Helicopters flying past the Statue of Liberty in Civil War poster
Though rife with titles exploring real-world possibilities for the future, one sci-fi series is officially no longer moving forward for its scary realism. Originally developed by X-Men and Metal Gear Solid vet David Hayter with Hatfields & McCoys' Leslie Greif, World War 3 was set to be a major event series from FX and Fox, much in the way of 24: Live Another Day and the M.
Night Shyamalan-executive-produced Wayward Pines. The years since have seen no major updates on the series, with Greif turning his focus to other projects, including the historical miniseries Texas Rising and The Offer. Now, during an interview with ScreenRant's Liam Crowley for his new historical Western series The Gray House, Greif offered an update on his World War 3 series. The two-time Emmy nominee confirmed that the series has been scrapped 13 years after its announcement, explaining that it"was too frightening" to develop now as"it became too close to reality." He also revealed that"the network said they felt it was too incendiary," finding his and Hayter's ideas to be"too frighteningly possible and plausible." Despite its apparent potential to incite such a heated response, Greif also said that the show's goal was"to hope" throughout the country, feeling a concern for the U.S. and"want us to come together as a country." He even revealed that one of the show's characters sends the show off with a quote about hope and a Willie Nelson song inviting said message: Leslie Greif: At the end of our story, Ben's character says,"We're counting on you, Mr. Lincoln. We have got a lot of hope, and we can't lose the hope." At the end of this miniseries, Willie Nelson sings a song called The Heart of America, which I hope becomes an anthem for this century and for this country, because we need to come together as one and have hope. It was too close and all the subplots were almost too close. So let's calm down. Let's calm the waters and hug each other. Greif's explanation for why his World War 3 series was scrapped comes as a surprise for a few reasons. For starters, the sci-fi genre is best known for predicting the future based on current world events. Whether it's 2001: A Space Odyssey's evolutions in technology later becoming reality, or Her's exploration of humanity's growing reliance on AI, even for social interactions, one of the fundamental bases of the genre is taking real-world concepts to the extreme in order to highlight their dangers. Furthermore, while FX and Fox may have been concerned about the show's realism at the time, that wouldn't stop them from eventually confronting real-world terrors through the sci-fi genre. Their adaptation of Y: The Last Man drew stark parallels to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly with its September 2021 premiere, while Alex Garland's Devs explored the dangers of Silicon Valley's frequently growing gray area between humanity and technology. While Greif may not have been able to explore his and Hayter's World War 3 concepts, that hasn't stopped others from tackling similar themes over the past decade. Garland himself explored a similarly hypothetical look at what a full-scale war involving the United States could be in a modern setting with Civil War, while Prime Video's Fallout series adaptation, taking from its source games, has highlighted the aftermath of a full-scale nuclear war around the world. Related 10 Old-School Sci-Fi Movies That Actually Predicted The Future The science-fiction genre is full of mind-bending concepts but sometimes, films like Blade Runner and Total Recall have actually predicted the future. Posts With everything from Christopher Nolan's Tenet to the Mission: Impossible franchise also seeing their protagonists racing to prevent such a conflict from occurring, the door may not yet be shut for Greif to bring his World War 3 series to life at some point in the future. Plus, with the sociopolitical field having changed in drastic ways since he and Hayter first started putting the series together, the duo may find themselves revisiting the material and finding a new angle that can bring both their goals for unity and important conversation. Screen Rant Report: Subscribe and never miss what matters Dive into the world of movies and TV shows with Screen Rant, your source for news, reviews, and exclusive content. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime. Be sure to dive into some of our other Gray House-related coverage with:
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