Oscar-winning Weapons star joins Outlander favourite in brand-new action thriller

Weapons’ Amy Madigan will join forces with fellow Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis and Outlander’s Sam Heughan in new Paramount+ series, Ascent.

The new thriller, which begins filming in Los Angeles next year, follows Catriona Vail (Davis) a ruthless crisis manager for Ascent Ventures.

While she may be used to damage control, when her estranged daughter runs into danger, Catriona needs to use all her skills and expertise in order to get her home safely.

According to Deadline, Madigan has joined the project as Rachel, a former executive at Ascent Ventures – and a mentor to Catriona.

Heughan, who was announced at the same time as Davis, plays Conal, a “lethally charming” top agent at Ascent Ventures who gets his thrills from completing a job.

The series is yet to be given an official episode count or release date, and is currently in the pre-production stage.

Madigan is best known for her work in 2025 horror movie, Weapons, where she played the unnerving and colourful Aunt Gladys.

She earned her first Oscar for the role, taking home the best supporting actress award for the portrayal – the same award Davis took home in 2017 for Fences.

Ascent is one of eight upcoming projects Madigan is attached to, including a spin-off movie based on her Weapons character, tentatively titled Gladys, which is expected to be released in 2028.

She is also connected to the upcoming reboot of The X-Files, starring Himesh Patel and Danielle Deadwyler.

More cast news on Ascent is expected in due course.

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Ascent will air on Paramount+ in the UK. You can sign up to Paramount+ for a seven-day free trial.

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Authors

Tilly Pearce is a freelance TV journalist whose coverage ranges from reality shows like Love Is Blind to sci-fi shows like Fallout. She is an NCTJ Gold Standard accredited journalist, who has previously worked as Deputy TV Editor (maternity cover) at Digital Spy, and Deputy TV & Showbiz Editor at Daily Express US.