Hugh Grant Joins HBO Limited Series 'The Palace' Opposite Kate Winslet

Actor Hugh Grant has just signed on for an intriguing, high-concept limited series for HBO. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Grant has been cast opposite Oscar-winner Kate Winslet in "The Palace" for the premium cable network.

Grant joins the cast alongside Winslet, as well as Matthias Schoenaerts and Andrea Riseborough. Winslet is also serving as executive producer of the series. "Succession" executive producer Will Tracy will serve as showrunner, writer, and executive producer for the limited series. Meanwhile, Stephen Fears ("High Fidelity," "Dangerous Liaisons," "Chéri") will direct and executive produce the show as well.

The upcoming show will follow one year within the walls of the palace of an authoritarian regime, which is beginning to unravel. THR reports that Grant is expected to have a guest role in the show, but other details on his character are being kept under wraps at the moment.

HBO ordered the show to series earlier this year. Other writers for the project include Seth Reiss, Juli Weiner, Jen Spyra, Gary Shteyngart, and Sarah DeLappe. Frank Rich is also attached as an executive producer. The series will mark the first time that Winslet and Fears have collaborated together.

Grant previously appeared in HBO's "The Undoing," which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. He also re-teams with Fears here. The actor and filmmaker previously collaborated on "A Very English Scandal" and "Florence Foster Jenkins."

With such impeccable talent in front of and behind the camera for this limited HBO drama, "The Palace" has all the makings of a prestige project. The premise sounds like it will play heavily off of current times. HBO Executive Vice President Francesca Orsi previously stated when "The Palace" received its series order that the show will be "wildly original" and "prescient."

For Grant, this looks like a continuation of his recent streak of moving away from playing the romantic male lead in romantic comedies he was known for playing for many years. The actor said about romcoms in a Hollywood Reporter roundtable discussion in 2019, "I’ve gotten too old and ugly and fat to do them anymore, so now I’ve done other things and I’ve got marginally less self-hatred."

Grant also has an appearance in Netflix's "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery," which debuts on the streaming service on December 23. The film also had a strong showing in its theatrical preview event, grossing about $13.2 million in a limited theatrical release.

Later on, Grant will appear in next year's big-budget fantasy adventure film, "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves," opposite Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, and Justice Smith. Grant is playing the role of a Rogue in the film named Forge Fitzwilliam. The film, based on the tabletop role-playing game, opens in theaters on March 31, 2023.

Additionally, Winslet re-teams with her "Titanic" director James Cameron in "Avatar: The Way of Water." The film finally arrives in theaters next week on December 16.