Netflix’s Metal Lords is an upcoming teen music drama movie created, written and produced by the Game of Thrones duo, David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. Here’s what we know so far including some information surrounding casting, what we can expect from the story and who’s involved.
Just to recap, David Benioff and D. B. Weiss hot off their run on HBO’s Game of Thrones signed an expansive deal with Netflix produce new titles. They’ve already announced a number of upcoming projects but one of the first likely to materialize is Metal Lords.
Metal Lords is produced by David Benioff but written by D. B. Weiss. Bighead Littlehead is the production company behind the feature. Greg Shapiro, known for The Hurt Locker is also attached to the project as a producer.
Cannes Film Festival’s Cinefondation Award winner Peter Sollett is set to direct. Sollett directed Freeheld, starring The Umbrella Academy‘s lead star Ellen Page as well as episodes for such shows as Hulu‘s The Path and HBO‘s Vinyl. He is also set to direct the upcoming live-action adaptation of the popular video-game Minecraft.
Peter Sollett
What is the plot of Metal Lords?
The plot of Metal Lords revolves around two high school boys and one girl who try starting a Heavy Metal band and are about to compete in Battle of the Bands. The official synopsis for Metal Lords reads as follows:
“Two kids want to start a heavy metal band in a high school where exactly two kids care about heavy metal. They try to find a bass player, and fail—but they do find a girl who is very good at cello. If the three of them can’t settle their differences and work together, they’re never going to win the Battle of the Bands.”
What are the characters in Metal Lords?
Thanks to film and TV industry insider Daniel Richtman, we have the character descriptions of the three movie leads.
“Hunter is uncomfortable around other people and suffers from a dysfunctional family life, but he hides his emotions behind his one true passion: Heavy Metal music. Metal is the only thing in his life to make the darkness go away and make it all okay. He is smart, driven, passionate, and extremely verbal. Hunter and Kevin intend on starting a band and show everyone what they’re worth.”
“Kevin is the shy kid, who has a big heart, but doesn’t know how to express any of his emotions. Thankfully he has Hunter, the leader of the band. Hunter encourages him to evolve into a metal drummer from a marching band drummer. When Kevin meets Emily, he discovers he is able to reach out and connect with another human being.”
“Emily plays the cello and is the only real musician of the trio. Like Kevin, she is also very shy and absent from the social scene. She’s smart sensitive and extremely talented. She and Kevin, being so alike, draw each other out of their shells, but their relationship causes conflict with Hunter and Emily doesn’t react well to conflict.”
Hunter and Kevin both seem to be partially based on the Metallica frontman James Hetfield who came from a very dysfunctional family and in result was extremely shy, with music being his only way to express himself.
Casting began on August 15th, 2020 according to IMDb and if you fancy auditioning, you can find the casting call here.
INDIO, CA – APRIL 23: Musician James Hetfield of Metallica performs onstage during The Big 4 held at the Empire Polo Club on April 23, 2011 in Indio, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
What’s the production status on Metal Lords?
Current production status: Casting (Last updated: 08/24/2020)
Initially, Metal Lords was supposed to enter production in July, but the COVID-19 pandemic made that impossible. Now, however, filming is planned to begin in late October 2020 in Portland, Oregon, US.
When will Metal Lords be released on Netflix?
Based on the planned production start and a standard filming duration of several months, we can probably expect Metal Lords to be released on Netflix in Summer/Fall 2021.
