Horizon: Zero Dawn was supposed to get a Netflix series, but it has been delayed for now, apparently due to a controversy surrounding its showrunner.
A Horizon: Zero Dawn Netflix series was in the works, but has now been put on hold, as Rolling Stone recently revealed.
The reason for this may be that the showrunner, Steve Blackman, was already accused of mistreating his staff members and showing toxic and manipulative behaviors during his time at another popular Netflix series – the Umbrella Academy.
Scoop: Rolling Stone has learned that two of 'Umbrella Academy' showrunner Steve Blackman's 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
What Happened At The Production Of The Umbrella Academy?
The Rolling Stone interviewed 12 former Umbrella Academy writers and staffers, all of whom stated, that the production of the show was difficult, because of Steve Blackman.
One writer, whose name shall remain withheld, recalled:
Somebody called me, whispering basically into the phone, all freaked out, like, ‘Don’t take this job.’
When combined with these sources and an HR complaint from 2023, there's only sensible conclusion to reach:
The sources and the HR complaint paint Blackman as a manipulative and chaotic showrunner who fostered a toxic workplace by pitting staffers against one another; creating an environment of fear and distrust; taking credit for other people’s work; and allegedly making lewd remarks that sources say they found to be sexist, homophobic, and transphobic.
A 2023 investigation by the UCP cleared Blackman of these allegations, and a spokesperson for the showrunner also denied them all.
But whether this really is the reason why the Horizon: Zero Dawn show was cancelled will probably never be officially revealed. But at least we can be glad that the studios are toughening up in the face of such behavior.
What do you think about this topic? Would you have watched a Horizon: Zero Dawn show?