Amor Towles’s beloved novel 2016 novel A Gentleman in Moscow is coming to the small screen, led by a dapper Ewan McGregor as a Russian count, and his real-life wife, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, as his movie star lover.
The series was originally meant to star fellow Britton and period media enthusiast Kenneth Branagh, but McGregor was announced as his replacement in 2022. The British towns of Bolton, Halifax, and Leeds served as the stand-ins for Soviet-era Moscow.
What is A Gentleman in Moscow about?
In A Gentleman in Moscow, Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov is sentenced to house arrest by a Bolshevik tribunal for social parasitism (the crime of living off of the efforts of others). His house, however, is the luxurious Hotel Metropol in Central Moscow, although he will be relocated to the attic.
The story then documents Count Rostov’s life in the hotel through the years, as he becomes friends with the adventurous nine-year-old Nina Kulikova (inspired by the Eloise children’s book series) and the glamorous actress Anna Urbanova — both residents at the Metropol.
The genius of A Gentleman in Moscow — the novel, at least — is in the way it explores the rapid changes happening in the Soviet Union from the 1917 revolution to the Cold War, without ever stepping foot outside the somewhat shielded environment of the hotel.
An official series description from Showtime reveals that “as Rostov builds a new life within the walls of the hotel, he discovers the true value of friendship, family, and love.”
A Gentleman in Moscow release date
After years in the making, the adaptation of A Gentleman in Moscow is arriving Friday, March 29, on streaming and on-demand for Paramount Plus subscribers with the Paramount+ with SHOWTIME plan. It will later debut on-air on Paramount Plus with SHOWTIME on Sunday, March 31 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
The series is a Lionsgate Television and Paramount production, with Ben Vanstone (All Creatures Great and Small, The Last Kingdom) serving as executive producer and showrunner.
Who stars in A Gentleman in Moscow?
Joining real-life couple Ewan McGregor and Mary Elizabeth Winstead on the cast of A Gentleman in Moscow are Alexa Goodall (The Devil’s Hour, Lockwood and Co) as Nina, Johnny Harris (Without Sin, This Is England ’86) as conflicted secret police officer Osip, and Fehinti Balogun (Dune, I May Destroy You) as Mishka, the Count’s best friend from university.
Leah Harvey (Foundation), Paul Ready (Motherland, The Terror), John Heffernan (Becoming Elizabeth, The Pursuit of Love), Lyès Salem (Coupez, Abou Leila), Björn Hlynur Haraldsson (Lamb, The Witcher), Dee Ahluwalia (Consent, Sex Education) and Anastasia Hille (I Hate Suzie Too) also star.
Is there a trailer for A Gentleman in Moscow?
Yes! SHOWTIME has released a trailer for A Gentleman in Moscow where a moustache-heavy Ewan McGregor tells Bolshevik officers that “It’s not the business of gentlemen to have occupations.” We also get a glimpse of the colorful cast of characters that will make Count Rostov’s life of seclusion at the Metropol a bit more bearable, including a stunning Mary Elizabeth Winstead in the best fashion of the 1920s and rocking a platinum blonde hairdo as well as she carries her natural dark brown locks.
