So much for Utopia. The Amazon series, an American remake of the British drama of the same name, came from Gone Girl writer Gillian Flynn, and for a while, Flynn was working on the show with David Fincher over at HBO. HBO eventually passed on the project, though, and so did Fincher. But Flynn kept things going, taking the series to Amazon, who gave it a straight-to-series order. Unfortunately, the series failed to generate much buzz, and has now been canceled by Amazon after only one season.

Utopia had a lot going for it. Created by Gone Girl writer Gillian Flynn, the series featured John Cusack, Jessica Rothe, Rainn Wilson, Sasha Lane, and more. And at one point, David Fincher was even going to direct, back when the project was set up at HBO. But when Utopia finally arrived at Amazon in September 2020, the results were considerably muted.

Critics were underwhelmed – the series sits at 51% on Rotten Tomatoes – and audience reaction was non-existent. And when it comes to streaming shows, that’s a bad sign. Buzz is what keeps streaming shows in the public eye long after their premieres, and Utopia failed to drum up anything close to buzz. I cover this stuff for a living, every day, and I can’t remember seeing anyone talking about the series after it debuted.

The original British series ran for two seasons, from 2013 to 2014. The HBO version was announced a year later, in 2015, with Gone Girl team Gillian Flynn and David Fincher developing the show and lining up a cast that included Rooney Mara. But the series eventually fell apart due to budget issues and Fincher walked. Amazon swooped in to rescue the project in 2018, ordering it straight to series.

As a result of all of this, Amazon has pulled the plug and made it official: Utopia is canceled. The series focused on “a group of comic fans who meet online and bond over their obsession of a seemingly fictional comic called, Utopia. Together, Becky (Ashleigh LaThrop), Ian (Dan Byrd), Samantha (Jessica Rothe), Wilson Wilson (Desmin Borges), and Grant (Javon ‘Wanna’ Walton) unearth hidden meanings cloaked within the pages of Utopia, predicting threats to humanity. They realize these are not just the makings of a conspiracy; they are very real dangers coming alive right now in their world. The high-stakes adventure brings the group face-to-face with the comic’s famed central character, Jessica Hyde (Sasha Lane), who joins them on their mission to save the world while harboring secrets of her own.”

The post Amazon Has Canceled ‘Utopia’ After One Season appeared first on /Film.