Emmy awardee Alexander Skarsgård takes on the role of a rebellious security robot in the upcoming sci-fi series Murderbot premiering on Apple TV+.
Skarsgård embodies the character of Murderbot, a Security (SEC) Unit programmed to safeguard and serve humans. However, Murderbot has cleverly overridden its own programming, granting itself free will—a secret it needs to keep hidden from the humans it was designed to protect. “I can do whatever I want as long as they don’t find out,” Murderbot admits in the trailer.
While on a mission on a perilous planet, a team of scientists accidentally uncovers Murderbot’s hidden truth, interrupting its favorite pastime: binge-watching futuristic soap operas. To navigate this new twist, Murderbot must confront its anxieties and tackle the complexity of human emotions.
Alongside Skarsgård, the cast of Murderbot includes Noma Dumezweni, David Dastmalchian, Sabrina Wu, Akshay Khanna, Tattiawna Jones, and Tamara Podemski.
Created and produced by Chris and Paul Weitz, Murderbot draws inspiration from Martha Wells’ award-winning sci-fi novel series The Murderbot Diaries, for which Wells also serves as a consulting producer. The Weitz brothers have previously received an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for About a Boy in 2002. The executive production team includes David S. Goyer, Andrew Miano, and Keith Levine.
Murderbot adds to Apple TV+’s expanding repertoire of sci-fi programming. The platform’s flagship sci-fi series, Severance, has just concluded its widely praised second season, and other titles in the genre include Foundation, Silo, For All Mankind, Dark Matter, and Invasion.
The series will consist of 10 episodes, with the first two set to premiere on Apple TV+ on Friday, May 16, 2025. New episodes will be released weekly, concluding on July 11.
