When metaverses collide: we go down the rabbit hole with Uploads creator and cast for season 2

Date:
Wed, 09 Mar 2022 17:00:51 +0000

Description:
TechRadar talks to Upload creator Greg Daniels and the shows cast about
season 2s multi-genre plot and being a metaverse trailblazer.

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Upload was pioneering the metaverse long before the virtual reality (VR) multiverse concept entered the mainstream. As technology-based companies race to become the metaverses so-called inventor if such a term can be used the Prime Video show s creator Greg Daniels cant help but raise a smile at
Uploads seemingly trailblazing nature.

The funny thing to me is that Meta [Facebooks new parent company] has named its metaverse project Horizon, Daniels tells TechRadar. Thats the name of our shows metaverse-style company, which is called Horizen. Its amusing that theyve used the same title as us, even though its spelled differently!

Daniels and Uploads cast can certainly joke that theyre the true visionaries of an idea such as the metaverse. The sci-fi comedy series exploration of a hybrid VR/real-life world, alongside its witty and eclectic characters and
its compelling plot, made it a hit with audiences after its initial May 2020 release. With the concept of the metaverse entering public consciousness during the shows two-year hiatus, Upload season 2 is well placed to continue its comedic examination of a concept that may prove to be yet another technological gimmick .

Ahead of Uploads Prime Video return on March 11, we sat down with Daniels and the shows cast to discuss season 2s multi-genre plot, metaverse musings, and the prospects for a third season. Reloading relationships Nathan is unexpectedly reunited with Ingrid in Upload season 2. (Image credit: Liane Hentscher/Amazon Studios)

Set some time after the first seasons finale, Upload season 2 finds Nathan (Robbie Amell) at a digital afterlife crossroads. His ex-girlfriend Ingrid (Allegra Edwards) has uploaded herself to Horizens Lakeview hotel in a bid to win him back. Nathan, though, longs to be reunited with Horizen customer service angel Nora (Andy Allo), who has gone off-grid to escape the same
shady company that murdered Nathan in the shows premiere.

The pairs burgeoning relationship, too, lies in tatters. Before going
offline, Nora was heartbroken when Nathan didnt appear to reciprocate her
love for him. Unbeknownst to Nora, though, Nathan was trapped in zero
gigabyte hell after he used the last of his data expressing shock at Ingrids arrival, meaning he couldnt respond in kind. This was after Nathan imprisoned himself in 2 Gig, Lakeviews basement-level floor where its low income residents reside, after he betrayed his business partner in the real world before his death.

Despite these crossed wires, Nathan and Noras separation is an epiphanous moment for the latter. As Allo reveals, the duos parting provides Nora with the room to find her voice as an individual.

This season really sets Nora up in a way that we didnt see previously, Allo says. In season one, she's so invested in other people's lives and isn't sure why she's doing things. She comes into her own and realizes who she is away from the men in her life. Even though it might rub some people the wrong way, she comes into her own power, even if it makes others uncomfortable. Upload season 2 gives us a glimpse into the future of the metaverse. (Image credit: Liane Hentscher/Amazon Studios)

Ingrids character evolution is somewhat stunted by comparison. Without spoiling much, the third wheel in Uploads complicated love triangle finds herself torn between key aspects of her life. Its this loneliness, Edwards explains, that leads to Ingrids immature compulsions, even if theyre subconsciously well-meaning.

The one constant for Ingrid in season two is that we get more of that sense
of longing that's in her spirit, she says. And I'm hoping audiences will see just how isolated she is. She's just not equipped in the same way that other people of her age are to express what she really wants and needs. So it was fascinating to dive in and explore that more thoroughly.

It isnt just relationships between the shows main trio that take some surprising turns. Noras fellow Horizen employee Aleesha (Zainab Johnson) and Nathans fellow Lakeview resident Luke (Kevin Bigley) find their friendships with Nora and Nathan tested throughout in scenarios that see them call out their buddies questionable behavior. Its this human touch that, for a series that explores sci-fi themes and technological advancements in detail, sets Upload apart from similar genre offerings. Nora goes into hiding in Upload season 2 on Prime Video. (Image credit: Liane Hentscher/Amazon Studios)

If were not careful, Luke can be played in one note where hes just yelling, running around, or being the comedy relief, Bigley says. So we have to ensure there are levels to him. The cool thing for this season is he checks Nathan
on some things, and Greg wrote some great lines that bring a genuineness to their friendship. Its a careful balancing act, but one that helps Luke shine more this time around.

