The Consultant introduces a mysterious man named Regus Pattoff, who steps in after the CEO of CompWare, a gaming app development company, is killed in a shocking turn of events. Pattoff, who introduces him as the consultant, begins running the company, which confuses the employees, but as new opportunities crop up for the struggling company and its employees, they begin to buy into the culture that Pattoff introduces. As secrets are revealed and money and power are on the line, the question becomes, what would you do to be successful?
Based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Bentley Little, The Consultant is a dark comedy-drama that taps into horror and surrealism. The Consultant was adapted for television by Tony Basgallop, who serves as executive producer along with Matt Shakman, who also directs the pilot. The Consultant features an impressive cast, including Christoph Waltz, who also serves as an executive producer, Nat Wolff, Brittany O'Grady, and Aimee Carrero.
Screen Rant spoke with Christoph Waltz, Tony Basgallop, and Matt Shakman about their new series, The Consultant. Basgallop discussed how the novel inspired him and helped him find the right tone for the series. Waltz explained how he approached the character Regus Patoff, and Shakman shared what drew him to The Consultant as an executive producer and director.
Christoph Waltz, Tony Basgallop & Matt Shakman on The Consultant
Screen Rant: First of all, amazing job on this show. There are elements of comedy and definitely a lot of surrealism. Christoph, The Consultant's first scene really sets the tone for the unexpected, and the series never really slows down after that. What were your first thoughts when you read the script?
Christoph Waltz: Smells good.
I love that answer. Tony, The Consultant keys into horror, comedy, and even a bit of surrealism. How did you find the right tone to set the stage for each of those scenes?
Tony Basgallop: I think I was led, really, by the novel by Bentley Little. That had a very cruel sense of humor to it, a darkness that I always like to bring into my own work. So that was it really, I wanted to kind of match that style that he'd created, and it felt like we were a good fit. He's a very dark and twisted individual, and I enjoy kind of adding my dark, twisted nature on top of his dark, twisted nature. So, we were building on each other there.
Matt, what was it about this project that made you want to jump on as a director? What did your directing style add to The Consultant?
Matt Shakman: I love doing things I haven't done before and having to adjust, and I found this story to be compelling from the first page through to the end. I was surprised, as you were, about what was going to happen next. It was a tone and a style I hadn't seen. And there's so much on television these days, and to find something that feels so fresh and interesting and new was really compelling. So it was fun to just try to build a directing sort of style that felt right for this show, as opposed to bringing anything from the outside, but building from the inside out.
Christoph, I absolutely am fascinated by this character of Regus Patoff, and you do a phenomenal job portraying him. I've never seen a character like this really. So how do you approach playing that character, and what did you want to bring to Regus that wasn't necessarily on the page?
Christoph Waltz: How do I approach it? Two pronged, carefully and respectfully. Because it was the same for me. I've never done anything like it, and I've never seen a part like that, and it is, as Tony said, "Well, maybe there's some unexpected congruence somewhere lurking, not on the surface." And so that requires careful approach, and respectful because it's written so well that you don't want to interfere.
Tony, what was it about the original book that spoke to you, and how did you want to change it to better fit the format of television? Because the one thing I love about this show too is it's so easily binge-able.
Tony Basgallop: I think the book, if I adapted the book directly as it is, it would've made a great 90-minute horror film. But obviously we were kind of doing a returnable TV series and 30-minute episodes, so the story within had to change. And also when I started writing this, we were in the middle of a lockdown, the whole pandemic thing had kicked off. We didn't know if anyone was ever going back to the office. So I had that kind of freedom in a sense.
Because I thought, "Well, no one's going to make this. I'm going to write it anyway, but no one's probably going to make it because the world has changed." And so, yeah, it felt like I could add those elements to what the book had started, that sense of returning to an environment, not just, "Okay, it's the same grind every day." It's like, no, people are going back to work. People are doing something new and the fear of that.
Christoph, I wanted to switch directions just for a second. Jon Landau and Rosa Salazar have talked about being interested in doing another Alita Battle Angel, if that opportunity arose, would you be up for? Because I absolutely love that film.
Christoph Waltz: Thank you. Yes, if the part is what I would like to do, certainly. Definitely.
About The Consultant
Mr. Patoff, a mysterious consultant, swoops in to rescue a company in turmoil following the sudden violent death of their CEO. Mr. Patoff steps in and begins running the company, much to the employees' surprise and confusion. However, when new opportunities present themselves the question becomes how far will one go to get ahead and survive.
Check back soon for our other The Consultant interview with Nat Wolff, Brittany O'Grady, and Aimee Carrero.
The Consultant premieres on Prime Video on February 24.