The cast and creators of Syfy’s upcoming dystopian thriller Incorporated don’t think the world they’ve created is too far-fetched.
The drama, executive produced by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck under their production banner Pearl Street, takes place in a near future where corporations have unlimited power. Reign alum Sean Teale stars as a young executive who conceals his true identity to infiltrate that very dangerous corporate world and save the woman he loves.
“We always envisioned this show as an extreme version of reality,” said Spanish filmmaker Alex Pastor, who created the show with his brother David Pastor, at the Television Critics Association summer press tour. “It shows the things that are going on right now in a distorted, satirical way.”
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Castmember Dennis Haysbert, who plays a high-level security executive in the show, pointed out that by just looking at the current political climate, we’ll well on our way to a Brave New World. “All those things [in Incorporated] we’re headed to, in my estimation. It reads very real for me, even if it’s not quite there yet. A few misplaced politicians and a few other things will put us there,” he said onstage.
The idea for the project began as a movie, but slowly evolved into a television series. “Having 10 episodes allows you to explore what you’re creating in depth, and to go for the side stories in a way that a movie doesn’t,” added Pastor. “We’re very excited that this new medium allows us to get to the nitty gritty, the details of the world building that we feel is fascinating.”
Pastor admitted that while he and his brother watched a lot of TV, they had no idea how it actually worked. But their spec script caught the attention of Affleck and Damon, and eventually landed them a series order at Syfy. Television veteran Ted Humphrey also joined the project as an executive producer. “I thought this was something we genuinely weren’t seeing on television — grounded, speculative fiction,” Humphrey said of his draw to the show, adding of its relevance: “You could close your eyes and hope that we don’t get there.”
As far as Affleck and Damon’s involvement goes, Pastor said that the pair “keep an eye” on them and send notes based on the pilot that they saw. “They’ve been as hands-on as superstars can be,” he added.
Incorporated will premiere Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 10 p.m. on Syfy.
