After confusingly popping up in the credits of Netflix's Outlast series, it seems Jason Bateman's involvement in the streaming show may go a lot deeper than some may have thought.
The survival reality TV series sees a group of contestants split into four teams to head off and survive as best they can in the Alaskan wilderness for the chance at a $1 million cash prize.
The show's first season debuted in March 2023, and fans have only recently dived back into its last-team-standing survival world, as Season 2 came to the service on Wednesday, September 4.
How Is Jason Bateman Involved In Outlast?
Fans have been wondering just how Jason Bateman is involved in the Netflix series, Outlast after his name popped up in the show's credits.
In the official Outlast credits, Bateman is listed as an Executive Producer (EP) on the reality competition series.
The responsibilities of an executive producer vary from name to name and production to production. However, they are defined as, "the top of the producer food chain, as they control—and often provide—the film's funding" (via Masterclass).
In many cases, the executive producer role can be a fairly hands-off one, often given to someone who financially contributed to the production without having much oversight/contribution to the production itself.
However, at times it can also mean the person was creatively involved, but (especially nowadays) that is not often the case.
Outlast is produced by Bateman's production company, Aggregate Films. This would likely be why the Ozark actor was listed as an EP on the project, as his company would have helped to finance the show.
Many of Aggregate Films' projects like Brie Larson's Lessons in Chemistry and the Richard Linklater film, Hitman, have also featured Bateman's name in a similar role despite him not starring in many (if any) of them.
Bateman's involvement continues with the newly released second season of Outlast (per Deadline), as he joins the likes of Michael Costigan, Emma Ho, and Duck Dynasty's Mike Odair on the executive producer list yet again.
As of writing, it remains to be seen if this EP work on the Netflix series will ever mean Bateman will appear in the series in any capacity.
No, he would likely not compete, but a brief cameo to perhaps hand out the final $1 million prize does not feel like an impossibility.
He did not appear in Season 1 at all though, perhaps indicating a more hands-off approach for this particular series. This could mean he will follow suit with Season 2 and will remain working exclusively behind the scenes instead.
Outlast Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.
