Paramount+ has greenlit Ascent, a character-driven thriller series starring Oscar and Emmy winner Viola Davis. It is created by three-time Oscar nominee John Logan (Skyfall, Gladiator, Michael), who will serve as showrunner.
Set in the dangerous world of global corporate crisis and damage control, Ascent centers on elite corporate fixer Catriona Vail (Davis), who must weaponize the ruthless skills that have made her indispensable to billion-dollar clients when her estranged daughter is in danger.
Logan executive produces alongside frequent collaborator Michael Aguilar (The Miniature Wife, The Departed), and Davis and Julius Tennon for JuVee Productions.
“I am overwhelmingly excited about this journey with the great John Logan,” Davis said. “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!”
Produced by Paramount Television Studios, Ascent is slated to begin production in Los Angeles in 2027. The latest round of California TV tax incentives has not been made public yet but Ascend is rumored to be part of it.
“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.”
This marks the latest scripted series order by Paramount+ new, post-merger regime, following Laird, starring Kenneth Branagh; 9/12, starring Jeremy Strong; Discretion, starring Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning; Fear Not, headlined by Anne Hathaway; a Clueless sequel starring Alicia Silverstone and a Garfield animated series starring Lamorne Morris.
“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.”
This marks the second series lead role for EGOT Davis after her Emmy-winning turn on ABC’s How To Get Away With Murder. Her two other career series regular stints include a supporting role on the 2000 CBS medical drama City of Angels and playing Michelle Obama in the 2022 Showtime anthology series The First Lady. Davis, who will next be seen in Children of Blood and Bone and as the title character in Ally Clark, is repped by CAA, Lasher Group and Lichter, Grossman, Nichols.
This marks only the second TV series for top movie writer Logan after Showtime’s Penny Dreadful and its spinoff Penny Dreadful: City of Angels. In features, he most recently wrote Michael, which has crossed $1 billion to become the highest-grossing biopic ever. Logan, who also is a Tony-winning playwright, is repped by CAA.
Aguilar worked with Logan on City of Angels and the slasher movie They/Them. His series EP credits also includeKidding and I’m Dying Up Here.
