A Gentleman In Moscow: Everything We Know So Far About The Paramount+ Series Starring Ewan McGregor
Ewan McGregor is having quite the year. After his Emmy-winning performance in Netflix's "Halston" and the immense success of his return as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Disney+ limited series, the "Star Wars" legend will be next seen in an adaptation of a beloved novel.
"A Gentleman In Moscow," the bestselling story from American author Amor Towles (who also wrote "Rules of Civility" and "The Lincoln Highway"), is getting the adaptation treatment (via Variety). The book has sold over a million copies and has been translated into 30 languages since its publication in 2016, and a series based on Towles' novel will be streaming on Paramount+ soon. If you haven't read it yet — now's probably a good time. It's a moving story about luck, second chances, and how the most mundane-seeming decisions and interactions with people can change the course of your life. Most details about the show are being kept under wraps for now, but you can keep reading to learn all we know about it so far!
What is A Gentleman In Moscow about?
Ewan McGregor will lead the series as Count Alexander Rostov, an aristocrat under the Tsarist regime who finds himself going from riches to rags following the Russian revolution. The story follows Rostov as he is banished to an attic at Moscow's Metropol Hotel, threatened with death if he ever steps foot outside the room again.
Here's a plot description provided by The Hollywood Reporter: "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."
"It's an amazing, wonderful story and I am very excited to get to play such a fabulous role," said McGregor, who is also set to produce the series.
Who is helming the series?
Ben Vanstone ("The Last Kingdom," All Creatures Great and Small") will helm the project as showrunner, and executive produce the adaptation. Tom Harper ("War and Peace," "Peaky Blinders") will also executive produce along with Xavier Marchand ("Nautilus"). Author Amor Towles will also serve as executive producer on the show. The series will make its international debut on Paramount+ and on Showtime in the United States.
"The book is a rare and delicious treat and I fell in love with it the moment I picked it up six years ago," Harper said in a statement, adding, "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."
While there's no information on the rest of the cast or a potential release date at the moment, we're sure to hear more when production on the project begins. Until then, McGregor has a busy year. The actor will voice Sebastian J. Cricket in filmmaker Guillermo del Toro's "Pinnochio" for Netflix. He will be next seen in the comedy-drama film "Raymond and Ray" for Apple TV+, where he stars alongside Ethan Hawke and Sophie Okonedo.