Sam Heughan (“Outlander,” “The Couple Next Door”) will star alongside EGOT-winning actress and executive producer Viola Davis (“How to Get Away with Murder”) in “Ascent,” a new thriller series for Paramount+ set in the dangerous world of global corporate crisis and damage control.
While production is not set to begin until 2027 in Los Angeles, with the series premiering globally exclusively on Paramount+, a logline notes that Heughan will play “Conal,” one of Ascent Ventures’ top agents. Described as a lethally charming and natural chameleon, Conal uses social cunning and ruthlessness to get the job done, and he always gets a thrill out of completing a mission.
Davis will play “Catriona,” an elite corporate fixer who must weaponize the ruthless skills that have made her indispensable to billion-dollar clients when her estranged daughter is in danger.
Produced by Paramount Television Studios, “Ascent” is created by Tony Award winner and three-time Oscar nominee John Logan (“Skyfall,” “Gladiator,” “Michael,” “Penny Dreadful”), who will also serve as showrunner and executive producer alongside executive producers Michael Aguilar (“Penny Dreadful: City of Angels,” “Kidding,” “The Departed”), Viola Davis and Julius Tennon for JuVee Productions.
Heughan is best known for his role as an actor and producer in the hit series “Outlander,” which recently aired its eighth and final season and earned him BAFTA Scotland and Critics’ Choice Award nominations. On television, he appeared in “The Couple Next Door,” “Men in Kilts: A Road Trip with Sam and Graham,” “River City,” “Island at War,” “The Wild West,” and “Party Animals.” He will next star in the political thriller “Embassy,” alongside J.K. Simmons and Anna Kendrick.
In film, Heughan most recently starred in Love Again, with Priyanka Chopra and Celine Dion, and has also been in “The Spy Who Dumped Me,” with Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon, “Bloodshot,” with Vin Diesel, and “SAS: Red Notice” with Ruby Rose and Andy Serkis.
Heughan received rave reviews playing the titular role of “Macbeth” at the Royal Shakespeare Company last year. Outside of acting, Heughan is also a three-time New York Times bestselling author, the founder of an award-winning spirit brand called The Sassenach, and creator of My Peak Challenge, a wellness brand that helps people live a healthy lifestyle while raising money for charity.
He is represented by United Agents, UTA, Anonymous Content and Viewpoint.