Joel Edgerton asked for a role in new Apple sci-fi series Dark Matter because he's a fan of the book

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Exclusive: Dark Matter showrunner and author Blake Crouch says star Joel Edgerton was a big fan of the novel before signing on

Dark Matter
(Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

Dark Matter creator Blake Crouch says star Joel Edgerton asked to be cast in Apple's TV adaptation.

"Joel read the book and heard there was a show in the works, so his was an incoming call which almost never happens,"  the author, who acts as showrunner, head writer, and executive producer on the show, tells SFX magazine in the new issue, which features Doctor Who on the cover.

Based on Crouch's bestselling novel, the sci-fi series sees Edgerton play Jason Dessen, a physicist and family man who is abducted on the streets of Chicago one night while walking home, and subsequently thrown into an alternate version of his life. As Jason tries to navigate this sudden nightmare, he slowly begins to realize that he was kidnapped by an alternate universe version of himself.

"The idea of him stepping into this and really just embracing it was super appealing to me," continues Crouch. "When we talked, he kept mentioning '80s-era Harrison Ford, that kind of a vibe which I thought was really exciting."

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The first two episodes of Dark Matter will hit Apple TV Plus on May 8, with the rest of the season airing weekly after that. The above is just a snippet from our interview, available in the latest issue of SFX magazine, which features Doctor Who on the cover and is available on newsstands from Wednesday, April 17. 

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Lauren Milici
Lauren Milici
Senior Entertainment Writer

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ based in New York City. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.