Picturesque landscapes and huge robot dinosaurs: the open-world game "Horizon Zero Dawn", which was released for the PlayStation 4 in 2017, gave us all this and much more. Shortly after the release of its sequel "Horizon Forbidden West" in 2022, Netflix announced that it was working on a series adaptation of the popular series. In this article, you can find out what "Horizon 2074" is all about as well as the current status of the project!

The World of Horizon

The story of the two games takes place about 1,000 years in the future and deals with the past downfall of human civilization as we know it. Those who are still alive form small tribes to defend themselves against the enemy. The enemy consists of gigantic machines that have largely wiped out mankind and their behavior is very reminiscent of prehistoric dinosaurs.

The plot centers around the young Aloy. Not only must she take on the machines, she must also resolve old enmities between the tribes. Besides the storyline revolving around Aloy's personal history, what stands out in both video games is the huge and breathtaking world, in which there is lots to discover.

Plot of the Horizon Series

Initial information on the story of "Horizon 2074" was provided by journalist and insider Jeff Grubb in his podcast: Accordingly, the plot of the series is to be set after the events of the second game and focus on previously unexplored aspects. In other words, what we can expect is neither a reboot nor a retelling of the games, but a brand new story. This story will be told in two parallel timelines: One takes place in the present and introduces us to main character Aloy. The other deals with the downfall of human civilization due to the so-called "great extinction" caused by the robots of the "Chariot line".

Between Aloy's story and the end of the world, there are around 1,000 years. This allows for plenty of scope for a comprehensive narrative that has not been told in the games. Nevertheless, it remains unclear why of all years, they chose the year 2074 for the title - after all, humanity was already wiped out in the 2060s. In spite of all the speculation, it is important to bear in mind that this story information is a non-official one. Apart from the title, nothing has been confirmed by Netflix or Sony yet.

The Crew

There is naturally a lot of interest in who exactly will be making the "Horizon" series. In June 2022, a listing on the Director's Guild of Canada website made the rounds. It showed a number of names that could be considered to direct "Horizon 2074": These included, for example, Jack Boem, who worked as an assistant director on Amazon's "The Boys" along with Michele Brady, art director on the science fiction series "The Expanse". Shortly afterwards, however, it was taken offline again. Steve Blackman, who was most recently in charge of the fifth season of "The Umbrella Academy", will be the showrunner.

The Horizon Cast: Who Plays Aloy?

One of the most interesting questions is probably which actress will play the main character Aloy. So far, there has been no official information on this. However, a first name has already been rumored online: The talk is of "Stranger Things" star Sadie Sink, who would at least fit the role nicely with her red hair.

The Release Date of the Horizon Series

We can hardly count on a release of the "Horizon" series any time soon, as filming has not even started yet. What's more, a time-consuming post-production process can be expected: After all, there are just as many futuristic cities to stage as there are fascinating ruins and impressive robot dinosaurs.

At least it was announced at the CES trade show in early 2024 that work on the series was already in progress. This means it shouldn't take too long for "Horizon 2074" to reach the busy production phase. If this happens soon and if everything else runs smoothly, we can expect a release in the second half of 2025 or in 2026 at the latest.