Caitríona Balfe is returning to television in a new horror thriller from Oscar-winning filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón. Apple TV has officially ordered Ascension, a one-hour psychological horror thriller series starring Balfe, who will also executive produce. The series comes from Cuarón and the creative team behind Relic and Apartment 7A, with Natalie Erika James and Christian White serving as co-showrunners. James will also direct the series.
Inspired by Adam Nevill’s novel Last Days, Ascension follows a documentary filmmaker who becomes involved with a mysterious cult and discovers something much more sinister hiding beneath its teachings.
The series comes from Apple Studios and Cuarón’s Esperanto Filmoj, with Anonymous Content also producing.
What Is Ascension About?
Ascension follows Rose, played by Balfe, a relentless documentary filmmaker and recently divorced mother who has built a career uncovering other people’s secrets while struggling to resolve problems in her own life. Rose begins working on a project about a mysterious 20th-century cult known as the Church of Ascension. At first, the teachings of the group unexpectedly provide Rose with a sense of refuge. But the deeper she gets into the Church of Ascension, the more she discovers that something far more sinister is hiding beneath its beliefs.
The series explores questions of evil, innocence and how far people are willing to go and what they are willing to sacrifice to protect the people they love, even when the greatest threat may ultimately come from within themselves.
Alfonso Cuarón Is Behind Ascension
Cuarón is one of the most acclaimed filmmakers working today, with credits including Children of Men, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Gravity. and Roma. He won Academy Awards for directing and editing Gravity and later won Best Director and Best Cinematography Oscars for Roma.
Cuarón previously made the Apple TV+ limited series Disclaimer, which starred Cate Blanchett and Kevin Kline. He is writing Ascension alongside his brother Carlos Cuarón, Natalie Erika James, and Christian White. James and White will serve as co-showrunners, with James directing the series.
Cuarón will executive produce through Esperanto Filmoj alongside Gabriela Rodriguez and Richard Schwartz. Steve Golin, David Levine, and Zack Hayden will executive produce for Anonymous Content.
Caitríona Balfe Returns to Television
Ascension marks Balfe’s return to television following the conclusion of Outlander, the Starz series in which she played Claire Fraser for eight seasons. Balfe received four Golden Globe nominations for her work on Outlander and also earned another Golden Globe nomination for her performance in Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast. Her other film credits include Ford v Ferrari, Super 8, and Now You See Me. She will also appear in Apple’s upcoming film Tenzing.
Balfe will both star in and executive produce Ascension.
Ascension Is Based on Adam Nevill’s Last Days
As mentioned, the series is inspired by Adam Nevill’s 2012 horror novel Last Days. The book follows a documentary filmmaker investigating the mysterious and increasingly disturbing history of the Sisterhood of the Radiant Light, a cult led by a woman named Sister Katherine. What begins as a documentary assignment becomes a terrifying investigation into the group’s beliefs, its history and the supernatural forces surrounding it.
Ascension uses the novel as its inspiration while shifting the focus to Rose and the mysterious Church of Ascension.
Alfonso Cuarón Was Up for the New James Bond movie?
Interestingly, Ascension arrives after Cuarón came surprisingly close to being involved with another major franchise. In 2025, Jeff Sneider reported that producer David Heyman was interested in bringing Cuarón aboard the new James Bond movie if Heyman himself ended up producing the project. The two had previously worked together on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Gravity. That didn’t happen. Denis Villeneuve ultimately landed the job of directing the next James Bond movie for Amazon MGM, with Amy Pascal and Heyman serving as producers.
But Cuarón’s connection to Bond goes back even further. In 2024, the filmmaker revealed that he had previously been offered the opportunity to direct a James Bond movie. He initially considered doing it, but became uncomfortable with the production structure after learning that another team would handle the action sequences. A conversation with filmmaker Joel Coen helped convince him to walk away.
So while Cuarón won’t be going on an adventure with James Bond, he is now digging into psychological horror with Ascension.
When Will Ascension Premiere?
Apple TV has not yet announced a premiere date for Ascension, but we’ll have more information on the project as it becomes available.
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