A remake of Fritz Lang's groundbreaking 1927 science-fiction classic film, Metropolis, is underway, according to the producer behind Alexander.

Thomas Schuehly, who also masterminded Werner Herzog's 1979 version of the 1922 vampire film Nosferatu, said he's in negotiations with several top directors to helm the film and expects to begin production next year.

Schuehly said he feels Lang's dystopic view of the future has resonance today.

"With the overwhelming role technology plays in our daily lives, the growing gap between rich and poor … the story of Metropolis is a frightening reflection of our society that takes place in an all too possible not too distant future," Schuehly told Variety magazine.

The film was one of the most expensive movies of its time — it cost its makers an estimated 5.1 million Reichsmarks, which translates to more than $200 million Cdn in today's currency.

Set in 2026, and written by Lang and his wife, Thea von Harbou, Metropolis chronicles a workers' revolution in a world divided into a class of managers and a class of labourers.

The movie was a pioneer in special effects and design with visions of a modern world of monorails, Gothic skyscrapers and airships.

It also spurred the creation of a remarkable robotic costume worn by actress Brigitte Helm. Made of a type of flexible wood filler, also called "plastic wood," the costume was sculpted like a suit of armour over a plaster cast of the actress.

Metropolis has influenced many other sci-fi flicks, including Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Blade Runner and The Matrix.