Matilda Lutz and Others Cast in Sci-fi Thriller ‘Increase’

Matilda Lutz (Revenge), Suzanne Clément, Holt McCallany (Mindhunter) and Fernanda Urrejola have been cast in the futuristic thriller, Increase, reports Variety this morning.

Lutz stars as “a professional runner whose life is shattered by an unwanted pregnancy and later transformed by a catastrophic accident that leaves her without both legs. Fitted with technologically advanced prosthetics connected directly to the brain, Genie not only learns to walk again but surpasses the limits of human performance as a Paralympic athlete. As she takes the world by storm, suspicions emerge over whether her amputation was really accidental — or a deliberate choice.”

Nicolas Bary directs from a script by Sheila Erdmann, Mary Noelle Dana and Bary.

The outlet notes that the film “blends psychological thriller elements with transhumanist themes and body horror influences.”

Said Bary, “I wanted to explore the pursuit of human performance pushed to the extreme — how a passionate athlete can see that passion evolve into obsession”.

Continued the filmmaker, “Visually, there’s definitely something Cronenbergian in the film — this fascination with the body, transformation and the idea of becoming something hybrid“.

Amélie Melkonian will executive produce on the project, which is co-produced by Caramel Films’ Valérie d’Auteuil and Kwassa Films’ Annabella Nezri.

Lutz took the film world by storm with her performance in Revenge. Consider me excited to see what she does in Bary’s sci-fi horror.

Increase is set to begin shooting in Canada in 2027.