Yellowjackets season 2 adds Elijah Wood in season-long guest starring role

Yellowjackets season 2 will begin filming in Vancouver later this month, and the Showtime series is adding new cast members at a steady pace as the production start date draws near. Last week, it was announced that Lauren Ambrose (Servant) will be playing the adult version of the character Van Palmer. A couple days ago, we learned that Simone Kessell (Obi-Wan Kenobi) had been cast to play the adult Lottie Matthews. Now Variety reports that Elijah Wood (the Lord of the Rings trilogy) has also been cast in Yellowjackets season 2. Wood is taking on the “season-long guest starring role” of Walter, “a dedicated Citizen Detective who will challenge Misty (Christina Ricci) in ways she won’t see coming.”

Christina Ricci and Juliette Lewis star in Yellowjackets, which is is described as “equal parts survival epic, horror story, and coming-of-age drama.” The story centers on

a team of wildly talented high school girls soccer players who become the (un)lucky survivors of a plane crash deep in the Ontario wilderness. The series will chronicle their descent from a complicated but thriving team to warring, cannibalistic clans, while also tracking the lives they’ve attempted to piece back together nearly 25 years later, proving that the past is never really past and what began out in the wilderness is far from over.

Created, written, executive produced by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson (who serve as showrunners alongside executive producer Jonathan Lisco), the series also stars Melanie Lynskey, Tawny Cypress, Ella Purnell, Sammi Hanratty, Sophie Thatcher, Sophie Nelisse, Steven Krueger, Amy Okuda, and Jasmin Savoy Brown.

Ricci and Hanratty play the present and teenage versions of Misty, “the Yellowjackets’ equipment manager. Eager to please and easy to overlook, Misty’s abundance of team spirit belies a hidden dark side.” Lewis plays the present day version of a character named Natalie, with Sophie Thatcher playing the teenage Natalie. “Despite her natural talent, Natalie’s punk rock spirit and habit of finding trouble make her the unlikeliest member of the team. As an adult, Natalie struggles to quiet the demons that still haunt her from her time in the wilderness.” Purnell’s character is Jackie, “the Yellowjackets’ magnetically charismatic, effortlessly popular, occasionally entitled team captain.” Lynskey and Nelisse are the present and teen versions of a character named Shauna. “25 years later, Shauna is on a mission to reclaim her agency — her life — while doing everything in her power to keep her darkest secrets safe.” Krueger plays Ben Scott, “the assistant coach and the object of many an unrequited crush.” Okuda is Cat Wheeler, “a history teacher recruited to bolster the female presence on the coaching staff, despite knowing literally nothing about soccer.” Cypress and Brown are both playing the character Taissa, “the star player on the Yellowjackets squad; now, 25 years later, her political ambitions threaten to derail the survivors’ pact of secrecy.”

The pilot episode of Yellowjackets was directed by Karyn Kusama, whose credits include Girlfight, Aeon Flux, Jennifer’s Body, The Invitation, Destroyer (the one with Nicole Kidman), and a segment of the horror anthology XX.

Were you a fan of Yellowjackets season 1, and are you glad to hear Elijah Wood is joining the show? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.