Alfred Molina & Selton Mello Join Viola Davis In ‘Ascent’ TV Series At Paramount+

EXCLUSIVE: Alfred Molina (Remarkably Bright Creatures, The Boroughs) and Selton Mello (I’m Still Here, Anaconda) have joined the cast of Ascent, Paramount+‘s upcoming thriller series, starring and executive produced by Viola Davis. Ascent is set to begin production in Los Angeles in 2027.

Created by John Logan, Ascent is billed as a character-driven thriller set in the dangerous world of global corporate crisis and damage control.

Molina will play Sebastian, the formidable head of Ascent Ventures who has begun to consider which of his top agents might succeed him. Mello will play Leonardo, a charismatic business titan who has a long and complicated history with Ascent Ventures.

Molina and Mello join previously announced Sam Heughan, who will play Conal, one of Ascent Ventures top agents, and Amy Madigan as Rachel, a former executive at Ascent Ventures and Catriona’s (Davis) lifelong mentor. Davis’ Catriona is an elite corporate fixer who must weaponize the ruthless skills that have made her indispensable to billion-dollar clients when her estranged daughter is in danger.

Logan serves as showrunner and exec produces alongside Michael Aguilar (Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, Kidding), as well as Davis & Julius Tennon for JuVee Productions.

Molina most recently voiced Marcellus the Octopus in the Emmy-winning movie Remarkably Bright Creatures opposite Sally Field. His television credits include Emmy-nominated roles in The Normal Heart and Feud: Bette and Joan as well as Tales of Arcadia, Three Pines, and The Boroughs. On stage, Molina has received three Tony Award nominations for his work in Art, Fiddler on the Roof, and Red, and most recently returned to Broadway in the 2024 revival of Uncle Vanya. He’s repped by Anonymous Content and Coulson Associates.

Brazilian actor Mello is best known internationally for his performance in Walter Salles’ I’m Still Here, which won the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film in 2025, and his English-language debut in Anaconda, opposite Paul Rudd and Jack Black. His recent and upcoming projects include Michael Almereyda’s Zero K, opposite Peter Sarsgaard and Britt Lower, Marco Dutra’s Bury Your Dead, which premiered at the Sitges, BFI London, and Tokyo film festivals, and Dominga Sotomayor’s La Perra, which premiered at Cannes. He’s repped by TFC Management and GGSSC.