Viola Davis is returning to television.
She is set to lead Paramount's Ascent, a new thriller series.
John Logan serves as showrunner.
EGOT winner Viola Davis is set to star in the thriller series Ascent, which has been given a go-head at Paramount+. The logline says that it is “set in the dangerous world of global corporate crisis and damage control. Davis will play elite corporate fixer Catriona Vail, who must weaponize the ruthless skills that have made her indispensable to billion-dollar clients when her estranged daughter is in danger.”
John Logan (Skyfall, Gladiator, Michael) created the series and will serve as executive producer and showrunner. Michael Aguilar also executive produces, with Davis and Julius Tennon executive producing under their JuVee Productions banner. Production kicks off in Los Angeles in 2027. Viola Davis previously won an Emmy for her work in the ABC series How to Get Away with Murder, which ran from 2014 to 2020. She also starred in the 2022 limited series The First Lady for Showtime.
Viola Davis' Ascent Is A Highly Anticipated TV Return
“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!”
“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.”
“We are honored to support the vision of our exceptional creative partners: John Logan, Michael Aguilar, and Viola Davis,” added Matt Thunell, president of 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 is the latest female-led series to land at Paramount+. The streamer recently picked up a Clueless sequel series starring Alicia Silverstone as well as the legal drama Discretion starring Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning and the limited series Fear Not starring Anne Hathaway.
