Long-awaited Gorillaz movie axed at Netflix

To paraphrase the esteemed scholar and entertainer Rodney Dangerfield, the medium of animation don't get no respect. Despite making tremendous strides in earning the respect of adult viewers over the last two decades, the field of animation is still generally regarded as a disposable form of storytelling. Most adult viewers in the West believe that cartoons cannot stir the same emotions or reach comparable levels of sophistication as live-action content. For example, look at the HBO Max animation purge that occurred at the end of 2022. Animation don't get no respect, no respect at all. 

Similar to HBO Max, Netflix is also doing a light purge of both unfinished and existing projects. The big story that caught everyone's attention was how Netflix planned to dump Arrested Development from its library. However, a story that slipped under the radar was how Netflix just killed the long-awaited Gorillaz movie based on the eponymous band.

Fans of virtual band Gorillaz have had a disappointing update from Damon Albarn, who confirmed that the long-in-development animated movie in the works at Netflix has been permanently canceled. It is no secret that Netflix have been hacking away at their many spinning plates in the last several months, with shows being abruptly ended and some completed projects also hitting the chopping block. Among those, it seems, was the animated movie that fans of Albarn's cartoon music group had been awaiting for some time.

While discussing the group's upcoming album, Albarn told HUMO:

"The new record came out because [co-creator] Jamie [Hewlett] and I were often in Los Angeles. We were working on a Gorillaz feature film, which will never happen."

Asked to elaborate on whether he meant that the movie was on hold or actually canceled, the singer added:

"Yes. That is to say, and without naming names because the whole matter has not yet been settled: the streaming platform for which we were making the film has withdrawn. They started to panic because they were making too much content and decided to cut back on their movie offerings. And, as has been classic Hollywood practice for decades, the guy we were working with has moved on to another company… Hollywood is quite territorial: if a new guy comes along, he must and will have a different opinion, even if he secretly agrees with his predecessor."