Kenneth Branagh leads star-studded cast for Scottish drama Laird

Kenneth Branagh is bringing a powerful family story to the Scottish Highlands in Laird, a new Paramount+ drama that has added Peter Mullan, Holliday Grainger and five other actors to its growing cast.

The additional casting was announced on 15 October 2026, with Jennifer Ehle, Phia Saban, Ruaridh Mollica, Douglas Hodge and Corey Mylchreest also joining the production. They will appear alongside Branagh and Peter Sarsgaard in a story about family loyalty, power and a battle to protect ancestral land.

Branagh plays the Laird of Castle Drummoch, a proud Scottish landowner determined to preserve his family’s estate. His plans are threatened by an American billionaire, played by Sarsgaard, who wants to buy up the surrounding glens. Their clash sets up a conflict between a family’s historic connection to its home and an outsider’s ambition to acquire the landscape.

The drama will combine this central dispute with family feuds, buried secrets and complicated romantic relationships, placing the characters’ personal lives alongside the wider struggle over the future of the estate.

The new cast brings together familiar faces from British and international television and film. Mullan has appeared in Ozark and I Swear, while Grainger is known for Strike. Ehle’s credits include Contagion and Zero Dark Thirty, and Hodge has appeared in Joker. Saban has featured in House of the Dragon and The Last Kingdom, while Mylchreest played King George in Queen Charlotte. Mollica’s recent work includes Marvel’s VisionQuest.

The creative team brings considerable screen experience to the project. Branagh also serves as an executive producer, while the series is created by Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth and Georgia Lee. Butterworth’s television work includes MobLand, and Joe Wright, whose films include Pride & Prejudice, Atonement and Darkest Hour, is attached to direct the pilot.

Produced by Paramount Television Studios and 101 Studios, Laird combines a dramatic family saga with a distinctly Scottish setting. The Highland landscape is central to the story, providing the backdrop for a struggle that touches on heritage, ownership and the influence of immense wealth.

With Branagh and Sarsgaard at the centre and an expanding ensemble of acclaimed performers, the series is shaping up as a major addition to Paramount+’s drama slate.

Where to watch Laird

Laird will stream exclusively on Paramount+ worldwide, including in the UK. Further details about the premiere will be shared as production progresses.