A Gentleman In Moscow Release Date, Plot, Cast, Trailer, And More Details

While he's mostly famous for his work on the big screen, Ewan McGregor is no stranger to television. The Scottish actor played two separate roles in Season 3 of "Fargo," reprised his iconic Jedi role in "Obi-Wan Kenobi," and won an Emmy for his turn in the biopic series "Halston." Now, McGregor is headed back to TV with an adaptation of a best-selling novel, one that will transport us back to Soviet-era Russia, where one man strives to keep his hope alive (and his mustache looking fabulous) in the face of state suppression.

Based on the novel by Amor Towles, "A Gentleman in Moscow" is headed for Paramount+ with Showtime. In addition to boasting McGregor in the lead, it features a beautifully designed world packed with sumptuous visuals, as well plenty of talented people both in front of the camera and behind. If you want to know more about what's sure to be another spotlight performance for McGregor, read on for everything we know so far about "A Gentleman in Moscow."

When will we be visiting the Hotel Metropol for our extended stay? Well, fear not — it's almost time to check in. Per the official press release, "A Gentleman in Moscow" will "premiere Friday, March 29 on streaming and on demand for Paramount+ subscribers with the Paramount+ with SHOWTIME plan before its on-air debut on Paramount+ with SHOWTIME on Sunday, March 31 at 9 p.m. ET/PT." As for its length, you can expect the series to air for eight episodes.

"A Gentleman in Moscow" tells the story of Russian aristocrat Count Alexander Rostov, who gets on the bad side of the wrong people after the Russian Revolution. Rostov is banished in a Soviet trial, and thankfully for him, he's spared the death sentence due to his various connections. Instead, he's imprisoned in the attic of the luxurious Metropol, an opulent hotel which is located on the opposite side of the street from the Kremlin. For over 40 years, the Count has to live through some of the most turbulent times in Russian history from a place where he is unable to do anything or even realize the full impact of the events that are happening in his country. However, although he is technically a prisoner, Rostov gets to build memorable connections with others and, in this way, figures out the true value of the human bonds of love, family, and friendship.

As mentioned above, the actor with the honor of portraying such a complex, intriguing, and witty character like Count Alexander Rostov is none other than the brilliant Scottish actor and Golden Globe-winner Ewan McGregor. However, McGregor was not always the first choice for the role. Originally, back in 2018, Kenneth Branagh was the one who'd been cast as the Count.  We're not sure why the change happened, but we know McGregor is psyched for the role. In a statement, McGregor – who is also executive producing the series — said, "It's an amazing, wonderful story and I am very excited to get to play such a fabulous role."

In addition to titles like "Obi-Wan Kenobi" and Guillermo del Toro's "Pinocchio," McGregor has starred in multiple projects with his real-life partner, Mary Elizabeth Winstead — those being Season 3 of "Fargo" and "Birds of Prey." And now, the power couple is joining forces once again, as Winstead will star in "A Gentleman in Moscow" as Anna Urbanova, a famous actress who absolutely dazzles McGregor's Rostov while keeping a few secrets hidden up her sleeve.

As for the rest of the cast, McGregor and Winstead will be joined by quite the impressive roster. You can expect to see Leah Harvey of "Foundation" and Paul Ready of "The Terror," as well as Johnny Harris of "This Is England '86," Alexa Goodall of "Lockwood & Co.," John Heffernan of "Becoming Elizabeth," Dee Ahluwalia of "Sex Education," Fehinti Balogun of "Dune," Lyès Salem of "Abou Leila," Björn Hlynur Haraldsson of "The Witcher," and Anastasia Hille of "A United Kingdom."

It became known in November 2022 that BAFTA Award-winner Sam Miller will be sitting in the director's chair for several episodes of "A Gentleman in Moscow," in addition to executive producing. The English director has quite a few TV titles under his belt, having directed all 12 episodes of "I May Destroy you" (for which he received the BAFTA). He also served as director for some episodes of "Snowpiercer," "Rellik," "Luther," and, most recently, "Surface," starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw in the main role.

Additional directing duties will be handled by Sarah O'Gorman, who's previously worked on shows like "The Witcher" and "The Last Kingdom." As for the position of showrunner, those duties go to Ben Vanstone, who will also serve as a writer and executive producer. Previously, Vanstone has worked on series such as "All Creatures Great and Small" and "The Last Kingdom," similar to fellow "Moscow" alum Sarah O'Gorman.

The official trailer for "A Gentleman in Moscow" highlights the series' lavish set design, some truly unique images (a woman playing a piano as a room burns down), and the undefeatable hope of our lead character. Alexander Rostov has had his property taken away, his friends have been murdered, but he still manages to make the best of his unfortunate predicament. As one character astutely points out, he refuses to be beaten. The trailer shows him make a young ally who knows the ins and outs of the Hotel Metropol, fall under the sway of a beautiful movie star, and find little moments of joy amidst his imprisonment. It's all in service of a powerful theme — one the trailer hammers home in the final seconds, with Rostov telling us, "They can take away everything, but they can't take away who you are."