Looks like this show wonât be powering up after all. Per Deadline, Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmailâs TV adaptation of Fritz Langâs movie Metropolis has been canceled amid the writersâ strike. âPush costs and uncertainty related to the ongoing strike led to this difficult decision,â a rep for Universal Cable Productions said. Written, directed, and executive produced by Esmail, the UCP show for Apple TV+ was originally aiming to start production in Australia this summer with a cast including Briana Middleton and Lindy Booth. Reportedly, script drafts and show budgets were not finished when the writersâ strike began on May 2. With rising costs associated with delaying filming to an unknown date, UCP decided it was too financially risky to continue at all. Itâs a shame â the plot of the 1927 sci-fi classic happens to involve a human being replaced by a robot in an attempt to stop a group of oppressed workers from revolting. And what would a modern TV writer know about that, eh?