Netflix is making a significant push into video games, and in addition to original projects, the streamer is working on adaptations of popular titles from publishers such as 2K Games, Ubisoft, and others. Another huge project from Sony is Horizon, a live-action adaptation of the Horizon gaming franchise that follows Aloy on her trek across a post-apocalyptic America populated primarily by mechanical animals.
At this time, no directors or cast members are known to be involved, however Carter Swan and Asad Qizilbash are. As the producers of Uncharted, The Last of Us, Ghost of Tsushima, and Twisted Metal, they are both highly well-known names when it comes to live-action adaptations of PlayStation games.
PlayStation Productions and Sony Pictures Television were behind the Netflix series when it was first announced in May 2022.
Guerrilla Games, a Dutch video game developer best known for the Killzone series, also produces the Horizon series. What else do we know about Netflix’s live-action adaptation of Horizon?
What is the story of Horizon?
Horizon Zero Dawn’s plot takes place in a post-apocalyptic United States in the 31st century.
Humans dwell in dispersed, primitive groups of diverse technological sophistication. Their technologically superior forefathers are known as the “Old Ones.” The Earth is dominated by large robotic monsters known as “machines.” They mostly cohabit amicably with humans, who occasionally hunt them for parts.
We follow Aloy in the main game, who grew up without parents and lived apart from the four tribes. As she grows older, she is forced to explore a phenomenon known as the “Derangement,” which has caused machines to become increasingly violent toward humans, and larger and deadlier machines to appear.
Here’s a breakdown of the four tribes: Nora, Banuk, Carja, and Oseram.
“The Nora are savage mountain hunter-gatherers who worship nature as the “All-Mother.” The Carja are desert dwellers who build cities and worship the Sun.
The Banuk are nomadic clans of hunters and shamans that live in icy mountains and adore machines and their “sounds.”
The Oseram are tinkerers and salvagers well-known for their metallurgy, brewing, and warrior abilities.”
Who is in the cast of Horizon?
As of June 2022, no cast for Netflix’s Horizon series had been confirmed.
For those who don’t know, Ashly Burch plays Aloy in the game. Characters in the game were also voiced by Lance Reddick, John MacMillan, and John Hopkins.
Sadie Sink has recently been one of the most popular fan choices for the role of Aloy, as the Horizon announcement came almost on the same day as Stranger Things Season 4 was released, which was amplified by the fact that Sink’s Max has a very exciting and memorable scene, which the internet also loved. Lyndon Smith is also frequently touted in online forums as a possible candidate for the post.
Another possibility is Aloy’s face model, Dutch model and actress Hannah Hoekstra, although it’s unlikely that Netflix would choose to cast the literal face model for the game Aloy because it would be too close to the games and adaptations normally don’t do that.
When will Horizon be available on Netflix?
According to the Canadian Director’s Guild, filming for the title Horizon 2074 will begin in late August 2022. They claim that production and post-production will be completed by March 2023. They also include the following in their art section:
- Mark Steel
- Michele Brady
- Kathleen Vernice Chavez
- Grant Corless
- Catherine Liddell
- Rosalie Mackintosh
- Cheryl Wan
- Natalie Yeung
- Anastasiya Tkachuk
- Adrienne Turner
- Elham Morshedi
Netflix hasn’t established a release date for its Horizon live-action adaptation, but given that production began in 2022, we can assume expect the first season to arrive on the streaming service in early 2024.