The edges of our world are fuzzier than you imagine them to be. There is a multiverse. A strange and infinite place where we may find ourselves lost and trying to get home. But what if we put ourselves there? Dark Matter, the new Apple TV+ series, explores this concept.

Based on the book of the same name, this series is set to crackle your brain and keep you on the edge of your seat. Here’s everything we know about Dark Matter.

Dark Matter: The Plot

     Scientific American

Jason Dessen is a brilliant scientist whose research took a back seat to the love of his life. When he married Daniela, they both put aside their careers in favor of family. One night, Jason goes to wish a former friend, Ryan, congratulations on winning a prestigious science award, and he is abducted by an unknown assailant, drugged, and brought to a nondescript building. After passing out, Jason wakes up in a scientific facility, is put through a battery of tests, and is welcomed home with open arms by his colleague Leighton.

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The problem is, he doesn’t know Leighton, doesn’t know the place, and doesn’t understand what is going on. Jason’s efforts to regain his life seem futile as he begins to question whether he has false memories or if this truly is not his home. He seeks out his wife and friends but their confusion over his whereabouts, as he has been missing for over a year, and his retelling of their past only makes things worse.

Leighton has plans of his own. It turns out he knows something. This is not his Jason. And the project that brought Jason to them has left their brilliant colleague out there in the multiverse, costing them billions of dollars and losing them the only person who could crack the dark matter code.

Meanwhile, in his original reality, Jason’s initial assailant reveals himself to be none other than the actual brilliant Jason that Leighton is missing. He has sent his other self to his own reality in an effort to live out the life he never had with Daniela and their son. His motivations seem to be that he deserves this life, but Daniela begins noticing differences and soon begins to uncover the fact that her husband is not who he seems to be.

When main character Jason is rescued by Amanda, a psychiatrist working at the research facility, they wind up in the machine that brought him in the first place. It turns out to be a Schrödinger’s box of sorts and allows people to step into the area between realities and come out in totally different places by existing everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

The two begin visiting realities in an attempt to find Jason’s original before his doppelganger completely takes over his life and wreaks havoc on his reality. However, Amanda and Jason need a specific chemical for their brains to accept the reality warping of the machine, and they only have a limited amount. It is up to Jason to figure out the secrets of the machine, what his other self learned about dark matter and how it affects reality, and whether he’ll ever get home.

Dark Matter: The Cast & Crew

     20th Century Fox

Dark Matter is based on the book by Blake Crouch. Produced and written by the author, it is also executive produced by Joel Edgerton, David Manpearl, and Matt Tolmach (executive producer of the Tom Holland Spider-Man films). The nine-episode miniseries will be produced by Apple Studios and Sony Pictures Television. There is no word whether it will involve a second season or if it will be self-contained.

The cast of the show is full of well-known television and film actors. Playing the lead role is Joel Edgerton (Obi-Wan Kenobi) in the part of Jason Dessen. His wife, Daniela will be played by Jennifer Connelly (Top Gun: Maverick). Jason’s colleague Leighton will be played by Dayo Okeniyi (Fresh). Jason’s world-wandering partner Amanda will be played by Alice Braga (We Are Who We Are) and Jimmi Simpson (The Man Who Fell To Earth) will play Ryan, Jason’s once-friend and brilliant counterpart.

The fact that a short series can pull in such a gifted cast can lead people to understand that this might be groundbreaking work for Apple TV+. They have never been above speculative, sci-fi strangeness (see Severance for further proof) but they are banking on an author whose work has been tested in the streaming space. Crouch has previously presented the Wayward Pines Trilogy (2012-2014) and Good Behavior (2016). These projects were seen as successes and with a rich library of work it is no wonder that Apple TV+ wanted to scoop him up.

Everything Else We Know

     Top Gun: Maverick

The show promises to become the latest sci-fi series to bend people’s minds to the concept of a multiverse. Many people will already be familiar with the basic concept from the MCU films, but Dark Matter will take a more scientific approach alongside its more perilous plot.

Edgerton and Connelly are both big-name stars willing to make the step to streaming and their decision to go with Apple TV+, a streaming service known for award-winning programs, just adds more cloud to the streamer.

There is no word whether the series will feature any surprise cameos, but the door is always open for last-minute cast announcements. Dark Matter will premiere in 2023 on Apple TV+.