News
Development on ‘Metro 2033’ Film Adaptation Halted
Leave it to certain people to ruin it for everyone.
Work that began in 2006 on an MGM-backed film based on the 2010 video game and 2005 Dmitry Glukhovsky novel of the same name, 4A Games’ Metro 2033, has been halted, with the rights for the film transferring back to Glukhovsky. According to Glukhovsky, the reason behind this was due to scriptwriter F. Scott Frazier’s intentions to “Americanize” the film’s setting by moving it from Moscow to Washington DC.
“The project with MGM optioning this book and developing a script had brought us to nothing and the rights reverted to me,” stated Glukhovsky. Glukhovsky is still trying to find producers who will take on the project, and is hoping that the upcoming release of Metro Exodus will give him a bit of leverage.
As for Frazier’s script, taking it out of Russia and into the US would have taken a lot out of what made the game and its environment work. The game focused a lot on tribalism, nationalism, and xenophobia, with Communists and Nazis battling it out before a group of mysterious creatures referred to as the Dark Ones showed up to seemingly cause more headaches.
“A lot of things didn’t work out in Washington DC. 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. That’s not at all the allusion I want to have, it’s a metaphor of general xenophobia but it’s not a comment on African Americans at all. So it didn’t work.”
In fact, the Dark Ones, who were a key plot point in the novel and the game, were going to be replaced “with some kind of random beasts”, watering down the story entirely.
“They’re kind of afraid of setting it in Moscow because Americans have a reputation for liking stories about America,” said. Glukhovsky. “Again, with Metro Last Light and Metro 2033 – the books and the games – selling millions and millions of copies worldwide, it’s probably not as improbable now that people would accept a story happening in Moscow because that’s going to be the unique selling point.”
The latest entry in the series, Metro Exodus, arrives on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC February 22nd, 2019.
Epic’s Fortnite is heading for another crossover, this time with Universal Orlando and Halloween Horror Nights. The title’s annual Fortnitemares Halloween event will be coming to Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando Resort in a new scare zone, kicking off on August 28.
For those not in the know, Scare zones are themed, open-air areas where guests and actors roam around freely.
This is the first time Fortnite will be featured during the after-hours event, which will run from August 28 until November 1. Tickets and packages are on sale now at the official site.
Per the press release, guests will enter Freaky Fields, a Halloween-inspired living battleground that’s been “overcome with a threatening force.” From there, fans will meet up with the Battle Bus, featuring familiar Fortnitemares characters, including “a few new additions exclusive to Halloween Horror Nights.”
And of course, there will be Fortnitemares merchandise available for fans, including a graphic t-shirt, decal set, and an acrylic collectible piece.
Fortnitemares won’t be the only featured property at this year’s Halloween Horror Nights. Killer Klowns from Outer Space will also be getting its own scare zone. Sinners, Stranger Things, Hellraiser, and Evil Dead Burn will also be part of the event, though they will be relegated to their own specific houses.
And while it’s early yet, gamers can probably expect Fortnitemares to return to Fortnite this October.