EXCLUSIVE: Oakes Fegley (The Fabelmans, The Goldfinch) and Dayo Okeniyi (see, climb) are set as leaders opposite Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Connelly in Black matter, an adaptation of the acclaimed science fiction novel by Blake Crouch, on Apple TV+. In addition to Edgerton and Connelly, they join previously announced series regulars Alice Braga and Jimmi Simpson on the series from Sony Television and also produced by Edgerton.
Written and presented by Crouch, the nine-episode series will follow Jason Dessen, (Edgerton) a physicist, professor and family man who – one night while driving home from the streets of Chicago – is kidnapped in an alternate version of his life. Wonder quickly turns to nightmare as he attempts to return to his reality amidst the multiverse of lifetimes he could have lived. In this maze of mind-bending realities, he embarks on a harrowing journey to find his true family and save them from the most terrifying and unstoppable enemy imaginable: himself.
Fegley will play the son of Charlie, Jason (Edgerton) and Daniela (Connelly). Okeniyi is Leighton, a high-tech lab executive.
Black matter is produced by Matt Tolmach (Jumanji franchise, Venom) and David Manpearl for Matt Tolmach Productions. Crouch will write and serve as showrunner and executive producer of the series, and Jakob Verbruggen (Invasion, The Alienist) is set to direct the first three episodes.
Fegley will next co-star in Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical film The Fabelmans for Amblin and Universal, which is slated for release on November 11. He previously starred in The goldfinch for Warner Brothers, in the title role of pete’s dragon for Disney and Amazed for Amazon Studios. Fegley is replaced by Verve Talent and Literary Agency, Wright Entertainment and Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz.
Nigerian American actor Okeniyi can currently be seen in the new Disney+ movie To go up. Coming soon, he also has a supporting role opposite Ben Affleck and Alice Braga in Hypnotic directed by Robert Rodriguez. On the television side, Okeniyi returned to the Apple TV + series See. He was also a series regular on the NBC crime drama shades of blue opposite Jennifer Lopez and Ray Liotta. Okeniyi is replaced by UTA, Cultivate Entertainment’s Kanica Suy and attorney McKuin Frankel Whitehead.