Watch: New trailer for Homecoming Season 2
David Farnor | On 30, Apr 2020
Amazon’s Homecoming returns for its second season this May with a fresh new mystery and a new star: Janelle Monáe (Moonlight).
Her character wakes in a rowboat adrift a lake, with no memory of how she got there — or even who she is. Her ensuing search for identity will lead her into the heart of the Geist Group, the unconventional wellness company behind the Homecoming Initiative.
The second season finds Stephan James reprising his role as Walter Cruz, who is trying to build a new life following the traumas of war and the Homecoming Initiative, when he begins to realise that there’s an even more insidious version of the programme underway – if only he can remember. Hong Chau returns as Audrey Temple, an anonymous underling at Geist who finds herself thrust into unexpected positions at the top of the corporate ladder. Joining the cast for Season 2 are Oscar-winner Chris Cooper as Leonard Geist, the company’s eccentric founder, and Joan Cusack as Francine Bunda, an equally eccentric military woman.
You can see them in action on 22nd May, when Season 2 premieres on Amazon Prime Video. Here’s the atmospheric new trailer:
Trailer: Homecoming Season 2 set for May release
9th April 2020
Homecoming officially returns for Season 2 this May, Amazon Prime Video has revealed, and a new trailer gives us our first look at Janelle Monáe as its new lead.
The sci-fi thriller delves into a fresh new mystery, with Janelle’s character waking in a rowboat adrift a lake, with no memory of how she got there — or even who she is. Her ensuing search for identity will lead her into the heart of the Geist Group, the unconventional wellness company behind the Homecoming Initiative.
The second season finds Stephan James reprising his role as Walter Cruz, who is trying to build a new life following the traumas of war and the Homecoming Initiative, when he begins to realise that there’s an even more insidious version of the programme underway – if only he can remember. Hong Chau (Watchmen) returns as Audrey Temple, an anonymous underling at Geist who finds herself thrust into unexpected positions at the top of the corporate ladder. Joining the cast for season 2 are Chris Cooper as Leonard Geist, the company’s eccentric founder, and Joan Cusack as Francine Bunda, an equally eccentric military woman.
Homecoming’s co-showrunners and executive producers are Eli Horowitz (Homecoming) and Micah Bloomberg (All is Lost), who are also the creators of the Gimlet Media podcast upon which the show is based. All episodes of the second season are directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez (13 Reasons Why), who also serves as Executive Producer. Homecoming is co-produced by Amazon Studios and UCP and executive produced by Julia Roberts (who starred in Season 1), Sam Esmail (Mr.Robot), Chad Hamilton (Mr. Robot), and Chris Giliberti (Alex, Inc.), plus Alex Blumberg (This American Life) and Matt Lieber (Alex, Inc.).
The new season premieres on 22nd May on Amazon Prime Video. Here’s the trailer:
Joan Cusack joins Homecoming Season 2
22nd December 2019
Joan Cusack has joined the cast of Homecoming for Season 2.
The psychological thriller, which is based on the hit podcast of the same, explores a sinister corporation offering therapy to soldiers seeking to transition back to civilian life.
Julia Roberts led the cast of Season 1, playing Heidi, a caseworker at the Homecoming Transitional Support Center. She tried to help Walter Cruz (Stephan James), a soldier eager to begin the next phase of his life, but four years later, we found her working miles away in a restaurant, visited by a Department of Defense auditor (Shea Whigham) with questions about why she left.
With Roberts, who exec produced the series alongside director Sam Esmail, only signing a one-year acting contract, Season 2 is all change, with Janelle Monáe taking the lead as a tenacious woman who finds herself floating in a canoe, with no memory of how she got there or who she is.
She is joined by Stephan James and Hong Chau, who will reprise their roles as Cruz and as as Audrey Temple, one of Heidi’s superiors. Also returning is Bobby Cannavale as Temple’s colleague, Colin Belfast.
They’ll be joined by two new characters. Joan Cusack (A Series of Unfortunate Events) will play Francine Bunda, an Army officer with an unconventional approach to the job. Holland will play Wendy, an ambitious executive in Geist’s R&D department.
Stephan James and Hong Chau to return for Homecoming Season 2
28th August 2019
Stephan James and Hong Chau will both be back for Season 2, Amazon has confirmed.
