Art Malik, Fred Loxley and Mirren Mack Join Apple TV's Ascension
Three more actors have joined the cast of Ascension, the horror thriller that Alfonso Cuarón is making for Apple TV. Art Malik, Fred Loxley and Mirren Mack have been added as series regulars, meaning they are main cast members who appear throughout the season rather than in one or two episodes, Deadline reported on 4 November.
Ascension is a one-hour psychological horror thriller. The genre leans on a character's mind and fears to build dread, rather than relying on a single monster or a chase.
Caitríona Balfe leads the cast and also executive produces, which means she helps shape the show from behind the scenes as well as starring in it. She plays Rose, a documentary filmmaker and divorced mother who starts a project about a mysterious 20th-century cult called the Church of Ascension. The series is inspired by Last Days, a novel by Adam Nevill.
Bill Nighy, Amanda Plummer, Christopher Chung and T'Nia Miller were announced earlier as cast members. The new names join them, so the main cast is now seven performers across the principal roles, not counting guest stars who have not yet been announced.
Behind the camera, Apple Studios is the studio behind the show, and Anonymous Content produces it. Steve Golin, David Levine and Zack Hayden are executive producers for Anonymous Content. Gabriela Rodriguez and Richard Schwartz of Esperanto Filmoj are executive producers too, alongside Alfonso Cuarón and Carlos Cuarón. The script is credited to Natalie Erika James, Christian White, Alfonso Cuarón and Carlos Cuarón, and James is the lead director.
Apple first announced the reunion with Cuarón in August, when it said he would return to the streamer for the new series, in its own newsroom announcement. That announcement also named Balfe as star and executive producer.
For the performers, a series regular role means a commitment that runs for the whole production. For the crew, it means a cast list that is taking shape, and a shoot that depends on each name being on set when the cameras roll. Adding three main cast members is one of the steps that turns a project announced months ago into a show with a full team in place.
