Paramount+ is adding another high-profile original to its growing slate, bringing together one of Hollywood’s most acclaimed performers and one of its most celebrated storytellers. The streamer has officially greenlit Ascent, a new character-driven thriller starring and executive produced by EGOT winner Viola Davis, with Tony Award® winner and three-time Academy Award® nominee John Logan (Skyfall, Gladiator, Michael, Penny Dreadful) serving as creator, showrunner and executive producer.
Set in the high-pressure world of global corporate crisis and damage control, Ascent follows elite fixer Catriona Vail, played by Davis, whose ruthless expertise has made her indispensable to billion-dollar clients. But when her estranged daughter is placed in danger, Vail must turn those same hard-earned skills toward the most personal fight of her life.
For Davis, the project represents an opportunity to tell a story that is both ambitious and deeply character-driven alongside a creative team she has long admired. “I am overwhelmingly excited about this journey with the great John Logan. We won the lottery with this one! 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!”
Logan is joined by executive producer Michael Aguilar (Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, Kidding, The Departed), with Davis and Julius Tennon executive producing through JuVee Productions.
Jane Wiseman, Head of Originals for Paramount+, said the combination of talent in front of and behind the camera makes Ascent one of the service’s most exciting upcoming originals. “Viola Davis doesn’t just take on roles; she transforms them. Catriona Vail is an incredibly complex character and Viola is exactly the generational talent to bring her to life,” said Jane Wiseman, Head of Originals for Paramount+. “With John Logan and Michael Aguilar behind the camera, Ascent is high-stakes television at its best.”
Produced by Paramount Television Studios, the series is slated to begin production in Los Angeles in 2027 on the historic Paramount Lot. “We are honored to support the vision of our exceptional creative partners: John Logan, Michael Aguilar, and Viola Davis,” said Matt Thunell, President, Paramount Television Studios. “We celebrate bold, original ideas, and the icing on the cake is being able to shoot Ascent here at home on the Paramount Lot in Los Angeles.”
Ascent joins a rapidly expanding lineup of upcoming Paramount+ originals, following recent series greenlights including the Clueless sequel event series with Alicia Silverstone returning as Cher Horowitz, Laird starring Kenneth Branagh, and 9/12 starring Jeremy Strong, both from Paramount Television Studios, as well as Fear Not starring Anne Hathaway and Discretion starring Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning. The announcement also follows recent renewals for the record-setting series Dutton Ranch and The Madison, reinforcing Paramount+’s continued momentum in premium original programming.
Ascent will premiere globally, exclusively on Paramount+.