The psychological thriller, which is based on the hit podcast of the same, explores a sinister corporation offering therapy to soldiers seeking to transition back to civilian life. First released in 2016, a mutual love of the audio brought Julia Roberts and Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail together to produce a TV remake, with Roberts playing Heidi, a caseworker at the Homecoming Transitional Support Center.
Season 1 saw her try to help Walter Cruz (Stephan James), a soldier eager to begin the next phase of his life, but four years later, we find her working miles away in a restaurant, visited by a Department of Defense auditor (Shea Whigham) with questinos about why she left.
But Roberts, who made his first foray into TV for the project, only signed a one-year acting contract for the series, despite the two-season order given by Amazon. Instead of continuing Heidi’s story, Season 2 will see Janelle Monáe take the lead as a tenacious woman who finds herself floating in a canoe, with no memory of how she got there or who she is.
James and Chau will be returning to her. James, who earned a Golden Globe nomination for season 1, will again play Cruz and Chau will reprise her role as Audrey Temple, one of Heidi’s superiors. Also returning is Bobby Cannavale as Temple’s colleague, Colin Belfast.
Sam Esmail, who directed all episodes of Season 1, will also step down from the helm, with Kyle Patrick Alvarez (The Stanford Prison Experiment) stepping in to replace him.
“His enthusiasm and relentless creativity are already taking the show in exciting new directions,” series creators and executive producers Micah Bloomberg and Eli Horowitz said in a statement. “And we’re thrilled that Stephan and Hong will be returning, we can’t wait to watch as they take their characters on these surprising journeys, far beyond anything we could have expected.”
Alvarez will also serve as an executive producer, alongside Esmail and Roberts.
Janelle Monáe to replace Julia Roberts in Homecoming Season 2
4th August 2019
Janelle Monáe will replace Julia Roberts in Homecoming Season 2.
The psychological thriller, which is based on the hit podcast of the same, explores a sinister corporation offering therapy to soldiers seeking to transition back to civilian life. First released in 2016, a mutual love of the audio brought Julia Roberts and Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail together to produce a TV remake, with Roberts playing Heidi, a caseworker at the Homecoming Transitional Support Center.
Season 1 saw her try to help Walter Cruz (Stephan James), a soldier eager to begin the next phase of his life, but four years later, we find her working miles away in a restaurant, visited by a Department of Defense auditor (Shea Whigham) with questinos about why she left.
But Roberts, who made his first foray into TV for the project, only signed a one-year acting contract for the series, despite the two-season order given by Amazon. That means that while Roberts will exec produce Season 2, Heidi’s story will not be continued further.
Now, Amazon has confirmed who will step into her shoes: Janelle Monáe. The actor and singer, who has impressed in Moonlight and Hidden Figures, will play “a tenacious woman”, reports THR, who finds herself floating in a canoe, with no memory of how she got there or who she is.
Bobby Cannavale will reprise his role of Heidi’s boss, Colin Belfast, alongside his newly promoted superior Audrey Temple (Hong Chau).
Monáe’s casting announcement follows this year’s Emmy nominations, which notably snubbed Roberts’ performance.
Julia Roberts will not return for Homecoming Season 2
20th January 2019
Amazon’s Homecoming has already been confirmed for a second season, but when it returns, it will do so without Julia Roberts.
The psychological thriller, which is based on the hit podcast of the same, explores a sinister corporation offering therapy to soldiers seeking to transition back to civilian life. First released in 2016, a mutual love of the audio brought Julia Roberts and Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail together to produce a TV remake, with Roberts playing Heidi, a caseworker at the Homecoming Transitional Support Center.
Season 1 saw her try to help Walter Cruz (Stephan James), a soldier eager to begin the next phase of his life, but four years later, we find her working miles away in a restaurant, visited by a Department of Defense auditor (Shea Whigham) with questinos about why she left.
But Roberts, who made his first foray into TV for the project, only signed a one-year acting contract for the series, despite the two-season order given by Amazon. That means that Heidi’s story will not be continued further, although it doesn’t rule out other cast members, such as Bobby Cannavale (who plays Heidi’s boss, Colin) or James, reprising their roles. Deadline reports that both are likely to be back, along with potentially Whigham’s auditor and Hong Chau, who appeared at the end as Audrey, an assistant for Homecoming institute’s parent company, Geist.
