Horizon’s TV debut has been at the very least delayed (Sony Interactive Entertainment)
The live action version of Horizon may not happen after all, as reports suggest that Netflix has cut ties with the show’s creative lead.
Although all video game companies are suddenly of great interest to Hollywood, it’s Sony that has the most sway at the moment, in terms of live action projects.
The success of Uncharted, Twisted Metal, and, in particular, The Last Of Us have not gone unnoticed and adaptations of Horizon Zero Dawn and God of War have quickly become inevitable, even if it’s somewhat surprising that they’re going to be a TV show rather than a movie.
Or rather, Horizon was going to be a TV show. Thanks to the downfall of would-be showrunner Steve Blackman, best known for The Umbrella Academy, the show has now been indefinitely cancelled.
Blackman has been embroiled in stories of toxic working conditions at The Umbrella Academy and other shows, including ‘bulling, manipulative and retaliatory behaviour.’
Although he claims that they are ‘entirely untrue’ his reputation is now in tatters, and it’s been enough for Netflix to drop him from the Horizon show.
According to an update from Rolling Stone reporter Cheyenne Roundtree, Blackman has been taken off both Horizon and another original show at Netflix called Orbital.
Scoop: Rolling Stone has learned that two of ‘Umbrella Academy’ showrunner Steve Blackmanâs projects that were in development at Netflix, a Horizon Zero Dawn series and an original series, Orbital, are no longer moving forward https://t.co/cFnyww0n3Q
— Cheyenne Roundtree (@cheyenne_round) July 3, 2024
While it doesn’t seem impossible that the Horizon show could be restarted with a different creative team, Roundtree describes it as ‘no longer moving forward.’
The question of what gets a TV show and what a movie does seem rather arbitrary, and you would’ve thought that Horizon’s post-apocalyptic world of giant robot animals needed a much larger budget and more expensive special effects than even a modern show could provide.
That may explain the decision though, as it’s likely easier for Sony Pictures to share the cost with a TV provider than it would be to get into a more complex arrangement with a fellow movie studio.
After Gran Turismo, the next PlayStation property to get a film will be Ghost Of Tsushima, but whether Horizon will be transferred to that list remains to be seen.
It’s almost certain Sony will try again with a Horizon adaption, as they’ve been pushing the franchise a lot of late. A spin-off has been the only first party title released for the PlayStation VR2 and there’s a Lego game due out this year, which will also appear on Nintendo Switch.
The announcement of a third mainline entry can’t be far away either, while there’s longstanding rumours of a multiplayer spin-off, and possibly also a MMO.
Although the games have been successful they suffer from rather tepid storytelling, especially following the death of Lance Reddick, who played Sylens. In that sense a live action adaptation could be of great benefit to the series, if it helps improve the narrative side of things.
Horizon Call Of The Mountain – would it make a better movie? (Sony Interactive Entertaiment)
Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter.
To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.
For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.
Sign up to all the exclusive gaming content, latest releases before they’re seen on the site.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.