Outlander star Sam Heughan is set to join Viola Davis in Ascent, an upcoming thriller series for Paramount+. Billed as a “character-driven thriller,” the show will explore a world shaped by global corporate crises and the efforts to contain their fallout.

Heughan will portray Conal, one of the leading agents at Ascent Ventures. Described as a “lethally charming and natural chameleon,” the character thrives on completing missions and relies on social cunning and ruthlessness to get the job done.

Davis, whose casting was previously announced, will star as Catriona Vail, an elite corporate fixer known for her indispensable work with billion-dollar clients. When her estranged daughter finds herself in danger, Catriona must turn the same ruthless skills that built her reputation toward protecting her family.

Ascent is being produced by Paramount Television Studios and was created by three-time Academy Award nominee John Logan, whose credits include Skyfall, Gladiator and Penny Dreadful.

Logan will also serve as showrunner and executive producer, alongside Davis, Michael Aguilar and Julius Tennon. Although Paramount+ has yet to announce a release date, filming is expected to begin in Los Angeles next year.

Davis shared her excitement about the project in a statement, saying, “I am overwhelmingly excited about this journey with the great John Logan. We won the lottery with this one!”

She continued, “Work in which both story and character are bold, awe inspiring and deeply unique is why I became an artist. We at JuVee are deeply grateful to John Logan, Michael Aquilar and Paramount. We are ready to create magic,” she added.

Matt Thunell, president of Paramount Television Studios, said the company takes pride in championing original and ambitious ideas. He added that the studio was “honoured to support the vision of [the] exceptional” creative team behind Ascent.

Jane Wiseman, Head of Originals for Paramount+, described the series as “high-stakes television at its best.” Praising Davis’s involvement, she said, “Viola doesn’t just take on roles; she transforms them. Catriona is an incredibly complex character and she is exactly the generational talent to bring her to life.”

Ascent will be available to stream on Paramount+.

Source: Various