Logan Marshall-Green is keen to bring his sci-fi masterpiece back to life.
Produced by Blumhouse and written and directed by Insidious' Leigh Whannell, Upgrade set Marshall-Green in the near future as auto mechanic Grey, who is left traumatized and paralyzed after his and his wife's smart car is hacked, and she is murdered. Offered a new chance at life with an experimental AI chip implanted in his spine, Grey finds that the system, STEM, also gives him the upper hand to enact justice on those responsible.
Also starring Get Out's Betty Gabriel, Oppenheimer's Harrison Gilbertson, All Her Fault's Melanie Vallejo and The Invisible Man's Benedict Hardie, Upgrade garnered widespread acclaim from critics with its 2018 debut and became a sleeper box office hit, grossing over $17 million against its $3 million production budget. After years of expressing hopes for a follow-up, a TV sequel series was announced in May 2020, with Whannell teaming with Tim Walsh to co-create it, and the latter serve as showrunner, but would later be quietly cancelled in development.
Now, in an interview with ScreenRant's Grant Hermanns for the Marshals season 1 finale, Marshall-Green has offered new details about the scrapped Upgrade sequel show. When asked whether he had any discussions to be a part of the series, as previous information said it would focus on new characters, the star confirmed "there have been a few iterations" of the sequel, one of which included Grey returning:
Logan Marshall-Green: It's just so prescient too, and it's so germane to what's happening now. I do feel like it deserves another shot. There was another iteration where they kind of decided, "No, wait, let's go back and pick up right after the movie, and let's focus on Grey." And it had some incredible auteurs and show creators, and I just don't think it was able to get to the one-yard line, for whatever reason.
Marshall-Green was cautious to note that "I don't want to speak out of turn, because I still feel like there is a next chapter for that universe," but did indicate that with the show's cancellation, "a lot of it had to do with climate and politics and the pandemic." Even still, he went on to praise the versions of the Upgrade sequel he was aware of, as he felt "the allure" and "the draw of the movie is what Leigh created and Felicity [Abbott] built in production design" for their futuristic sci-fi universe:
Logan Marshall-Green: I'm glad we're talking about it, because it just puts it out there, and I know Leigh and I would work together in a snap. I loved working with Leigh, he was an incredible creative. Not a lot of people saw it, but it's become its own creature, you know, cult creature. I get a lot of Upgrade love, I won't lie, and I adore it, because I love that film, and I loved shooting that film.
Marshall-Green has often discussed his hopes for a return to the world, but this is the first indication that one version of the sequel would have him return as Grey. The character's fate became a point of intrigue after the original Upgrade's ending, in which STEM effectively breaks Grey's mind and sends his consciousness into an idyllic dream state with his wife still alive and him not paralyzed, all while his body is now fully controlled by the AI.
The Upgrade sequel show was said to be picking up a couple of years after the film, with a new version of STEM being put into criminals in the hopes of reforming them, focusing specifically on four characters. Walsh previously compared his vision for the series to that of A Clockwork Orange, describing his characters as "antiheroes," while also confirming that the pandemic and changes in Peacock's leadership structure were the primary reasons for its cancellation.
Though it's unclear if Walsh's iteration would have included Marshall-Green's Grey, there are a few ways the Upgrade show could have brought the original character back. For starters, the new version of STEM could have been developed by the AI itself in Grey's body, and subsequently revealing more of what it wanted from taking over his body.
Alternatively, those implanted with the new STEM could have spent the Upgrade sequel show's season investigating the original chip, eventually leading them to Grey. In their own efforts to rid themselves of the AI system, it could have also seen them hack their way into Grey's consciousness stuck in the dream state, giving him the possibility to decide whether he wants to remain or be freed.
Despite it having been quietly scrapped, the door certainly isn't entirely closed for the Upgrade sequel show to still be made. Whannell continues to have a close working relationship with Blumhouse, having reunited with them on both The Invisible Man and Wolf Man, continued to serve as a producer on the Insidious franchise, and may be reteaming with frequent collaborator James Wan for the next Saw movie after the label bought the rights to the series. Additionally, with its cult following still being passionate, and Marshall-Green open to a return, they may yet convince the powers that be to revive it.
CBS Sets Fall Dates for ‘Marshals,’ ‘Survivor’ and More
CBS has set its fall premiere dates, and as has been the case for the past few seasons, most of the network’s lineup will launch in early October.
Reality staples Survivor and The Amazing Race will debut a bit earlier, as will 60 Minutes. But all of CBS’ scripted series are set to premiere over six days starting Oct. 4. Marshals and Tracker — the two most watched shows on network TV last season, excluding live sports — are up first that night, remaining in the Sunday night spots they occupied last season.
FBI and CIA follow on Oct. 5, with each show moving up an hour (to 8 and 9 p.m. ET/PT) from their spots last season as CBS eliminated its Monday comedy block for 2026-27. True crime show Harlan Coben’s Final Twist follows at 10 p.m.
An all-NCIS lineup remains on Tuesday nights starting Oct. 6, with newcomer NCIS: New York sandwiched between the flagship series and prequel NCIS: Origins. CBS’ two other new fall series, comedy Eternally Yours and drama Cupertino, premiere Oct. 8 along with Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage and Elsbeth. Ghosts and Matlock are set for midseason premieres, but a pair of Ghosts specials will air on Oct. 29 and Dec. 10 tied to Halloween and Christmas. The Friday lineup of Sheriff Country, Fire Country and Boston Blue debuts Oct. 9.
CBS’ fall premiere dates are below. All times are ET/PT unless noted, and new shows are marked with an asterisk.
Sunday, Sept. 13
7:30 p.m.: 60 Minutes (approximate; follows NFL doubleheader)
Wednesday, Sept. 23
8 p.m.: Survivor
Wednesday, Sept. 30
9:30 p.m.: The Amazing Race
Sunday, Oct. 4
8:30 p.m.: Marshals (approximate; follows NFL doubleheader and 60 Minutes)
9:30 p.m.: Tracker
Monday, Oct. 5
8 p.m.: FBI
9 p.m.: CIA
10 p.m.: Harlan Coben’s Final Twist
Tuesday, Oct. 6
8 p.m.: NCIS
9 p.m.: NCIS: New York*
10 p.m.: NCIS: Origins
Thursday, Oct. 8
8 p.m.: Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage
8:30 p.m.: Eternally Yours*
9 p.m.: Elsbeth
10 p.m.: Cupertino*
Friday, Oct. 9
8 p.m.: Sheriff Country
9 p.m.: Fire Country
10 p.m.: Boston Blue
Saturday, Oct. 10
10 p.m.: 48 Hours
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