Murderbot cast guide: Who plays whom in Apple TV's upcoming show

Murderbot is an upcoming science fiction drama on Apple TV+. Continuing the streaming platforms penchant for producing lavish sci-fi dramas such as Silo and Severane, the Apple TV+ show is an official adaptation of the novel series The Murderbot Diaries written by author Martha Wells. Murderbot will feature Alexander Skarsgård in the leading role, alongside a diverse cast.

The show is created by brothers Paul and Chris Weitz, who are well known for their American Pie. At the centre of the sci-fi series is a cyborg engineered to obey orders—yet, against all odds, it begins to exhibit a startling sense of free will.

Here's everything that we know.

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Who is in the cast of Murderbot on Apple TV+?

The key cast members of the show are as follows:

• Alexander Skarsgård plays SecUnit/Murderbot: He gained prominence after appearing in Zoolander. Some of his other popular works include Big Little Lies and True Blood.
• Noma Dumezweni plays Mensah: Dumezweni is a South African-British actress and a recipient of the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role for A Raisin in the Sun.
• Sabrina Wu plays Pin-Lee: Wu rose to fame as a stand-up comic and has also appeared in the film Joy Ride.
• David Dastmalchian plays Gurathin: Dastmalchian is noted for his appearance in films like Prisoners and The Suicide Squad.
• Tattiawna Jones plays Arada: This Canadian actress is best remembered for her role in Under the Christmas Tree.
• Tamara Podemski plays Bharadwaj: Podemski rose to fame with her role in the TV series Coroner.

The additional cast members include:

• Clark Gregg
• John Cho
• Jack McBrayer
• DeWanda Wise

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What is the plot of the sci-fi show?

As mentioned earlier, the Apple TV+ show's storyline will be led by Alexander Skarsgård's character, who is a cyborg programmed to execute orders but enters a new realm after developing free will. The official synopsis of the show reads:

"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. Played by (Alexander) Skarsgård, 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."

It is interesting to note that the cyborg, although it possesses human-like free will, still identifies itself as an object. TVGuide recently reported that the trailer of the upcoming show hinted towards the first season being based on the book All Systems Red from the novel series.

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When will the show release?

The show's first two episodes will drop simultaneously on Apple TV+ on May 16, 2025, followed by the release of new episodes every Friday on the streaming platform. The debut season is expected to consist of ten episodes in total.

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Showrunners open up about the Apple TV+ show

Creators Chris and Paul Weitz recently spoke about the show in depth during an interview with Vanity Fair. Speaking about the crew members from the story whom the cyborg is entrusted with protecting, Chris Weitz commented:

"They’re really good people, well-intentioned, and quite courageous when their backs are against the wall. They actually have access to a lot of wisdom, But they’re out of their element, and they’re in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

He further added:

"It’s really fun to enjoy the quirks and flaws of these people, and because they’re not really cut out for this, Murderbot feels it has to keep them from dying. It’s not really because it necessarily cares about them at first. It has this thing of being good at its job in spite of everything. It doesn’t really want to do it, but it’s great at it."

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The sci-fi series drops exclusively on Apple TV+ on May 16.