Matilda Lutz (Revenge), Suzanne Clément (Mommy), Holt McCallany (“Mindhunter”), and Fernanda Urrejola (Cry Macho) will star in the futuristic thriller Increase, Variety has learned.
Nicolas Bary will direct from a script he co-wrote with Sheila Erdmann and Mary Noelle Dana, which “blends psychological thriller elements with transhumanist themes and body horror influences.”
Lutz stars as Genie, 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.
“I wanted to explore the pursuit of human performance pushed to the extreme — how a passionate athlete can see that passion evolve into obsession,” Bary told Variety. He cited influences ranging from David Cronenberg’s body horror works to Gattaca to emotionally driven thrillers like Black Swan and I, Tonya.
Barry is producing alongside Valérie d’Auteuil of Canada’s Caramel Films and Annabella Nezri of Belgium’s Kwassa Films. French Paralympic champion Marie-Amélie Le Fur serves as consultant and technical advisor on the film.
Increase is gearing up to shoot in Canada next year.
Lutz’s other upcoming genre project include the spider horror movie Crawlers, in theaters October 2, and the psychosexual horror film Psyche, currently in post-production.
