According to Deadline, Anna Maxwell Martin (The Bletchley Circle, Philomena), the acclaimed two-time BAFTA Award winner for Bleak House and Poppy Shakespeare, has been cast as a lead alongside Rhys Ifans (Notting Hill, The Amazing Spider-Man) in Star City, an upcoming spinoff series from Apple TV+ based on For All Mankind. The show presents an alternate-history take on the space race, centering on the Soviet Union’s historic first moon landing.
Star City, created by Ben Nedivi (For All Mankind, The Umbrella Academy, Fargo), Matt Wolpert (Entourage, American Crime Story) and Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica), dives into life behind the Iron Curtain, exploring the cosmonauts, engineers and intelligence officers who played key roles in the Soviet space program. It highlights the dangers they faced and the sacrifices they made in the name of scientific progress. Martin will portray Lyudmilla, the head of KGB surveillance at Star City, while Ifans takes on the role of the Chief Designer. Nedivi and Wolpert, who serve as showrunners, are also executive producers alongside Moore and Maril Davis (Star Trek: Insurrection, Outlander) from Tall Ship Productions, as well as Steve Oster (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Grimm) and Andrew Chambliss (Once Upon a Time, Fear the Walking Dead). Like For All Mankind, which was recently renewed for a fifth season, Star City is produced by Sony Pictures Television for Apple TV+.
With a career spanning several critically acclaimed roles, Martin has earned two BAFTAs and received additional nominations. Her recent projects include Until I Kill You on ITV and Ludwig on the BBC, where she starred opposite David Mitchell (Peep Show, That Mitchell and Webb Look). Martin is represented by United Agents in the UK and Felker Toczek Suddleson McGinnis Ryan. Fans cannot wait to see Anna Maxwell Martin shine in Star City, bringing her talent to this exciting, historical space race story.