Sam Esmail

‘Mr. Robot’s Sam Esmail Turning ‘Metropolis’ Into TV Miniseries
‘Mr. Robot’s Sam Esmail Turning ‘Metropolis’ Into TV Miniseries
‘Mr. Robot’s Sam Esmail Turning ‘Metropolis’ Into TV Miniseries
Fritz Lang’s 1927 opus Metropolis didn’t just provide the canonized German director with one of his finest works, it all but singlehandedly introduced sci-fi to the then-nascent cinema. The story of a future dystopia separated into a pampered bourgeoisie and threadbare underclass blew open the doors for everything from Blade Runner to Star Wars, and Lang’s grand production values — massive Expressionist sets, scads of cowering extras, the guiding aesthetic of bigness — captivated audiences. Metropolis’ bold style and primal theme of tensions between haves vs. have-nots trickled down to Madonna’s “Express Yourself” video, The Hunger Games, and more literal adaptations stretching from anime to musical theatre.