With one season under its belt, Amazon's Homecoming has its gaze firmly set on season 2. Variety reported this week that actor and singer Janelle Monae has been cast as the season 2 lead. Monae will be taking over the series lead actor reins from season 1's Julia Roberts. No other casting information about the forthcoming season has been announced but you know what? As a fan of the show, this exciting news will keep me going for quite a while.
Variety describes Monae's still-unnamed character as "a tenacious woman who finds herself floating in a canoe, with no memory of how she got there or who she is." Certainly sounds like the start of a good mystery, doesn't it? Season 1 followed Heidi Bergman (Roberts), a middle-aged woman with suppressed memories of her time working at a military contracted-initiative whose shady dealings with the soldiers involved in the program may be the reason she can't remember her time there. Season 1 was steeped in mystery as Heidi raced to figure out the truth; fingers crossed this same tone and pace will be maintained in season 2.
Monae has been working wonders in film, music, and television in recent years. Earlier this year, she earned two Grammy nominations for her album Pynk. She's been racking up the acting roles lately, too. Her career kicked off with standout performances in Moonlight and Hidden Figures, allowing her to move on to parts with high-profile ensemble casts like the one assembled for 2018's Welcome to Marwen. Monae's casting in Homecoming season 2 is just one of the big wins for this calendar year. Additionally, she'll appear in a supporting role in Harriet, starring Cynthia Erivo and she'll lend her voice to the live-action remake of Disney's Lady and the Tramp, starring Tessa Thompson and Justin Theroux.
Roberts will stay on board for Homecoming season 2 as an executive producer under her Red Om Films banner. Additionally, Sam Esmail, who is also the creative mind behind the Homecoming podcast on which the series is based, will stick around as executive producer through his company Esmail Corp. Esmail's Mr. Robot colleague Chad Hamilton also gets an executive producer nod through Anonymous Content.