Esmail and Roberts were upfront about deviating from the podcast when they spoke to us last year about the series.
“I think when we took on the task of adapting this, it was a conscious decision to say ‘The podcast is great, but we are doing our own thing’. That included casting it in a different way and we also deviated from the storyline in a significant way in the TV show. We didn’t want the comparison, because again, we loved the podcast, that’s the reason we wanted to make it as a TV show, but we didn’t want to imitate the podcast. We wanted to create our own new thing out of it,” explained Esmail.
While new characters and storylines are explored, though, Roberts will remain an executive producer on the project. She recently received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Drama for the programme. Season 1 is available on Amazon Prime Video. Read our review here.
Homecoming is available to watch online on Amazon Prime Video as part of a Prime membership or a £5.99 monthly subscription.
Sissy Spacek joins Amazon’s Homecoming series
5th April 2018
Sissy Spacek has joined the cast of Amazon’s Homecoming series.
The show, which is produced by Mr. Robot’s Sam Esmail, is based on Gimlet Media’s podcast of the same name and follows a caseworker at a secret government facility (Julia Roberts) and young military veteran (Stephan James) looking to rejoin civilian life.
Now, the show has got another Oscar-winning actor to join Roberts in the form of Spacek. A veritable Hollywood legend, her career dates all th eway back Brian De Palma’s Carrie, taking in roles along the way that range from Coal Miner’s Daughter and Badlands to HBO’s Big Love and Netflix’s Bloodline.
Spacek will have a recurring role in the series as Ellen, the mother of Heidi, Roberts’ character. She is described by Variety as “no-nonsense, somewhat crabby, but fiercely protective of her daughter”.
She joins a growing ensemble that includes Bobby Cannavale as Colin, the “ambitious off-site supervisor of the Homecoming Initiative”, Alex Karpovsky as a Craig, who works at Homecoming and coaches clients through real-life scenarios, and Dermot Mulroney, who will play Anthony, Heidi’s boyfriend.
Dermot Mulroney and Alex Karpovsky join Amazon’s Homecoming series
10th March 2018
Dermot Mulroney and Alex Karpovsky are the latest to join Amazon’s Homecoming series.
The show, which is produced by Mr. Robot’s Sam Esmail, is based on Gimlet Media’s podcast of the same name. The fictional audio drama is a psychological thriller that follows a caseworker at a secret government facility and a soldier keen to return to the civilian world.
The podcast was created by Eli Horowitz and Micah Bloomberg, with both on writing duties and Esmail at the helm. It stars Julia Roberts as Heidi, a caseworker at a secret government facility, Stephan James (Shots Fired) as the young military veteran with a quite sense of humour assigned to her, and Bobby Cannavale will play Colin Belfast, the “ambitious off-site supervisor of the Homecoming Initiative”.
They’ll be joined by Girls veteran Karpovsky as a series regular. He’ll play Craig, who works at Homecoming and coaches clients through real-life scenarios, using his years of improv training. Karpovsky will next be seen in Jason Reitman’s The Front Runner, alongside Hugh Jackman and J.K. Simmons.
Also signing up this week is Dermot Mulroney, who will reunite with his My Best Friend’s Wedding co-star to play Anthony, Heidi’s boyfriend. A recurring guest star in the series, he’s eager to please but also described as a bit needy and becomes frustrated by Heidi’s lack of attention to him.
This is not his first reunion with Roberts: they also starred alongside each other in the 2013 film version of August: Osage County. Mulroney was most recently seen in The Mountain Between Us.
Bobby Cannavale to co-star in Amazon’s Homecoming
1st December 2017
Bobby Cannabale will co-star in Amazon’s new series, Homecoming, alongside Julia Roberts.
The series, which is produced by Mr. Robot’s Sam Esmail, is based on Gimlet Media’s podcast of the same name. The fictional audio drama is a psychological thriller that follows a caseworker at a secret government facility and a soldier keen to return to the civilian world.
The podcast was created by Eli Horowitz and Micah Bloomberg and has just launched its second season. A collage of telephone calls and conversations, the podcast has attracted all manner of star names, including Oscar Isaac, David Schwimmer and Catherine Keener. Horowitz and Bloomberg will write the series, with Esmail on directing duties.
