Naman Shrestha
Adapted from the eponymous 2016 novel, which is considered one of the best sci-fi novels of the decade, written by Blake Crouch, Apple TV+’s ‘Dark Matter’ is a science fiction drama series that focuses on a Chicago-based physicist and professor named Jason Dessen, who tries to excel at his personal life as much as he does at his professional life. One regular night, while returning home and walking down the streets of Chicago, the family man suddenly gets abducted into an alternate version of his life.
Jason attempts to return to his previous version of reality while contemplating all the possible lives he could have lived by making different choices, and he realizes that it is not going to be easy. Regardless, he decides to go against the tide and embarks on a journey to get back to his family and prevent them from getting hurt by a horrible enemy — himself. Led by Joel Edgerton, the creation of Blake Crouch also features compelling performances from other actors in supporting roles, including Jennifer Connelly, Alice Braga, Jimmi Simpson, Oakes Fegley, and Dayo Okeniyi. The thrilling suspense in the narrative is driven by the different versions of Jason’s life, which consists of the same sites but with distinct vibes.
Dark Matter Filming Locations
‘Dark Matter’ is primarily filmed in Illinois, specifically in Chicago. Some portions of the show are also shot in Gary, Indiana. Principal photography for the inaugural iteration of the sci-fi thriller series got underway in October 2022 under the working title ‘Durango 60623’ and continued for the next six months before wrapping up in April 2023. Upon completion of filming for season 1, the creator, Blake Crouch, took to social media and shared his feelings about it. He wrote, “…Feeling a crazy swirl of emotion today as we wrap principal photography. Excitement. Exhaustion. Relief. Joy. Everything bittersweet that comes with turning the last page on a major life chapter.”
Furthermore, Blake added, “But more than anything, I feel overwhelming gratitude to my Dark Matter family, the greatest cast and crew I could have hoped for. Gratitude to my partner in life and creativity, Jacque Ben-Zekry, my producing partners, Matt Tolmach and David Manpearl, and everyone at Sony and Apple who entrusted me with this undertaking, and in doing so gifted me the most beautiful creative experience of my career—one that brought so many lovely and wildly-talented people into my life. And finally… gratitude to this extraordinary city for being my home for nearly a year. Chicago, I already miss you…”
Chicago, Illinois
‘Dark Matters’ is predominantly filmed in and around the city of Chicago in Cook County, in the northeastern part of Illinois. In order to showcase Physics professor Jason Dessen’s extraordinary adventures that transcend multiple parallel realities, the production team also utilizes the first-rate facilities provided by Cinespace Chicago Film Studios. Situated at 2621 West 15th Place, it is one of the leading studios in the Midwestern part of the country and offers its services, soundstages, spaces, and offices for the creation of several sequences of the show. Montrose Harbor, located at 601 West Montrose Avenue in Lincoln Park, just a few minutes from the eponymous beach, is also one of the shooting sites.
The blizzard scene of season 1 was taped around Montrose Harbor. The skilled crew members constructed a set on Cricket Hill 4500 North Lakeshore Drive to shoot a sequence. A fence was built around a portion of the hill on the gorgeous marina to prevent entry by those not associated with the production. For the purpose of filming, the cast and crew also set up camp at a handful of locations in Downtown Chicago. In the northwestern part of the city, particularly in the vibrant neighborhood of Logan Square, scenes set in and around Jason Dessen’s residence are lensed. A few scenes are also shot at The Village Tap, a popular tavern at 2055 West in Roscoe Street in the Roscoe Village neighborhood, as well as Damen Tavern at 701 North Damen Avenue in the neighborhood of West Town.
In a conversation with the Chicago Sun-Times, creator Blake Crouch shared some insight on the filming process and also mentioned additional locations where filming takes place. He said, “It was super special to get to shoot at Millennium Park. We shut down Lake Shore Drive one Sunday morning. We shot at the beautiful reading room at the University of Chicago, which was one of the coolest, most visually spectacular places. We shot in an old abandoned hospital in Blue Island. There’s so many riches visually in Chicago that are really untouched by film, so you get to shoot the city in a way that feels really fresh.”
Gary, Indiana
For the purpose of shooting, the filming unit of ‘Dark Matter’ also travels outside the city of Chicago — to the nearby city of Gary in Indiana. Situated along the southern shore of Lake Michigan, just a few miles southeast of downtown Chicago, Gary makes for a suitable production location for the Joel Edgerton starter.
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