The showrunner of the follow-up series to a beloved sci-fi cult classic film is finally speaking out on the cancellation of the series before it even had a chance to get off the ground. Despite having a fully staffed writers’ room and a finished script, the toppling of the dominoes at the top of Peacock led to the series never making it to air, leaving both fans and those who created it dismayed.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Upgrade, the 2018 film, centered around the series of events that took place after a brutal mugging left Grey Trace paralyzed—and his wife dead. Trace wakes in the hospital after the event to news he never expected: a billionaire inventor offering him a cure in the form of an artificial intelligence implant called STEM. Now able to walk again, Trace also discovers that he has superhuman strength and agility—skills he implements on his path to revenge against those who ruined his life. A follow-up series to the film was all but ready to begin filming, until a restructure happened in the upper echelons at Peacock, and new bigwigs didn’t think the series had legs to stand on, according to Tim Walsh, who spoke with Bloody Disgusting.
The News Has Left Fans Unhappy
The film, which sits at an impressive 88% on both the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer and the Popcornmeter, was an instant cult classic, drawing in a rabid fanbase that described the film as “the kind of pulpy, low-pretense, non-franchise thriller that bigger studios have done their best to usher toward extinction.” And, in some kind of self-fulfilling prophecy move, that seems to be exactly the response that Peacock had when they shut down the writers’ room for the series that would be the continuation of the story started in Upgrade.
“The whole series was about criminals and the STEM chip being put into them to reform them. It was like A Clockwork Orange… but with STEM being put in,” said Walsh, explaining his vision for the series—a blend of body and psychological horror with classic dystopian sci-fi. Fans were quick to sound their displeasure on X, with one saying, “Oh damn, I never heard that they might do a TV show of Upgrade. A shame it was abandoned.” Another added, “Such a shame. The movie had so much potential for more…” But perhaps the real reason is more obvious than we think, according to one X user: “Can’t be dissing brain chips when they’re around the corner.”
Were you looking forward to the Upgrade series? Let us know your thoughts about the show being scrapped before it had its day in the sun in the comments. And don’t forget to check out the ComicBook forum to see what other sci-fi fans are saying.
Most Viewed
-
Image courtesy of Wizards of the Coast -
Courtesy of Bones Film
