'Yellowjackets' fills out several key Season 2 roles with Elijah Wood, 'Star Wars' alum & more

Yellowjackets shows no signs of slowing down as the unexpected Showtime hit continues to build out an all-star cast for Season 2. Per Deadline, Elijah Wood (known for The Lord of the Rings film trilogy and his SpectreVision production company) has boarded the series for a guest role in the forthcoming batch of episodes. The Middle-earth alum will be stepping into the role of Walter, "a dedicated citizen detective who will challenge Misty (Christina Ricci) in ways she won’t see coming," reads the character description. 

The show has also tapped Lauren Ambrose (known for playing Dorthy Turner in Servant on Apple TV+) and Simone Kessell (recently seen as Princess Leia's adoptive mother, Breha Organa, in Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney+) as the adult versions of Van and Lottie Matthews, respectively. Moreover, Courtney Eaton (teenage Lottie) and Liv Hewson (teenage Van) have been upped to a series regular ahead of the second season.

Created and executive produced by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, Yellowjackets explores the fallout of a tragic plane crash that forces a team of high school soccer players to fend for themselves in the wilderness, Lord of the Flies-style, until they're found and returned to civilization. Nearly 30 years after their rescue, the women realize that the darkness living within all of humanity was not left behind in the forest.

"I would say it just was never a question to us, from even early on, that we would do that and that we wouldn't shy away or blink when it came to the more horrific aspects of what happens to these girls out in the wilderness," Lyle explained during a chat with Thrillist. "I think, in part, that's because we're both drama fans, and that's always been really fun. And to some extent to have the opportunity to tell a story like this on a network like Showtime that's going to allow us to do whatever we want, it felt like we couldn't squander it."

"So much of this show is about the frailty of the human body, the horror of, as you put it, being a teenage girl," echoed Nickerson. "I think that it's something that we really wanted to hammer home in terms of just the potential horror — not just of being out there — but of what can happen to you. We didn't want to shy away from it."

The show is currently nominated for seven Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Lead Actress for Melanie Lynskey and Outstanding Supporting Actress for Christina Ricci. Juliette Lewis, Tawny Cypress, Ella Purnell, Samantha Hanratty, Sophie Thatcher, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sophie Nélisse, Steven Krueger, and Warren Kole are also a part of the cast. Lyle and Nickerson share showrunning duties with Jonathan Lisco. Drew Comins of Creative Engine is also an executive producer.

Looking for something horrific to watch? Peacock has lots of horror movies to keep you suitably scared including The Amityville Haunting, The Changeling, Firestarter, and several Saw movies.