Adult Time's ‘Future Darkly’ Series to Return With Penny Barber

This feature appears in the October issue of AVN magazine. Click here for the digital edition.  LOS ANGELES—Adult streaming platform Adult Time’s series Future Darkly will drop a new episode, after a lengthy hiatus, just in time for Halloween. The new featurette marks a revival for the popular science fiction-based title which debuted in 2018 and was originally developed by Adult Time Chief Creative Officer Bree Mills and veteran helmer Craven Moorehead. The series took a notable turn toward dystopian narratives in January 2021, when in season five, episode five, titled Future Darkly: Pandemic, the plot mirrored real-life events. Due to COVID-19 social distancing protocols, Mills directed the episode remotely; the scenario, starring Scarlit Scandal and the late Jake Adams, focused on a lonely, isolated woman’s tryst with a delivery man in the time of face masks and front-line workers. The episode was followed by three more before the series literally went dark. The new episode, titled Future Darkly: Virtual Immortality, stars 2024 AVN MILF Performer of the Year Penny Barber and sees the return of husband/wife directing duo Siouxsie Q and Michael Vegas. “The concept was top-shelf, if a bit tricky,” Barber told AVN. “Where most people have trouble with these high-concept scenarios is execution. Even seasoned Hollywood screenwriters can lose control of the plot, but this one was surprisingly well-structured. People are going to get lost in the story in the most delightful, erotic way.” The story begins with Barber portraying a recently widowed woman, Lilah, who is also experiencing empty-nest syndrome when her college stepson goes away to school. Set in the not-too-distant future, the character resorts to advanced technologies to fill the void, becoming emotionally and physically involved with an AI version of her stepson. “She’s vulnerable. She feels guilty about needing a connection with someone. Lilah (my character) doesn’t want to interfere with her stepson’s new life as he goes off to college, but she needs someone and he’s the person she loves most in the world,” Barber described. “I’m sure he, [stepson] Darryl, reminds her of the husband she’s just lost, and that she doesn’t want to pile her own neediness onto his grief. She tries to let go because she loves him, but then she’s presented with this technology that means she doesn’t have to let go—not fully. She can get the emotional and sexual fulfillment that she needs without feeling guilt, losing herself in pleasure. Lilah manages to convince herself that there will be no consequences, only a joy; meretricious perhaps, but better than nothing,” she added. The actress also credited her directors for their ability to provoke a nuanced performance and convey complex scene concepts. “The incomparable Siouxsie Q, whom I’ve known since we were both young sluts up in San Francisco, and her talented husband Michael Vegas, who, as I understand it, is also a slut,” Barber said laughingly. “I admit the day was longer, but the reason Siouxsie and Michael get hired to do things like this is that they have fine-tuned their production protocol over years, making use of their perspective both in front of and behind the camera. They know what they need to do to get the story, then they do it. And Siouxsie’s theater degree and emotional intelligence, not to mention Michael’s talent for cinematography, help as well.” Barber, who has established herself as a multi-award-winning performer and fan favorite MILF, said that the recognition has meant more offers to work in large feature productions and episodic work that go beyond simple sex scenes and gonzo fare. “It wasn’t so long ago that I heard directors, writers, actors—everyone on set, really—saying that our productions don’t matter because they’re ‘just porn.’ I don’t hear that as much anymore,” Barber observed. “Companies are having to step up their production values to compete with the amateur, gonzo content flooding OnlyFans and other premium social media sites, and as someone who loves film and film production, I think that’s a good thing.” “There also seems to be a trend towards cinephilia in mainstream culture, with stars talking about their favorite films and mentioning some very high-brow titles. Infinite choices are at consumers’ fingertips (for a price) and curated, avant-garde streaming sites like Mubi make it easier for consumers to find quality films. It’s a great time to be alive and working in independent film—especially a genre as flexible as adult,” she said. Future Darkly: Virtual Immortality is scheduled to premiere in late October. Check AdultTime.com for further details. Photography by Modest Pup