Ewan McGregor Joins Showtime Drama Series ‘A Gentleman In Moscow’
Obi-Wan Kenobi star Ewan McGregor is set to lead A Gentleman in Moscow, a new drama series for Paramount+ and Showtime based on the Amor Towles’ novel of the same name.
According to Variety, McGregor will play Count Alexander Rostov, who finds himself going from riches to rags following the Russian revolution. After a Soviet tribunal sees him exiled to the attic room of an opulent hotel, Rostov, oblivious to the world outside, begins to disover the true value of friendship, family, and love.
McGregor replaces Kenneth Branagh, who was originally cast in the role. The recasting was revealed by Paramount Premium Group CEO David Nevins during the Edinburgh TV Festival today, Thursday, August 25, where he spoke about his vision for Paramount+’s international expansion.
“It’s an amazing, wonderful story and I am very excited to get to play such a fabulous role,” said McGregor (via Variety). The Emmy-winning actor will also serve as an executive producer on the project alongside Tom Harper (War and Peace), Xavier Marchand (Nautilus), and Towles. Ben Vanston (All Creatures Great and Small) is on board as showrunner and will also exec produce.
A Gentleman in Moscow will debut on Paramount+ internationally and on Showtime in the U.S.
“The book is a rare and delicious treat and I fell in love with it the moment I picked it up six years ago,” said Harper. “We are thrilled that Amor entrusted this brilliant team with bringing the Metropol to life and couldn’t be more delighted that Ewan will be playing the Count.”
McGregor is known for playing the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequels, a role he reprised for the 2015 film Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the 2019 film Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Earlier this year, he reprised the role again for the Disney+ miniseries Obi-Wan Kenobi. He will next be heard in Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, voicing the character of Sebastian J. Cricket.
A Gentleman in Moscow, TBA, Showtime
