Viola Davis Leads New Paramount+ Thriller 'Ascent

Paramount+ has greenlit the original thriller series “Ascent,” starring Oscar‑winning actress Viola Davis. Davis will portray Catriona Vail, an elite corporate fixer who must use her ruthless skills to protect billion‑dollar clients when her estranged daughter is threatened. The series is created and showrun by John Logan, the screenwriter behind the James Bond films Skyfall and Spectre as well as Gladiator, and is executive‑produced by Logan, Michael Aguilar, and Davis and Julius Tennon through their JuVee Productions banner. Production is slated to begin in Los Angeles in 2027, and the show will premiere globally, exclusively on Paramount+.

Davis said she is “overwhelmingly excited” about the project, adding that the story and character are “bold, awe‑inspiring and deeply unique.” Paramount Television Studios’ president Matt Thunell highlighted that the series will be shot on the Paramount lot in Los Angeles.