Ewan McGregor to lead adaptation of best-selling novel A Gentleman in Moscow

Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi
(Image credit: Disney/Lucasfilm)

Ewan McGregor has been cast in the new TV adaptation of A Gentleman in Moscow. The show is based on the New York Times bestseller of the same name by Amor Towles and is set in during the Russian Revolution. 

McGregor will lead the series as Count Alexander Rostov who is arrested in the aftermath and spared immediate execution by a Soviet tribunal. Instead, he is sentenced to remain in the attic room of the Hotel Metropol, threatened with death should he leave at any point.

The series will follow Rostov over the years as he builds a new life inside the walls of the hotel as one of the most tumultuous periods of Russian history unfolds outside its doors. The book was a worldwide bestseller when it was first published in 2016, selling more than four million copies to date.

McGregor will also serve as an executive producer on the new series which will be released on Paramount Plus internationally and Showtime in the US. "It’s an amazing, wonderful story," McGregor said of his casting. "I am very excited to get to play such a fabulous role." The remaining cast has not yet been confirmed but the show will be written by showrunner Ben Vanstone, who has previously worked on The Last Kingdom and Merlin.

Paramount Plus has already confirmed plans for the show to debut in 2023 as part of its plans to commission 150 international originals by 2024. Some of the other shows already in the works include adaptations of Beth O'Leary's romance The Flatshare and C.J. Tudor’s thriller The Burning Girls.

McGregor is still riding high after his critically acclaimed return as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Disney Plus series earlier this year. Next up, he has confirmed roles in Pinocchio, Raymond & Rat, and Everest.

For what to stream right now, check out our list of the best TV shows of all time.

Fay Watson
Deputy Entertainment Editor

I’m the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for the Total Film and SFX sections online. I previously worked as a Senior Showbiz Reporter and SEO TV reporter at Express Online for three years. I've also written for The Resident magazines and Amateur Photographer, before specializing in entertainment.