Merrick here...

This one's a tough one for me; METROPOLIS is one of my favorite movies of all time.

For those who haven't seen it...you should. There's a super-great restoration of the film, which is available HERE. It's a strange movie to be sure, but its thematic & aesthetic impact on the SF genre is profound & is evident in many "classic" entries...including STAR WARS (C-3P0's design, Coruscant in the prequels) and BLADE RUNNER. The list goes on, and is impressive.

Here's a trailer for a recent restoration of the 1927 film:

A previous restoration of the film was mounted by composer Giorgio Moroder back in 1984 , who (quite controversially) re-scored the film with a contemporary soundtrack (including tracks from Queen's Freddy Mercury, Bonnie Tyler, and more).

And now, it seems, we're getting a full-on remake. Producer Thomas Schuehly (Oliver Stone's ALEXANDER and THE NAME OF THE ROSE) and Mario Kassar (Executive Producer of TERMINATORs 2 & 3, RAMBOs 1 & 2, TOTAL RECALL, etc.) are teaming up for a remake.

"With the overwhelming role technology plays in our daily lives, the growing gap between rich and poor, including the gradual elimination of the middle class, the story of 'Metropolis' is a frightening reflection of our society that takes place in an all too possible not too distant future," said Schuehly.

...says THIS ARTICLE in Variety.

I'm really not sure what to say here: the Geek in me kind of wants to see this world realized via modern FX techniques (although I doubt they'd look half as nuanced and atmospheric as the original film's highly detailed & complex model work).

But a bigger part of me fears that...almost certainly...the thematic & spiritual heart and soul of the concept will be ripped from this project in favor of spectacle. "The city's gonna blow up because the workers overloaded The Machines - gotta stop the Machine meltdown!" (cue strobe lighted Michael Bayhem). "Gotta stop the rampaging/partying Maria android! Here's a special EMP gun! One shot..." You know, that kind of crap.

The System rarely (if ever) generates big-budget movies that hinge on esoteric issues like "class struggle" ...although I think a good writer could likely bend the story's conceits to match today's socio-economic landscape here in the U.S. - i.e. tweaking the film's "working class -vs- the elite" scenario into more of a NEW JACK CITY-ish "Republicans -vs- the poor" approach. I'm just using this as an EXAMPLE, but...whatever the case...I firmly believe that (for any METROPOLIS remake to work) it has to feel relevant, and not just be a pointless regurgitation. It has to be a project which encourages audiences to reflect what they're seeing back into the "real world".

But...WOULD this be allowed to happen? Would The Powers That Be actually bankroll a think piece/commentary whose budget would certainly surpass $100,000,000. Provocative and disquieting questions.

PROFOUNDLY interested in how this shakes out. If you know more,
WE'D LOVE TO HEAR IT!!