Alexander Skarsgard Is A Murderbot In Apple TV+ Sci-Fi Series Murderbot

When it comes to playing characters who aren't quite human, Alexander Skarsgård has form. The eldest son of clan Skarsgård, Alexander has been a vampire in True Blood (and What We Do In The Shadows), a demon in The Stand, several clones in Infinity Pool, and even a billionaire tech bro *shudder* in Succession. And now The Northman star is about to play Murderbot, a bot who doesn't actually do murders, in Apple TV+ bound sci-fi thriller/comedy series Murderbot. Adapted by About A Boy directorial duo Chris and Paul Weitz from Martha Wells' bestselling Murderbot Diaries, Murderbot (which, in case we didn't mention already, is about a non-murderous bot called Murderbot) is due to hit our screens in May — and today Apple revealed our first look at the non-lethal droid. Check it out below:

Yes, he may look a bit like a cross between The Spot from Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, DC's Deadshot, and a member of The Force Awakens' Guavian Death Gang, but fear not: Murderbot is actually super relatable and chill. Per Apple's own description, it's just a self-hacking security construct "who is horrified by human emotion yet drawn to its vulnerable clients." And while the series is set to see Murderbot — whose name is both sarcastic and self-chosen — forced to take on dangerous assignments that us electrified meatsacks couldn't handle, the show's brief synopsis stresses that "all it really wants is to be left alone to watch futuristic soap operas and figure out its place in the universe." See? Just like us!

Now, this first look at the show really is just a peek at what's in store, a tone-setting glimpse at the grubby futurism of the titular SecUnit's design (that's Security Unit in layman's terms). But as anyone who's read Wells' brilliantly funny and thought-provoking, page-turning books will attest, it looks like the Weitzes have already nailed the vibe right outta the gate. And to enter Murderbot's off-kilter world alongside Skarsgård, they've pulled together a fantastic ensemble that boasts the likes of Noma Dumezweni, David Dastmalchian, Sabrina Wu, Akshay Khanna, Tattiawna Jones, and Tamara Podemski.

So, will there be any bot-related murders at all in Murderbot? Will Murderbot get its wish and find some time to itself to catch up on some of those futuristic soaps? And will it conquer its hardwired fear of human emotion? Will we? The answers to at least some of those questions will be delivered when Murderbot's two-episode season premiere hits Apple TV+ on 16 May.