A Gentleman in Moscow (TV series)

A Gentleman in Moscow is a British television limited series consisting of 8 episodes, based on the 2016 novel by Amor Towles. Ben Vanstone is writer, executive producer, and showrunner. The series stars Ewan McGregor in the role of Count Alexander Rostov and premiered on Paramount+ on 29 March 2024.

Synopsis
After recently returning to Russia from Paris, aristocrat Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov spends decades banished to an attic hotel room following the October Revolution, after being sentenced to house arrest by a Bolshevik tribunal.

Cast
Main
 * Ewan McGregor as Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov
 * Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Anna Urbanova
 * Fehinti Balogun as Mikhail "Mishka" Fyodorovich Mindich
 * Daniel Cerqueria as Vasily
 * Björn Hlynur Haraldsson as Emile Zhukovsky
 * Johnny Harris as Osip Glebnikov
 * Leah Harvey as Marina Samarova
 * John Heffernan as "The Bishop" Leplevsky
 * Anastasia Hille as Olga
 * Lyès Salem as Andrey Duras

Recurring
 * Leah Balmforth as Nina Kulikova
 * Alexa Goodall as Young Nina Kulikova
 * Penny Downie as The Countess Rostova
 * Lily Newmark as Helena Rostova
 * Matilda Hunt as Young Helena Rostova
 * Dee Ahluwalia as Audrius
 * Rob Jarvis as Halecki
 * Charley Palmer Rothwell as Pulonov
 * Gabriel Robinson as Yasha
 * Elliot Mugume as Yasha (10 years)
 * Mylo Rayne Pateman-Fannan as Yasha (4 years)
 * Jason Forbes as Alexei Nachevko
 * Beau Gadsdon as Sofia
 * Billie Gadsdon as Young Sofia
 * Anna Madeley as Narrator (adult Sofia)

Guest stars
 * Paul Ready as Prince Nikolai Petrov
 * Dermot Crowley as Abram
 * Josh Weller as Demetri
 * Matthew Wynn as General Belsky
 * Camilla Beeput as Freya Campbell
 * Adam Fidusiewicz as Vladimir
 * Inês Pires Tavares as Mila Federova
 * Stephen Walters as Captain Abashev
 * Lucian Msamati as Richard Vanderwhile
 * Alexandra Moen as Gloria

Development
In August 2017 it was reported that a limited series based on the book was in development at Entertainment One. In April 2018, it was announced that Kenneth Branagh would star as Count Rostov in the television series, and that Tom Harper would direct it.

In August 2022 it was announced that Ewan McGregor had replaced Branagh in the role of Count Rostov, and that it would be released on Paramount+ internationally and Showtime in the US. In November 2022, it was revealed Sam Miller would direct and executive produce the project. Ben Vanstone was announced as writer, executive producer and show runner. Nessah Muthy has been a scriptwriter on the miniseries.

Casting
On 22 February 2023 Mary Elizabeth Winstead was added to the cast as Anna Urbanova. In March 2023, Leah Harvey, Johnny Harris, Paul Ready, Alexa Goodall, John Heffernan, Lyès Salem, Fehinti Balogun, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, Dee Ahluwalia and Anastasia Hille joined the cast.

Writing
A Gentleman in Moscow is adapted from the novel of the same name by Amor Towles. However, in a change from the book, the role of Anna Urbanova has expanded in the series. Writer Ben Vanstone said that, while the "novel is necessarily very count-focused", it does not give "that broad an impression of Anna's life away from the count". Vanstone said that a reason for expanding Anna's role was to give the character "more agency through the story". Another significant change from the novel was the decision to cast the character "Mishka" Mindich as a Black man. In the novel, Mishka is a friend of the Count's from his University days, however in the series it is implied that Mishka and the Count grew up together, which in reality would be virtually impossible as there was never an observable number of people of African descent in Russia, even after Western European colonization of the continent. Even today the Black population in Russia is minuscule, making up an estimated .03% of the Russian population.

Costumes
Ewan McGregor was involved in creating the look of Count Rostov alongside Sam Miller and Ben Vanstone. During the rehearsal period for the series in London, McGregor got his hair permed and dyed it dark brown. Over time, the color began to fade which McGregor believed was "conducive to his aging".

Filming
Filming began in Victoria Square outside Bolton Town Hall in Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, on 27 February 27 2023 and took place into March 2023 and returned in April 2023. Liverpool Town Hall was used as a filming location in June 2023. Filming also took place in Halifax, West Yorkshire and Leeds Civic Hall in May 2023, before it was suspended in July due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.

Release
Amor Towles said in an interview that he expected a 2024 release date. It premiered on 29 March 2024.

Reception
The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported a 91% approval rating, based on 35 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The critic's consensus reads: "Illuminated by Ewan McGregor's debonair performance, A Gentleman in Moscow is a rewarding and whimsical portrait of a life blossoming under constraining circumstances." Metacritic assigned it a score of 74 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Jack Seale of The Guardian awarded the first episode four stars out of five, praising McGregor's performance. Alison Herman of Variety praised McGregor but felt the series was 'padded' and questioned the use of its historic setting.