Aug. 25 (UPI) — Ewan McGregor will be starring in and producing the upcoming drama series A Gentleman In Moscow for Paramount+ and Showtime, it was announced Thursday.
Based on the novel of the same name by Amor Towles, McGregor will star in the historical series as Count Alexander Rostov, an elitist who finds himself in trouble following the Russian Revolution.
“Spared immediate execution, he is banished by a Soviet tribunal to an attic room in the opulent Hotel Metropol, threatened with death if he ever sets foot outside again,” according to a synopsis of the series obtained by Deadline. “As the years pass and some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history unfold outside the hotel’s doors, Rostov’s reduced circumstances provide him entry into a much larger world of emotional discovery.”
“As he builds a new life within the walls of the hotel, he discovers the true value of friendship, family and love,” the synopsis continued.
The project was initially announced back in 2018, but McGregor will now be replacing actor and director Kenneth Branagh, who was initially given the starring role of Rostov.
McGregor said of the series, “It’s an amazing, wonderful story, and I am very excited to get to play such a fabulous role.”
A Gentleman in Moscow will be written by showrunner Ben Vanstone, who will also serve as an executive producer. Towles — whose original novel has sold over four million copes — is also a producer on the project.
The series is the first production to come through a new deal with indie studio Popcorn Storm Pictures.
“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 Popcorn Storm Pictures founder Tom 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.”
An exact release date has not been announced, although the show is slated to come out sometime in 2023. The series will air on Paramount+ in the U.K., and Showtime in the U.S.
A Gentleman in Moscow is part of Paramount+’s reported plan to green light 150 originals by 2025.
The series will likely gain traction by adding an A-lister like McGregor.
The 51-year-old Scottish actor is coming off a recent performance in the miniseries Obi-Wan Kenobi, which saw him return to the role of the titular Star Wars Jedi after 17 years.
While his stint as Obi-Wan may be the most culturally well-known, McGregor has starred in a number of hit films.
He first achieved Hollywood stardom as heroin addict Mark Renton in the Trainspotting series, and gained further recognition in the musical film Moulin Rouge!
McGregor has also had parts in films such as Christopher Robin, Doctor Sleep and Birds of Prey.
He would also win an Emmy Award in 2021 for his starring performance in the Netflix miniseries Halston.