Alexander Skarsgård has played almost every type of character you could imagine, except a complicated robot with free will who's simultaneously horrified and intrigued by human emotion. Enter Murderbot!
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Apple TV+ has confirmed the release date for the new series, which is based on The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, and has also unveiled a first look at Skarsgård in the role.
Murderbot will hit Apple TV+ on 16th May 2025 – so not too long to go!
One of the images shows Murderbot in all its glory, donning a rather battered bit of armour in a futuristic room, already giving us a sense of how the books will be adapted.
Apple TV+ has also released a synopsis for the series, reading: "Based on Martha Wells's best-selling, Hugo and Nebula Award-winning book series, Murderbot is a sci-fi thriller/comedy about a self-hacking security construct who is horrified by human emotion yet drawn to its vulnerable clients.
Alexander Skarsgård in Murderbot. Apple TV+
"Murderbot must hide its free will and complete a dangerous assignment when all it really wants is to be left alone to watch futuristic soap operas and figure out its place in the universe."
Alongside Skarsgård, the series will star The Watcher's Noma Dumezweni, The Suicide Squad's David Dastmalchian and comedian Sabrina Wu.
Tattiawna Jones, Akshay Khanna and Tamara Podemski round out the cast so far.
Alexander Skarsgård. Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage
It's written, directed, and produced by Chris and Paul Weitz who, between them, have worked on productions including The Golden Compass, Twilight: New Moon, American Pie, About a Boy, Rogue One and Little Fockers.
The series has been in the works since 2021, and it's expected to consist of 10 episodes.
Louise Griffin is the Sci-Fi & Fantasy Editor for Radio Times, covering everything from Doctor Who, Star Wars and Marvel to House of the Dragon and Good Omens. She previously worked at Metro as a Senior Entertainment Reporter and has a degree in English Literature.
