Lumon Industries is on a hiring spree: Apple TV+’s hit series “Severance” has cast eight stars to round out its ensemble as production begins on Season 2.
Oscar and Emmy Award-nominee Bob Balaban (“The Chair”), Robby Benson (“Beauty and the Beast”), Stefano Carannante (“Mirabilia”), Emmy Award-nominee Gwendoline Christie (“Game of Thrones”), Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (“The Missing”), John Noble (“Elementary”), Alia Shawkat (“Search Party”) and Emmy Award-winner Merritt Wever (“Unbelievable”) have joined the cast, though character details are yet to be revealed.
The Emmy-winning sci-fi workplace thriller, from director and executive producer Ben Stiller and creator-writer Dan Erickson, unravels as Mark (Adam Scott) is thrust into a leadership position at the mysterious and expansive tech company Lumon, whose employees opt into a severance procedure to surgically divide their work memories from their personal ones.
“We are thrilled and delighted to be back on set for the exciting second chapter of ‘Severance,’” Stiller said in a statement. “Though we don’t know how long we’ve been gone or who we are outside, we are told people enjoy the show and we couldn’t be happier. Praise Kier!”
Season 2 will also see Academy and Emmy Award-winner Patricia Arquette, Emmy Award-winner John Turturro, Britt Lower, Zach Cherry, Dichen Lachman, Jen Tullock, Tramell Tillman, Michael Chernus and Academy Award-winner Christopher Walken reprise their roles.
Erickson, Nicky Weinstock, Jackie Cohn and Scott executive producer alongside Red Hour Films’ Richie Schwartz. In addition to starring, Arquette serves as producer for the second season. Fifth Season is the studio.
Upon its February debut, “Severance” has topped several best shows of 2022 lists and continued to receive critical and audience acclaim in its commentary on the corporate lifestyle and modern-day capitalism. The freshman season scored 14 Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series, and took home awards for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series and Outstanding Main Title Design.
In a conversation with TheWrap that took place before “Severance” was renewed for a second installment, Erickson previewed that the series would widen its scope.
“I think that the end of Season 1 certainly opens the door for a Season 2 that is a little bit more of an ensemble piece on the outside,” he said. “We made the choice to follow Mark exclusively for most of Season 1, and stay with his perspective … At a certain point, you’ve sort of played that song, and now it’s time to expand and open it up to something else. And so, we’ve got this amazing ensemble of actors and one of the most fun and exciting things about a Season 2 is seeing them play that dichotomy, the way that you saw Adam play it in Season 1.”
Season 1 of “Severance” is now streaming on Apple TV+.
