Hollywood actor Peter Sarsgaard has joined Kenneth Branagh in the cast of major new Scottish drama Laird.
The Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated star, known for The Batman, Boys Don’t Cry, Dopesick and Presumed Innocent, will play American tech billionaire Peter Bergstrom in the new Paramount+ series.
Sarsgaard’s casting was confirmed as production continues in Aberdeen on the drama, which is set in the modern Scottish Highlands.
His character is described as a self-made tech titan and land magnate whose influence stretches around the world.
Bergstrom will go head-to-head with Branagh’s character, the Laird of the fictional Castle Drummoch, as he attempts to buy up the surrounding Highland glens.
The series will follow Branagh’s landowner as he attempts to protect his ancestral estate, against a backdrop of family feuds, long-held secrets and romance.
Paramount+ describes the show as an “epic family saga”, with Sarsgaard’s character providing the central threat to the estate.
Filming has already been taking place in Scotland, including in Aberdeen, where parts of the city have been transformed for the production.
Branagh, who starred in Oppenheimer and won an Academy Award for Belfast, will also serve as an executive producer on Laird.
The series has been created by Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth and Georgia Lee.
Joe Wright, whose films include Pride & Prejudice, Atonement and Darkest Hour, is attached to direct the pilot episode.
Sarsgaard has an extensive film and television career which also includes Jackie, Jarhead, An Education, Blue Jasmine, Shattered Glass, The Lost Daughter and September 5.
He won the Volpi Cup for best actor at the Venice Film Festival for his performance in Memory and has received Emmy nominations for Dopesick and Presumed Innocent.