Alfred Molina and Selton Mello Join Viola Davis in New Thriller Ascent for Paramount+
Created by John Logan and Produced by Paramount Television Studios, Ascent is Set to Begin Production in Los Angeles in 2027
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| AM Photo Credit: Courtesy of Alfred Molina; SM Photo Credit: MaurÃcio Nahas |
OCTOBER 29, 2026 - Tony® Award-winning actor Alfred Molina and Cinema Brazil Grand Prize-winning actor Selton Mello (I'm Still Here, Anaconda) will join the cast of Ascent, starring Emmy®, Grammy®, Oscar® and Tony® Award-winning actress Viola Davis who will also executive produce the new thriller for Paramount+.
Molina will play "Sebastian," the formidable head of Ascent Ventures who has begun to consider which of his top agents might succeed him. Mello will play "Leonardo," a charismatic business titan who has a long and complicated history with Ascent Ventures.
Ascent is a character-driven thriller set in the dangerous world of global corporate crisis and damage control. Davis will play, "Catriona," 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.
As previously announced, Sam Heughan will play "Conal," one of Ascent Ventures top agents, with Amy Madigan set to play "Rachel," a former executive at Ascent Ventures and Catriona's (Davis) lifelong mentor.
Produced by Paramount Television Studios, Ascent is created by Tony Award® winner and three-time Oscar® nominee John Logan (Skyfall, Gladiator, Michael, Penny Dreadful), who will serve as showrunner and executive producer alongside executive producers Michael Aguilar (Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, Kidding, The Departed), and Viola Davis & Julius Tennon for JuVee Productions.
The series will premiere globally exclusively on Paramount+, with production slated to begin in Los Angeles in 2027.
Alfred Molina Bio: Alfred Molina is a celebrated actor known for his work on stage and screen. Most recently, Molina voiced Marcellus the Octopus in the Primetime Emmy Award®-winning movie Remarkably Bright Creatures opposite Sally Field. Molina's film career began with his debut in Raiders of the Lost Ark, and he has since earned acclaim for his performances in Frida, An Education, Prick Up Your Ears, Boogie Nights, and Chocolat. In 2004, Molina starred as Otto Octavius / Doc Ock in Spider-Man 2, a role he reprised in 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Molina's television credits include Emmy® nominated roles in The Normal Heart and Feud: Bette and Joan as well as Tales of Arcadia, Three Pines, and The Boroughs. On stage, Molina has received three Tony® Award nominations for his work in Art, Fiddler on the Roof, and Red, and most recently returned to Broadway in the 2024 revival of Uncle Vanya.
Selton Mello Bio: Selton Mello is an award-winning Brazilian actor, director, writer, and producer with more than four decades of experience. He is best known internationally for his performance in Walter Salles' I'm Still Here, which won the Academy Award® for Best International Feature Film in 2025, and his English-language debut in Anaconda, opposite Paul Rudd and Jack Black. His recent and upcoming projects include Michael Almereyda's Zero K, opposite Peter Sarsgaard and Britt Lower, Marco Dutra's Bury Your Dead, which premiered at the Sitges, BFI London, and Tokyo film festivals, and Dominga Sotomayor's La Perra, which premiered at Cannes. In Brazil, Mello starred in O Auto da Compadecida 2, which became the country's biggest box-office hit of 2024. His other notable acting credits include To the Left of the Father, Drained, My Name Ain't Johnny, Jean Charles, Stephen Daldry's Trash, and My Hindu Friend, opposite Willem Dafoe, and The Mechanism. In addition to his acting career, Mello wrote, directed, and starred in Feliz Natal, which received recognition at international film festivals, and The Clown, which Brazil selected as its submission for the 2013 Academy Award® for Best Foreign Language Film. He also directed and starred in The Movie of My Life, opposite Vincent Cassel. Mello has received numerous awards throughout his career and was recently honored with the Favorite Brazilian in Cinema Award at CCXP, celebrating more than 40 years in the industry.
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