Paramount+ 'Laird' Rounds Out Cast With Mollica, Grainger, Mullan, Mylchreest

Paramount+ has rounded out the cast of "Laird," its upcoming drama series set and shot in the Scottish Highlands and led by Kenneth Branagh and Peter Mullan-regular Peter Sarsgaard. The new additions, announced in an exclusive report, bring five more recognizable names to the production.

Who has joined the cast?

The freshly announced cast members are:

• Jennifer Ehle ("Contagion," "Zero Dark Thirty")

• Peter Mullan ("I Swear," "Ozark")

• Phia Saban ("House of the Dragon," "The Last Kingdom")

• Ruaridh Mollica ("Vision Quest," "Isle of Man")

• Holliday Grainger ("Peter Melrose")

• Corey Mylchreest, also listed among the new arrivals

They join previously announced leads Kenneth Branagh and Peter Sarsgaard.

What does this change for viewers?

In practice, the casting signals how seriously Paramount+ is building this one. Branagh and Sarsgaard give the series established screen gravity. The new names add range across generations and genres — Ehle from prestige thrillers, Mullan from hard-edged Scottish drama, Saban from fantasy's biggest TV franchise.

The setting matters too. "Laird" is both set and shot in the Scottish Highlands, which places it in a growing lane of UK regional drama that streamers have chased since the success of Highland-set crime and mystery series.

Why the casting pattern reads as deliberate

Look at the mix and a mechanism emerges. Mollica ("Vision Quest," "Isle of Man") and Mylchreest represent rising talent; Mullan and Ehle bring decades of screen credibility; Saban and Grainger sit in between, with fanbases from "House of the Dragon" and British literary adaptations respectively.

That's a classic streaming-era stack: bankable veterans anchoring the marketing, breakout names pulling younger subscribers. It's the same formula that's worked for ensemble dramas across Paramount+ and its rivals.

A "laird," by the way, is the Scottish term for a landowner — a title that suggests the series will orbit questions of property, inheritance and power in the Highlands. The source material doesn't confirm plot details beyond the setting.

No premiere date appears in the announcement. With casting now complete, the next expected milestone is a production timeline or first-look imagery from Paramount+.