The Metro 2033 Movie Is Still Happening, But A Lot Has Changed

Back in 2012, a movie based on Metro 2033 was announced, but little was heard about it in the years that followed. Now, it's been reported that things are picking back up, though much has changed.

According to Variety, Russian media company Gazprom Media will produce a movie based on Dmitry Glukhovsky's book Metro 2033; this was also adapted for the 2010 video game.

According to Variety, filming will begin next year with a premiere date set for Russia on January 1, 2022. There is no word yet on the worldwide release details, nor is it known who will star in it and who will direct.

Gazprom Media's Valery Fedorovich said, "This is a dream project, the most ambitious and large-scale film that we have ever launched. We intend to invest an unprecedented sum … in the production and promotion of this movie both in Russia and abroad."

Glukhovsky said in his own statement that he received "numerous offers" over the past decade to turn Metro 2033 into a movie, and he turned them all down until now. "In Russia, I didn't see any producers who could make a good [screen adaptation of] this book. It just seemed impossible. But now I finally met a team that I can entrust Metro with," he said.

In 2012, it was reported that MGM had obtained the rights to make the Metro 2033 movie, but now it seems the rights changed hands and went to Gazprom. It was announced at the time that F. Scott Frazier, who wrote the Vin Diesel movie xXx: Return of Xander Cage and has also been tapped to write the Gears of War movie, would write the Metro 2033 film but that seems to have changed as well.

In Metro 2033 the game, players spend much of their time in underground subway tunnels travelling from station to station, climbing to the surface on occasion to explore the toxic atmosphere.

As for the Metro video games, Metro 2033 was followed up by 2013's Metro: Last Light. The latest game, Metro: Exodus, came out in February 2019 to positive reviews. All of the games were developed by 4A Games.