Seeing this discourse in Nora and Aleeshas friendship was difficult, Johnson adds. But audiences want to see those kinds of relationships on screen. We talk about income disparities and technology a lot, but the heart of the show is the relationships between these people. You dont always agree with your family and friends, and things you say or do can drive a wedge between you.
We felt compelled to show all those facets in season 2. System reboot Nora
and Aleesha's friendship is tested in Upload season 2. (Image credit: Liane Hentscher/Amazon Studios)

With Uploads first season allowing Daniels to see what worked its a richer experience to do season 2 as we can see what audiences liked and what didnt, the shows next installment feels narratively tighter and funnier than its predecessor.

Still, like a computers operating system, Upload season 2 undergoes a system reboot of sorts. Despite its billing as a sci-fi comedy series, Upload integrated murder mystery genre elements into the first seasons plot. Its successor goes even further, introducing spy thriller, action, and even
horror tropes into the equation.

Daniels penchant for working on multi-genre projects harks back to his roots as a writer on shows, including The Simpsons and The Office US , that
combined various genre elements. Like Bigleys Upload character, Daniels believes the best way to keep audiences engaged is to continually freshen up
a shows formula.

I mostly come from comedy and romance backgrounds, he says. But, as a fellow entertainment consumer, I love other genres. Sci-fi horror can actually be very funny in an intense and jarring way, so I enjoy mixing it up. I think
the key is surprising audiences; the more you stick to one genre, the harder it is to shock them. If you allow yourself to blend genres together, its easier to surprise them. and more fun from a writers perspective.

Nora comes into her own... she realizes who she is away from the men in her life Andy Allo, Upload actor

That blending characteristic extends far beyond Uploads multi-genre appearance. Until recently, the shows mix of the real world and virtual reality simulations had seemed like a far-future sci-fi concept.

The arrival of the metaverse, a VR universe where avatars computer-generated representations of real-life people can exist in simulated realities,
though, changes that. Apple , Disney , Meta , and Microsoft are just some of the companies competing to create the worlds inaugural metaverse. And, while Daniels cant help but dryly suggest that Upload is the proprietor of such a virtual concept, he delivers an excited but cautionary message about the metaverse becoming a reality. Its one worth noting, too, when its clear how current technologies like social media and mobile phones run (and potentially ruin) our lives.

I think the metaverse is where were going, he muses. But Upload is a show
that heads beyond what the metaverse may be capable of. In Upload, which is set 15 years from now, the metaverse has become so pervasive, and the video quality so high that its photorealistic, that people are living and spending their entire workday there.

I think the metaverses arrival is great for the show, and itll catch up with the kind of technology that we conceived for Upload. Were just sort of anticipating what itll be like when its widespread, and its fun to preview from a comedy perspective. But we also need to ensure that this technology doesnt replace, or try to replicate, the world we live in now.

Its unclear how the metaverses arrival in the real world or alongside the real world might be a better way of putting it will impact future Upload seasons. Daniels already has plans for season 3 and is holding out hope for the shows renewal.

A lot of work has gone into it, he says. We dont know if well have a third season, but indications are very positive. Everybody seems to like the show, so well see. Were optimistically planning for it.

If Upload season 3 is greenlit by Amazon Studios, itll be interesting to see how much of the real worlds metaverse development will be drafted into the show. Like Daniels, various technology-based companies are optimistically planning for the metaverses official launch that is, if such a time comes.

Still, if it fails to get off the ground, well have Uploads fictionalized version of the metaverse to entertain us. And, if dystopian-centric metaverse-style works of fiction, such as Ernest Clines Ready Player One or Neal Stephensons Snow Crash, are to be believed, maybe a metaverse-less world will be for the best.

Upload season 2 launches exclusively on Prime Video on Friday, March 11. The Wheel of Time : everything we know so far



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/when-metaverses-collide-we-go-down-the-rabbit-h ole-with-uploads-creator-and-cast-for-season-2/


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