Gorillaz’s Netflix film scrapped in cutbacks at streaming giant

Gorillaz’s Netflix film has been cancelled.

Damon Albarn has confirmed the streaming giant has cut the animated movie due to needing to make cutbacks in their “movie offerings”.

In a new interview with the Dutch-language Belgian outlet HUMO, he said: “The streaming platform for which we were making the film has withdrawn.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. From then on you have lost your guardian angel, and there seems to be a bad smell hanging on you. 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.”

Damon first teased the animation project in a 2021 interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1.

He spilled at the time: “I’m at Netflix because we’re making a full-length Gorillaz film with Netflix. Yeah, we’re having a writing session in Malibu this afternoon.

“It’s really exciting to do that. It’s something we’ve been wanting to do for a very long time. It’s been through so many incarnations.

“Gorillaz doing a movie. Honestly. But Netflix, I don’t know. I mean, apart from them kind of running this city now, I mean – It’s just extraordinary to see how ubiquitous they are now. Yeah. They just seem like they’re a good creative team, you know? But I can’t say anything more about it, obviously, because… No, no, no.”

Gorillaz is the animated virtual band Damon founded with comic book artist Jamie Hewlett in 1998, comprising the characters 2-D, Murdoc Niccals, Russel Hobbs, and Noodle, and non-virtual member, producer Remi Kabaka Jr, as of 2016, who also voices Russel.

The ‘Feel Good Inc.’ band release their new album ‘Cracker Island’ on Friday (24.02.23).