Despite their dubious success rate, a slew of video game movies remain in various stages of production in Hollywood. Some try to stay true to what brought them to the dance. Others look to translate the source material into something new. MGM’s project based on Metro 2033 and a script by F. Scott Frazier looked to be the latter, so it might not be so bad that it’s now on ice.
For those not in the know, Metro 2033 is a video game based on a novel by Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky. It features a post-apocalyptic Moscow infected by Dark Ones, mutant creatures inspired by gargoyles and werewolves. The proposed movie version made quite a few changes to this vision, including moving the action from Russia to Washington DC. This happens a lot in Hollywood adaptions, with Spielberg’s War of the Worlds moving the action from England to America as just one example.
In a lengthy interview with VG247, Glukhovsky spoke about the canceled project. “In Washington DC, Nazis don’t work, Communists don’t work at all, and the Dark Ones don’t work. Washington DC is a black city basically.” Speaking of, the mutant Dark Ones became “random creatures” in the script, stripping the enemy of their intended message about xenophobia. “They turned it into a very generic thing.”
There are hopes for a further Metro adaption down the line if talks with producers bear fruit. “I’m still optimistic. We’ll see if the release of Metro Exodus can push the IP across a little bit the oceans and see how that works.” The third game in the franchise, Metro Exodus is currently scheduled for release on February 22 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. Set over the course of an entire in-game year, players will wield handmade weapons in a mixture of open areas and linear environments.
