Sam Heughan Cindy Ord/Getty Images Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment Logo text After spending more than a decade in the 18th century while filming Outlander, Sam Heughan's next TV role will be set firmly in the present day. Heughan has joined the cast of a six-episode thriller series titled Embassy, where he'll star opposite Anna Kendrick and J.K. Simmons. The show comes from AGC Television, Ascendant Fox and Turbine Studios. It will be the first series role for Heughan since wrapping work on Outlander, whose final season premieres March 6 on Starz. Embassy has also brought on director Christian Alvart to helm two of its six episodes. Production is set to begin in February. Related Stories TV 'Outlander' Drops Special Bonus Teaser Ahead of Eighth and Final Season TV Sony and Composer Bear McCreary Unveil 'Outlander in Concert' Global Tour (Exclusive) AGC Television is financing and distribute Embassy worldwide (it hasn't yet landed a home in the United States). Kendrick will play Layla, an American diplomat who, after mercenaries storm the U.S. embassy in London, has to choose whether to protect the ambassador (Simmons) or follow his orders to get a high-value asset safely out of harm's way. Layla "must rely on her instincts," the show's logline reads, "and the reluctant help of her ex-fiancé, a British SAS soldier (Heughan), in the tense hours before extraction." Rom Lotan created the series. John Strickland (Line of Duty, Bodyguard) will direct four of the six episodes, with Alvart handling the remaining two. Lotan and Strickland executive produce with Ascendant Fox's Hester Ruoff, Bart Ruspoli and Matt Mitchell; Turbine's Daniel Hetzer, Jakob Neuhausser, Justin Thomson and David Tanner; and AGC's Stuart Ford, Lourdes Diaz and Miguel A. Palos Jr. In between work on Outlander, Heughan has also appeared in another Starz series, The Couple Next Door, and in the first season of the Channel 4 drama Suspect in the U.K. His movie credits include Love Again, Bloodshot and The Spy Who Dumped Me. He is repped by United Agents, UTA, Anonymous Content and Viewpoint. Alvart is repped by Players Management and Ensemble Entertainment. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up Live Feed Riz Ahmed's 'Studio'-Esque Prime Video Comedy 'Bait' Drops First Look Live Feed Inside the 'Power Book IV: Force' Series Finale With Joseph Sikora - and the Future of Tommy Live Feed YouTube Megastar Alan Chikin Chow of 'Alan's Universe' Sets Netflix Scripted Series The Last of Us Banff World Media Festival Unveils 2026 Rockie Awards Grand Jury William Shatner William Shatner Pokes Fun at Stephen Miller for Calling on Him to Control 'Star Trek' Franchise summer house 'Summer House' Stars Kyle Cooke and Amanda Batula Announce Split Live Feed Riz Ahmed's 'Studio'-Esque Prime Video Comedy 'Bait' Drops First Look Live Feed Inside the 'Power Book IV: Force' Series Finale With Joseph Sikora - and the Future of Tommy Live Feed YouTube Megastar Alan Chikin Chow of 'Alan's Universe' Sets Netflix Scripted Series The Last of Us Banff World Media Festival Unveils 2026 Rockie Awards Grand Jury William Shatner William Shatner Pokes Fun at Stephen Miller for Calling on Him to Control 'Star Trek' Franchise summer house 'Summer House' Stars Kyle Cooke and Amanda Batula Announce Split