It looks like it’s curtains for the time being for the in-development Horizon Zero Dawn TV series at Netflix. After allegations of fostering a hostile workplace surfaced against its planned showrunner Steve Blackman, the TV adaptation of the hit action RPG is “no longer moving forward” claims a report.
Blackman, most notable for creating Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy, has been accused of “bullying, manipulative and retaliatory behaviour” by the colleagues who worked on the show. These claims come from 12 former colleagues and have been described by him as “entirely untrue.”
The report, dropped by Rolling Stone, also mentions that Blackman was involved in developing an original outer-space thriller series called Orbital for Netflix. But like the Horizon Zero Dawn series, it too won’t be moving forward.
Horizon sits beside a flurry of Sony’s original IPs that have been steered towards celluloid recently. The Last of Us was released in 2023 to immense critical acclaim and its second season is set to arrive in 2025. Additionally, a Ghost of Tsushima movie helmed by Chad Stahelski of John Wick fame is also in development.
Amazon Prime will be bringing the God of War franchise to TV soon, whereas a Twisted Metal TV show is coming as well. Moreover, last year also saw the arrival of a Gran Turismo film.
Horizon being the post-apocalyptic robo-saur-filled universe that it is, would have commanded a massive budget from Netflix. In fact, the streamer had reportedly paid $50 million to Blackman for the combined development of the said series and Orbital.
But the workplace allegations have led to a new turn and the future of the Horizon Zero Dawn TV adaptation now hangs in the balance. We’ll bring you more on it when there are new developments in the matter.