The original series A Gentleman in Moscow premieres this Friday, May 17, on Paramount+. Starring Ewan McGregor, the series is an adaptation of the internationally successful novel of the same name by Amor Towles. Spanning eight episodes, the story follows Count Alexander Rostov, played by Emmy®-winning actor Ewan McGregor (Star Wars franchise, Halston, Trainspotting), who, in the wake of the Russian Revolution, discovers that his past puts him on the wrong side of history.
After escaping immediate execution, he is banished by a Soviet court to an attic of the opulent Hotel Metropol, and is threatened with death if he sets foot outside again. As the years pass and some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history unfold outside the hotel’s doors, Rostov’s small circumstances provide him with entry into a much wider world of emotional discovery. As he builds a new life within the hotel walls, he discovers the true value of friendship, family and love.
Alongside McGregor, the series stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Ahsoka, Kate, Birds of Prey) as glamorous film actress Anna Urbanova; Alexa Goodall (The Devil’s Hour, Lockwood and Co) as the Count’s unlikely young friend, Nina; Johnny Harris (Without Sin, This is England ’86) as conflicted secret policeman Osip; and Fehinti Balogun (Dune, I May Destroy You) as Mishka, the Count’s best friend since college. The cast includes Leah Harvey (Foundation), Paul Ready (Motherland, The Terror), John Heffernan (Becoming Elizabeth, The Pursuit of Love), Lyès Salem (Coupez, Abou Leila), Björn Hlynur Haraldsson (Lamb, The Witcher), Dee Ahluwalia (Consent, Sex Education) and Anastasia Hille (I Hate Suzie Too).
A Gentleman in Moscow is produced by Lionsgate Television in association with Paramount. Ben Vanstone is showrunner on the series, which is the first production to emerge through Lionsgate’s deal with Tom Harper’s company, Popcorn Storm Pictures. Harper (War and Peace, Peaky Blinders) will also executive produce alongside Vanstone, McGregor, Sharon Hughff (Three Pines), Pancho Mansfield (Queen of the South), Moonriver TV’s Xavier Marchand (Nautilus, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris) and the writer of the New York Times bestselling novel Love Towles. BAFTA® Award-winning and Emmy®-nominated director Sam Miller (Surface, I May Destroy You, Luther) directs select episodes and executive produces. Sarah O’Gorman (The Witcher, The Last Kingdom) also serves as director.
