Season 2 of the Showtime series Yellowjackets is set to begin airing on March 26th (or you can catch it streaming and On Demand two days earlier, on March 24th), and when the new episodes arrive the show will be introducing viewers to a new character named Walter, “a dedicated Citizen Detective” played by Elijah Wood (the Lord of the Rings trilogy). Now Vulture has unveiled the first image of Wood’s character, and you can check that out at the bottom of this article.
Showrunners Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson, and Jonathan Lisco had this to say about Wood joining Yellowjackets: “When Elijah agreed to come play on the Yellowjackets team, our minds were blown. We’ve been fans of his for years (in some of our cases, since middle school!) and are delighted to report that his incredible talent is matched only by his kindness, warmth, and enthusiasm for his work. We absolutely cannot wait for the world to meet Walter.“
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.
Ricci has said that a lot of her season 2 scenes are with Wood, and she is in the new image with him.
Created, written, executive produced by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, the series also stars Melanie Lynskey, Tawny Cypress, Ella Purnell, Sammi Hanratty, Sophie Thatcher, Steven Krueger, Amy Okuda, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Courtney Eaton, and Liv Hewson.
Other new cast additions in Yellowjackets season 2 will include Lauren Ambrose (Servant), Simone Kessell (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Nicole Maines (Supergirl), François Arnaud (The Borgias), Nia Sondaya (Truth Be Told), and guest star Jason Ritter (Freddy vs. Jason).
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.” Hewson and Ambrose play Yellowjackets team member Van. Eaton and Kessell play team member Lottie, who was forced to go off her anti-psychotic medication after the plane crash. Maines is playing Lisa, “an associate of Adult Lottie, who is trying to recover from past trauma”. Arnaud is playing Paul, “a New York writer and secret boyfriend of Coach Scott who reminds Coach Scott of what might have been”. Sondaya replaces Keeya King as Teen Akilah.
Are you a fan of Yellowjackets, and are you looking forward to seeing Elijah Wood in season 2? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.