Sam Heughan Joins Viola Davis in Paramount+ Thriller “Ascent”

By Marcus Bennett

Paramount+ will begin filming “Ascent” in Los Angeles in 2027, with Sam Heughan set to star opposite Viola Davis, according to Variety. Variety describes the upcoming thriller as a story of global corporate crisis and damage control. Davis also serves as an executive producer.

Heughan plays Conal, an agent at Ascent Ventures. Variety quotes the character description: “one of Ascent Ventures top agents. A lethally charming and natural chameleon, Conal uses social cunning and ruthlessness to get the job done, and he always gets a thrill out of completing a mission.”

The description makes his charm a working method rather than decoration. It also places him inside a corporate hierarchy where influence, adaptability and force carry equal weight.

Davis plays Catriona. The series logline describes her as “an elite corporate fixer, who must weaponize the ruthless skills that have made her indispensable to billion-dollar clients when her estranged daughter is in danger.”

Her daughter’s danger supplies the immediate stakes in the logline. Catriona brings established crisis-management skills to a plot that Variety says centers on corporate damage control.

Variety notes a coincidental echo between Catriona and Caitriona Balfe, Heughan’s co-star in “Outlander.” Across eight seasons and 101 episodes, Heughan starred opposite Balfe. The coincidence offers “Outlander” viewers a recognizable link between the new credits, though the “Ascent” logline does not make that resemblance part of the plot.

What does the casting change for “Ascent”?

It gives the series a central pairing built from two forms of corporate problem-solving: Conal’s social cunning and Catriona’s fixer skills. It also puts production on the calendar for Los Angeles in 2027. Paramount+ has not announced an airdate and says one will follow. The announcement therefore establishes the cast and production timing, not a release schedule.

Variety reports that “Ascent” comes from Paramount Television Studios. John Logan, whose credits include “Skyfall” and “Gladiator,” created the series. Logan serves as showrunner and executive producer. Michael Aguilar, whose credits include “Penny Dreadful: City of Angels” and “The Departed,” is another executive producer. Viola Davis and Julius Tennon serve as executive producers through their JuVee Productions.

Variety also reports that Heughan produces “Outlander.” His work on the series earned award nominations, including from BAFTA Scotland and Critics’ Choice. His other television credits include “The Couple Next Door,” “Men in Kilts: A Road Trip with Sam and Graham,” and the upcoming “Embassy,” with J.K. Simmons and Anna Kendrick.

Variety’s profile lists “Love Again,” “The Spy Who Dumped Me,” “Bloodshot,” and “SAS: Red Notice” among his film credits. It also says he played “Macbeth” last year at the Royal Shakespeare Company. He has written three New York Times bestselling books. United Agents, UTA, Anonymous Content and Viewpoint represent him.

The 2027 production will test whether Conal and Catriona can sustain the premise, and Paramount+ still has to say when viewers will see it.