Roberts will play Heidi, a caseworker at a secret government facility. Cannavale will play Colin Belfast, the “ambitious off-site supervisor of the Homecoming Initiative”. He joins the recently cast Stephan James (Shots Fired) as the young military veteran with a quite sense of humour assigned to Heidi.
The show marks a reunion of sorts of Boardwalk Empire alumnus Cannavale, who can currently be seen in Season 3 of Mr. Robot, also produced by Universal Cable Productions – and, in the UK, also an Amazon Prime Video exclusive. He will next be seen in the upcoming Jumanji remake and Martin Scorsese’s Netflix film The Irishman.
Stephan James joins Julia Roberts in Homecoming
11th November 2017
Stephan James has joined Julia Roberts in Amazon’s new drama, Homecoming.
The series, which is produced by Mr. Robot’s Sam Esmail, is based on Gimlet Media’s podcast of the same name. The fictional audio drama is a psychological thriller that follows a caseworker at a secret government facility and a soldier keen to return to the civilian world.
The podcast was created by Eli Horowitz and Micah Bloomberg and has just launched its second season. A collage of telephone calls and conversations, the podcast has attracted all manner of star names, including Oscar Isaac, David Schwimmer and Catherine Keener. Horowitz and Bloomberg will write the series, with Esmail on directing duties.
Roberts will play Heidi, a caseworker at a secret government facility. Now, Deadline reports that she will be joined by Shots Fired star Stephan James, who will play the young military veteran with a quite sense of humour who is assigned to Heidi.
The show, which hails from Universal Cable Productions as well as Esmail Corp, is exec-produced by Anonymous Content’s Chad Hamilton, alongside Horowitz and Bloomberg, Alicia Van Couvering, Chris Giliberti, Alex Blumberg, and Matt Lieber of Gimlet Media. Roberts also will serve as an EP through her production company RedOm, alongside her partners Lisa Gillan and Marisa Gill.
Filming on the show, which will premiere exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, will kick off in April 2018.
Amazon picks up Homecoming series starring Julia Roberts
20th July 2017
Amazon has picked up new Julia Roberts drama Homecoming as an original series.
The series, which is produced by Universal, is based on Gimlet Media’s podcast of the same name. The fictional audio drama is a psychological thriller that follows a caseworker at a secret government facility and a solider keen to return to the civilian world.
Homecoming — which on Wednesday launched its second season — is a psychological and political thriller that centers on a caseworker at a secret government facility (played by Roberts) and a soldier eager to rejoin civilian life.
The podcast was created by Eli Horowitz and Micah Bloomberg and is no slouch in the casting stakes itself: it stars Catherine Keener and Oscar Isaac, not to mention David Schwimmer and Amy Sedaris. The podcast returned this week for a Season 2, seven months after its Season 1 finale, with Michael Cera and Alia Shawkat also joining the ensemble.
“We tried to give [season two] its own feel, it’s own heartbeat,” Horowitz, who directs the series, told THR. “It’s got a new palette — new music, new art. I didn’t want to try to squeeze drama from the same note again.”
Since its premiere last year, the podcast has become a Serial-sized hit. The podcast has gone on to spawn an ebook, The Lost Coast, which is designed to accompany the six-episode second run.
“It was always a podcast,” added Horowitz, with the story growing “specifically out of the challenge of how to tackle the possibilities and limitations of an audio drama”.
Now, Hollywood is paying attention. Enter Mr Robot’s Sam Esmail, who is working with Horowitz and Bloomberg to adapt the show for the screen. He will direct, with the podcast creators collaborating on the screenplay. Chad Hamilton of Anonymous Content, plus Alicia Van Couvering, and Chris Giliberti, Alex Blumberg and Matt Lieber of Gimlet Media are all on board as exec-producers.
Esmail “was really looking to just flesh out the core storytelling” of the podcast, explained Horowitz. “Each form has its own possibilities and limitations. It’s exciting to now be thinking about this new story in a new form.”
The addition of Roberts and Amazon to the roster only strengthen the project’s profile. Roberts will play the caseworker’s supervisor, while Amazon has ordered two seasons of the series.
The deal saw the online giant beat sizeable competition for the show’s rights. Homecoming will premiere simultaneously on Amazon Prime Video around the world, joining the recently ordered high-profile mafia drama from David O. Russell, which will star Robert De Niro and Julianne Moore.