Netflix is reportedly set to bring the world of Horizon: Forbidden West to the small screen via a new original series.
The first indication that Netflix plans to turn the popular Horizon video game franchise into a TV show comes from a Q&A held during a recent Sony Business Briefing (relayed by a Resetera user). During this briefing, it was also reiterated that a God of War series is in development for Prime Video and a Gran Turismo TV show is also in the works. Although no network or streaming service is attached to the latter project as of yet.
Little else is known about Netflix’s adaptation of Horizon beyond the report that PlayStation Productions will be working with the streaming service on the series. To date, there are two games in the franchise, 2017’s Horizon: Zero Dawn and 2022’s Horizon: Forbidden West. It's unclear if the Netflix show will attempt to adapt these games or if it will opt to tell an original story of its own.
Both games focus on Aloy (voiced by Ashly Burch), a hunter-warrior raised as an outcast who becomes a reluctant hero in a post-apocalyptic future where Earth is populated by animal and dinosaur-like machines. Aloy has become a popular PlayStation mascot, and a beloved character in the gaming industry as a whole. So it seems logical that she will be incorporated into the upcoming Netflix series in some form.
There is of course the possibility that the show will instead look to distance itself from the video games by telling a wholly new story. Both Horizon games are set in the ruins of the United States, perhaps this Netflix series could explore the situation in another part of the world. I’m sure they have robot dinosaurs in whatever's left of Europe.
Time will tell what direction this Horizon Netflix series takes, but don’t expect to hear more details any time soon. With such little information available it’s highly likely that this show is several years away from entering production. It should also be noted that just because a project enters development doesn’t mean it's guaranteed to see the light of day. Promising series get scrapped during development all the time.
PlayStation Productions is certainly keeping busy at the minute with several flagship projects in development including a Twisted Metal series for Peacock and a movie based on Ghost of Tsushima. Earlier this year the production studio released its first effort, the Uncharted movie, and next up is The Last of Us TV show created in collaboration with HBO. The show is currently filming and tentatively scheduled for release in 2023.
