Kenneth Branagh to lead Paramount+ Highland drama Laird
Paramount+ has ordered Laird, a Scottish Highlands family saga from Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, Georgia Lee and 101 Studios.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
2 min read
Kenneth Branagh is taking the castle keys at Paramount+.
The streamer has ordered Laird, a new drama set in the modern Scottish Highlands, with Branagh starring as the Laird of Castle Drummoch and serving as an executive producer, Paramount+ announced.
The series comes from Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth and Georgia Lee, with 101 Studios also behind the project. Joe Wright, who directed the first two episodes of The Agency, is attached to direct the pilot.
The show follows a Scottish landowner trying to hold onto his ancestral estate as a secretive American billionaire seeks to buy up the surrounding glens, according to Paramount+. The family saga also includes clan tensions, old secrets and romantic complications as Branagh’s character fights to protect Castle Drummoch.
A third Paramount+ swing from the team
Laird marks another Paramount+ project involving Jez Butterworth and 101 Studios, following MobLand and The Agency. Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth previously co-created The Agency together, while Lee developed Partner Track.
Jane Wiseman, head of originals for Paramount+, said the series is centered on a man resisting unchecked money and influence while defending what matters to him. She said Branagh and the creative team give the streamer a series it expects audiences to rally around.
Matt Thunell, president of Paramount Television Studios, said Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth and Lee have built a drama about the lengths a family will go to preserve its land and inheritance. He also pointed to Branagh’s starring role and Wright’s involvement as key parts of the package.
The series is produced by Paramount Television Studios and 101 Studios.
Who is producing Laird?
Branagh executive produces alongside David C. Glasser, Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, Wright, Ron Burkle, David Hutkin, Bob Yari, Charles Finch and Keith Cox.
Glasser, the CEO of 101 Studios, said working with Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth in recent years has been a strong experience and that he is pleased to join them on another large-scale project.
The project falls under Jez Butterworth’s overall deal at Paramount, which is due to end at the close of the year. He is then set to move to a five-year overall agreement with Universal Entertainment covering television, streaming and film.
Paramount+ has been adding star-driven originals in recent months. The streamer has also greenlit Fear Not with Anne Hathaway, 9/12 with Jeremy Strong and Discretion with Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning, and it has renewed Sheridan and 101 Studios titles Dutton Ranch and The Madison.
Branagh’s recent credits cited by Paramount+ include Mayday and Oppenheimer. He is represented by WME, Berwick & Kovacik and Gochman Law Group.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.