Season 2 of Yellowjackets is taking shape and has now joined the cast.
The Emmy-nominated drama has garnered a legion of fans since its release, with production for the second season expected to begin later this month in Vancouver.
Lord of the Rings star Elijah, 41, has secured the role of Walter, a dedicated citizen detective who ‘will challenge Misty (Christina Ricci) in ways she won’t see coming’.
Showtime is remaining tight-lipped on his casting for now, but he’s in good company with two more additions for S2 announced recently.
Elijah – who  The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and Return of the King – will join Lauren Ambrose and Simone Kessell in the upcoming episodes.
Lauren will play the adult version of Van, while Simone will take on the role of adult Lottie Matthews.
This will be Elijah’s first project since No Man of God, a film he also produced and which debuted at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival.
Meanwhile, favourites Melanie Lynskey and Christina Ricci, plus Juliette Lewis and Tawny Cypress, will return as the core survivors.
Yellowjackets – which is up for seven Emmy awards at next month’s ceremony, including outstanding drama series – was created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson.
The psychological drama tells the story of a team of high-school girls soccer players who survive a plane crash deep in the Ontario wilderness.
Following the deadly crash, the wildly-talented team descend into a cannibalistic clan in a bid to survive, stranded for 19 months.
The episodes flip backwards and forwards between the crash in 1996 and 2021, when the survivors attempt to piece their lives back together as adults.
Yellowjackets has received critical acclaim for its thrilling storytelling and powerful cast performances from the likes of Sophie Nélisse, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sophie Thatcher, and Sammi Hanratty as the teenagers, and their adult counterparts.
Showrunner Jonathan Lisco previously spoke about the portrayal of cannibalism in the series, stating: ‘The show is not about if cannibalism, it’s about why cannibalism and how cannibalism.’
The direction of season 2 remains under wraps for now, but after a tense season 1 finale and a major death, we’re intrigued to see what that means for the team’s hierarchy, and how the truth of past events will unravel.
You can stream Yellowjackets on Showtime, or watch on Amazon Prime Video or Sky in the UK.
