# 2026 (DD-714)

> Metropolis, the German silent science-fiction film directed by Fritz Lang and written by Thea von Harbou, premiered in Berlin on January 10, 1927. Its city is split between a privileged elite above ground and workers who live and labor below. The year 2026 doesn't appear in the film. Von Harbou's novel says the story happens 'at no particular place or time'. The date comes from the 1963 Ace Books paperback, whose title page reads 'The World of 2026 A.D.' It was repeated in later writing on the film and in Giorgio Moroder's 1984 re-scored version. Film historians Lotte Eisner and Paul M. Jensen placed it around 2000 instead. Footage long thought lost was found in Buenos Aires in 2008 and restored for a 2010 re-release.

- Department: History (also Tech, Media)
- First published: 2026-04-27
- Last updated: 2026-04-27
- Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/metropolis-2026/
- Author: Marcus Easterling (DetailEnjoyer), The Detail Department

## On the timeline

- **Jan. 10, 1927**: Fritz Lang's Metropolis premieres in Berlin
- **1963**: Ace Books' Metropolis paperback dates the story to 'The World of 2026 A.D.'
- **1984**: Giorgio Moroder's re-scored Metropolis adds a 2026 title card
- **2008**: Lost Metropolis footage is found at the Museo del Cine, Buenos Aires

Full timeline: https://detailenjoyer.com/timeline/?case=metropolis-2026

## Quick facts

- **DD-714-F01**: The film itself never states that it's set in 2026. _(Write-up · Exhibit C (Where 2026 comes from))_
- **DD-714-F02**: Metropolis premiered in Berlin on January 10, 1927. _(Write-up · Exhibit A (The film))_

## Write-up

Was Metropolis set in 2026? The 1927 film never names a year. A 1963 book edition did.

1. **The film**: Metropolis was shot over 17 months in 1925-26 at Babelsberg for UFA and premiered on January 10, 1927. It cost about 5.3 million Reichsmarks, more than three times its original budget.
2. **The city**: The ruling class enjoys towers, gardens and stadiums, while workers live and work in a city deep below and run the machines in long shifts. The story follows Freder, the son of the city's master, and Maria, a figure the workers revere.
3. **Where 2026 comes from**: The film doesn't name a year, and von Harbou's novel says the story takes place 'at no particular place or time'. The 1963 Ace Books paperback, with a foreword by Forrest J Ackerman, put 'The World of 2026 A.D.' on its title page.
4. **How it stuck**: The 2026 date was repeated in later writing on the film, and Giorgio Moroder's 1984 version added a title card with it. Historians Lotte Eisner and Paul M. Jensen placed the story around 2000 instead.
5. **Found footage**: In 2008, a nearly complete 16 mm copy was found at the Museo del Cine in Buenos Aires. It made a 2010 restoration close to the original cut possible.

## Related case files

- [Orwellian (DD-045)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/orwellian/): Another famous fictional future
- [The Line (DD-031)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/the-line/): A real planned city of the future

## Reel vs. record

- **Not in the film**: Metropolis never names a year. The 2026 date comes from the 1963 Ace Books edition of von Harbou's novel, 'The World of 2026 A.D.', and was repeated later, including in Moroder's 1984 version.
- **Note**: Contradicted by the author: von Harbou's preface says the story happens 'at no particular place or time, neither in the present nor in the future'.
- **Other readings**: historians Lotte Eisner and Paul M. Jensen placed the story around the year 2000.
- **Precision**: the workers don't only toil underground. They also live there, in a 'workers' city' far below the surface.
- **Missing credit**: the film was written by Thea von Harbou with Lang, based on her own 1925 novel.

## Video: 2026: Was Metropolis Set in 2026?

- Duration: 24.3 s · Published: 2026-04-27
- File: https://detailenjoyer.com/assets/videos/DXpE2sXkZG8.mp4

### Transcript

DID YOU KNOW? In Fritz Lang's 1927 film Metropolis, the year 2026 is envisioned as a starkly divided future city, dominated by colossal skyscrapers, elevated highways, and massive machines that power society. The city is split vertically and socially: the wealthy elite live in towering structures filled with light, leisure, and technology, while workers toil underground in harsh mechanized conditions.

## Questions & answers

**Q: Where does the '2026' date come from?**  
A: The 1963 Ace paperback's title page: 'The World of 2026 A.D.' _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (The film) · Wikipedia: Metropolis (1927 film))_

**Q: Who wrote the novel and screenplay?**  
A: Thea von Harbou, with Lang. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (The city) · Wikipedia: Metropolis (1927 film))_

**Q: When did Metropolis premiere?**  
A: January 10, 1927, in Berlin. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (The city) · Wikipedia: Metropolis (1927 film))_

**Q: Where was long-lost footage found in 2008?**  
A: At the Museo del Cine in Buenos Aires. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (The film) · Wikipedia: Metropolis (1927 film))_

**Q: Which composer's 1984 version added a 2026 title card?**  
A: Giorgio Moroder. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (The film) · Wikipedia: Metropolis (1927 film))_

## Sources

- [Wikipedia: Metropolis (1927 film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolis_(1927_film))
- [Project Gutenberg: Metropolis by Thea von Harbou (Ace Books edition, 'The World of 2026 A.D.')](https://www.gutenberg.org/files/73727/73727-h/73727-h.htm)
- [Wikisource: Thea von Harbou, Metropolis (Ace edition copyright page, 1963)](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:Thea_von_Harbou_Metropolis_eng_1927.pdf/2)

## Cite this case file

Easterling, Marcus. "2026." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-714, last updated Apr 27, 2026. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/metropolis-2026/