As a seasoned movie critic with over two decades of experience under my belt, I must say that the cancellation of the Metropolis series leaves me feeling like Clark Kent without his super suit – disappointed and a bit bewildered.
The team behind Gotham shared insights into their abandoned plans for a Metropolis series and the reasons for its cancellation. Following the success of their DC series centered around Batman’s villains, producers John Stephens and Danny Cannon were working on a new show conceptually similar. This proposed series would delve into the city known for its association with Superman before his appearance, focusing instead on Lois Lane and Lex Luthor. DC publicly announced this project in January 2018, but ultimately decided to terminate it by 2019.
In an oral history with IGN to mark the 10th anniversary of Gotham’s debut, Stephens shared the vision they had for Metropolis, but remains uncertain as to why Warner Bros. decided to cancel the series prior to its launch.
Throughout the pilot, Lois and Lex took center stage as the primary characters. The creative mind behind this project, Geoff Johns, had some fascinating concepts for how Lex’s character could evolve in a manner reminiscent of “Breaking Bad”. This idea was truly captivating to me. I eagerly anticipated bringing that style to life… It’s got a blend of pulp and comic elements, yet maintains a gritty, adult-oriented realism. I was thrilled about crafting this vision of Metropolis. In truth, I hoped we could realize it at the end of our journey together. To be honest, even after all these years, I’m still unsure as to why Warner Brothers decided to halt production.
In their discussion, the creators of the “Gotham” show provided several reasons as to why the program failed to take flight. These ranged from Warner Bros. having reservations about a Superman series without Krypton, to the high cost associated with the production. You can find their comments below.
Danny Cannon: “Metropolis wasn’t chosen because we kept emphasizing that Gotham functions without Batman. The essence of Batman shapes the world he inhabits, correct? Metropolis, devoid of Superman, is not just a city; it embodies the characters like Lois Lane pursuing journalism and Lex Luthor, a potentially brilliant yet mad individual. It’s an intriguing setup, but once we declared ‘no Superman,’ it felt less appealing.
John Stephens stated: “Superman’s series was about to debut [on the DC Universe streaming service]. They were planning to commission it directly for a series, and at some stage, they had to write a check worth $120 million for ten episodes of the show. It seems they became hesitant. This wasn’t just a pilot episode, and another party was taking on the pilot costs. Since they weren’t selling it to Fox and having Fox cover the expenses, this time they would be responsible for the full cost. Now, obviously, they have their own platform and are accustomed to it. However, at that moment, their platform hadn’t been established yet.
The Fate of Metropolis & Other Canceled DC Shows
The series titled “Metropolis” was publicly unveiled on January 30, 2018. The central theme revolved around the transformation of Lois Lane into a prominent journalist for the Daily Planet and Lex Luthor’s emergence as the notorious mastermind villain (and Superman’s arch-nemesis). Unlike “Gotham”, which aired on Fox, “Metropolis” was intended to be one of the headline shows for the DC Universe streaming platform. At that time, they were already developing “Titans”, followed by announcements for “Doom Patrol” and “Swamp Thing”. Initially slated for release on the DC Universe app in 2019, it was later reported in April (the same month “Gotham” concluded its run) that “Metropolis” had been cancelled.
Although some may find it reminiscent of Smallville, having portrayed a young Lois Lane and Lex Luthor, HBO’s new series The Penguin is innovatively revisiting the concept of depicting Batman’s famous villains ascending to power, similar to how Gotham once did. However, it’s doing so in a unique manner, demonstrating the adaptability of these characters and their tales. T Man of Steel by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo, and Lois Lane: Enemy of the People by Greg Rucka and Mike Perkins have delved deeply into these characters, proving they can stand on their own as protagonists.
Speaking about Metropolis, John Stephens described the process of its cancellation as akin to trying to safely land an airplane just when you can see the runway. Unfortunately, it seemed like we were heading for a crash instead. It’s a shame because Metropolis had a really intriguing concept for a show, much like several other DC projects that didn’t make it off the ground, such as the Justin Harley Aquaman pilot and the Smallville Justice League spin-off.
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2024-09-25 20:31