Paramount+ has had plenty of success with Taylor Sheridan’s long list of neo-Westerns and action thrillers, but 2025 saw a British crime thriller rise to prominence as well. Guy Ritchie’s gritty gangland series MobLand, starring Tom Hardy at the head of a star-studded cast list, captivated viewers with frequent action, plenty of intrigue, and a nasty penchant for blood and violence. The 10-episode first season posted incredible streaming numbers, which were strong enough to justify greenlighting two more seasons, with season 2 ready to drop in September.
MobLand showrunner Jez Butterworth isn’t stopping at MobLand, however. The accomplished writer-director is on track to fire up a second show for Paramount+ in the very near future, and from what little we know about it, there is plenty of reason to get excited. The all-new series doesn’t have a release date yet, but with a brief summary and star attached, it seems as though production is imminent.
Paramount’s New Show ‘Laird’ is Part-‘Yellowstone’, Part-‘Braveheart’
Butterworth’s next project for Paramount+ will be the genre-bending series Laird, which will star eight-time Oscar nominee Kenneth Branagh in the lead role. The plot summary provides enough insight to get excited about, as it’s described as:
An epic family saga in which a proud Scot defies a shadowy American billionaire hellbent on buying up the glens. Amidst family feuds, buried secrets and star-crossed romances, the Laird of Castle Drummoch (Branagh) remains determined to protect his ancestral lands from oligarchical land grabbing.
The inadvertent echoes of Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone are clear, with Branagh in the John Dutton role trying to protect his home from the greedy and corrupt. The show will undoubtedly introduce a cast of supporting characters working with and against Branagh’s protagonist, and chances are good it will include a mix of star power and talented new faces, given the drawing power of Paramount+ that’s developed.
Laird brings something fresh to the table, however. We’ve seen plenty of neo-Westerns, international action thrillers, and London-based crime dramas, but the Scottish setting makes the new series relatively unique in Paramount+’s catalog. Trading in the vistas and ranches of Montana for the mist-wrapped hills and castles of the Scottish Highlands gives Laird a distinctly appealing new direction right from the jump.
‘Laird’ Has All the Elements in Place to Match ‘Mobland’s Appeal
With bona fide dramatic star power in the lead role, Laird is already set up for success just as MobLand was before it. The central concept is ripe for conflict, and there will no doubt be some action sequences, even if they wind up being more scarce than MobLand‘s bevy of gangland bloodbaths. Laird will also give audiences a hero to root for akin to Tom Hardy’s Harry Da Souza, who will no doubt be morally gray but ultimately be a character that justifies the audience’s support. It represents an exciting new direction for Paramount+, and feels loaded with potential to be the next big streaming hit on the platform.
- Release Date
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March 30, 2025
- Network
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Paramount+
- Directors
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Daniel Syrkin
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
