Genre television couldn’t be more popular right now, and Showtime‘s post-trauma wilderness mystery series “Yellowjackets” is building a major audience alongside potential Emmys prestige as well. Director Karyn Kusama (“Destroyer“) helmed the show’s pilot and is an executive producer, and the series has landed some interesting new additions to the cast for season two.
Deadline reveals that “Lord of The Rings” star Elijah Wood is set to play a dedicated citizen detective named Walter. He will challenge Christina Ricci‘s Misty in “ways she won’t see coming.” Wood has been taking more quirky roles and will appear in the upcoming superhero satire “Toxic Avenger” reboot that co-stars Peter Dinklage and Kevin Bacon.
Showtime announced recently that Lauren Ambrose (“X-Files“) will play the adult version of Van, and Simone Kessell (“Obi-Wan Kenobi“) plays adult Lottie Matthews.
If you’re not familiar with “Yellowjackets,” here is the show’s official synopsis, but the gist is it’s a two-fold show: a coming-of-age show set in the past where teenagers endure months of being lost in the wilderness and a current-day drama where some of those same teens, are now adults and grapple with the trauma and secrets of that horrifying experience.
“Part survival epic, part psychological horror, and part coming-of-age drama, this is the story of a team of wildly talented high school girls’ soccer players who survive a plane crash deep in the remote northern wilderness. The series chronicles their descent from a complicated but thriving team to savage clans, while also tracking the lives they’ve attempted to piece back together 25 years later.”
Co-creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson previously spoke to The Discourse podcast, teasing what to expect from season two.
“I guess we can tease for Season 2 – you know, there are other survivors out there, and that will come into play,” Lyle explained. “I also think that, much like we were discussing the supernatural before, the idea of belief and what people do and don’t believe in – that will be very central thematically to the second season. And I think that we’re well aware that we’ve maybe tried the viewership’s patience a little bit with our tease of cannibalism in episode one, and I’d like to assure everyone that we will not be dragging that out forever; so get ready.”
“Yellowjackets” is up for an impressive seven Emmy statues next month. Those nominations include Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actress for Melanie Lynskey, and Outstanding Supporting Actress for Ricci.