The Suicide Squad and Oppenheimer star David Dastmalchian has been tapped to join Alexander Skarsgård in Apple TV+’s latest sci-fi series Murderbot, Deadline reported.
Apple TV+ previously picked up the 10-episode series, which is based on Martha Wells’ bestselling novel series The Murderbot Diaries. The upcoming project, hailing from About a Boy creators Chris and Paul Weitz and Paramount Television Studios, previously received a greenlight a year ago, though casting was delayed due to the now-resolved Hollywood strikes.
David Dastmalchian has an impressive acting portfolio
Dastmalchian boasts quite a stellar list of acting credits under his belt, including CBS’ action series MacGyver, the 2013 thriller Prisoners, the three Ant-Man movie installments, the sci-fi thriller Blade Runner 2049, the sci-fi epic Dune, the 2016 horror-thriller The Belko Experiment, and the Christopher Nolan-helmed The Dark Knight.
The actor is also set to star in Mike Flanagan’s newest project, The Life of Chuck, and Bryan Fuller’s upcoming horror movie, Dust Bunny.
What is Murderbot about?
While other details remain close to the vest, the book series on which the show is based centers on a self-hacking security android who is terrified by human emotion despite its interest in “vulnerable” clients.
The official logline for Murderbot (via Variety) reads as follows: “Murderbot must hide its free will and complete a dangerous assignment when all it really wants is to be left alone to watch futuristic soap operas and figure out its place in the universe.”
Murderbot will be an addition to the streaming giant’s growing list of celebrated sci-fi titles, including Silo, For All Mankind, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, and Invasion.
In addition to starring in the sci-fi drama, Skarsgård also served as the show’s executive producer alongside Depth of Field’s Andrew Miano and Phantom Four’s David S. Goyer and Keith Levine. The book’s author serves as a consulting producer, with the Weitz brothers writing, directing, and producing the series under their Depth of Field banner.
