‘Slow Horses’ actor joins Apple TV’s thriller ‘Ascension’ alongside two new cast members
Apple TV horror thriller ‘Ascension’ has added actor Christopher Chung from ‘Slow Horses’ to its cast as a series regular, according to Variety. Amanda Plummer (‘Pulp Fiction’) and T’Nia Miller (‘VisionQuest’) have also joined the project. The trio will play undisclosed roles alongside Caitríona Balfe (‘Outlander’), who stars as the lead, and Bill Nighy (‘Living’), who plays Zac, a documentary maker who employs Balfe’s character.
Based on a novel by Adam Nevill, titled ‘Last Days,’ ‘Ascension’ follows Rose (Balfe), a documentary filmmaker and recently divorced mother who gets involved in a project about the Church of Ascension, a mysterious cult from the 20th Century. After finding solace in the cult’s teachings, she discovers some sinister truths. This role marks her debut as an executive producer and is her first series since ‘Outlander’ ended.
The series has had a long road to the screen. It was first developed by Cuarón back in 2017 when Casey Affleck was set to star. The series was then ordered by Apple TV in August. This is Cuarón’s second series for Apple following ‘Disclaimer’ (2024). He serves as an executive producer under his Esperanto Filmoj banner, which has an overall deal with Apple. Natalie Erika James and Christian White act as co-showrunners, with James as lead director. Cuarón writes alongside his brother Carlos Cuarón, James and White. The series is produced by Apple Studios and Anonymous Content.
Notably, Chung has played Roddy Ho, the in-house hacker to Slough House since ‘Slow Horses’ debuted on Apple TV in April 2022. He also has credits in ‘My Brilliant Career.’ Plummer, on the other hand, won a Tony Award in 1982 for her role as a young nun in ‘Agnes of God’ on Broadway. 12 years later, she played Honey Bunny, a diner robber opposite Tim Roth in ‘Pulp Fiction’ by Quentin Tarantino. She has also won an Emmy for her guest role as Miranda Cole on ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.’ Plummer has also played Wiress in ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.’
Meanwhile, Miller played Hannah Grose, the housekeeper in ‘The Haunting of Bly Manor’ (Netflix) in 2020 and also appeared in ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ in 2023. She currently plays Jocasta, an android in Marvel’s ‘VisionQuest’ on Disney+. She has previously appeared in ‘Years and Years’ and ‘Foundation’ on Apple TV. ‘Ascension’ will be available to stream on Apple TV; however, there is no release date yet.
