It’s official: another cast member from The Haunting of Hill House has agreed to join the show’s second season. Kate Siegel, who starred as Theo in last year’s breakout hit, is now returning for The Haunting of Bly Manor, along with fellow co-stars Victoria Pendretti and Oliver Cohen-Jackson. Those two performers were featured last season in the roles of Nell and Luke, respectively. Meanwhile, Carla Gugino has also expressed her desire to come back, though nothing’s been confirmed as of yet.
Mike Flanagan’s critically acclaimed horror series looks like it’s taking a page from Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story, as both shows tackle a new bone-chilling plot each season, which also means new characters and settings. Murphy frequently brings back actors that he enjoys collaborating with, such as Jessica Lange, Evan Peters, Sarah Paulson and more. It appears that Flanagan’s venturing down the same route now by recruiting several of the stars from the last chapter to portray new roles this time around.
While the first batch of episodes was a modern retelling of Shirley Jackson’s terrifying novel of the same name, The Haunting of Bly Manor will reportedly be adapted from Henry James’ classic novella The Turning of the Screw. The story centers around a governess looking after two children, who soon begin suspecting that the isolated home they live in is actually haunted by evil spirits. The tale’s often considered to be one of the scariest stories ever written, which must be why Flanagan thinks the upcoming season will be even more terrifying than The Haunting of Hill House.
Though it’ll be hard to say goodbye to the Crain family for good, the return of much of the original cast will make it feel like they’re still here with us. It’s definitely going to be interesting to see these performers in new roles, too, given how accustomed fans are to seeing them in their parts from last season. Considering how talented they all are though, it shouldn’t take viewers long to immerse themselves in this new horrifying storyline.
The Haunting of Bly Manor is set to begin filming in September and as soon as we learn more about what’s coming our way, we’ll be sure to let you know.
