2023. These projects are expected to provide invaluable work opportunities for Victorian screen practitioners and businesses.”
Metropolis was to be filmed at Docklands Studios Melbourne with the series written and directed by Sam Esmail, the American creator, writer and director of the award-winning television series Mr. Robot, starring Rami Malek.
Fritz Lang’s original silent film was one of the most expensive films of its time, produced in buoyant times ahead of the 1929 stock market crash, with the visual effects used by the director adding to the cost of production.
When the proposed Metropolis series was announced in April last year, it was touted as one of the most technically ambitious screen productions in the world.
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