Hulu’s psychological horror anthology series ‘Castle Rock’ has enlisted Paul Sparks to replace Garrett Hedlund. Sparks will play the role of John “Ace” Merrill, Castle Rock’s legendary bully. Ace is taking over his uncle Pop’s businesses and threatening a fragile peace with nearby Jerusalem’s Lot.
Last year, Sparks was in Netflix’s ‘House of Cards,’ Starz’s ‘Sweetbitter,’ and Paramount Network’s ‘Waco.’ Other recent credits include HBO’s ‘The Night Of,’ Netflix’s ‘The Crown,’ and 20th Century Fox’s ‘The Greatest Showman.’ Next up is Marc Meyers’ ‘Human Capital’ and Kyle Armstrong’s ‘Hands that Bind.’
Here are the other cast members and their roles:
- Lizzy Caplan (‘Masters of Sex,’ ‘Now You See Me 2’)
- Anne Wilkes, a nurse and superfan battling to overcome mental health issues.
- Tim Robbins (‘The Shawshank Redemption,’ ‘The Brink’)
- Reginald “Pop” Merrill, the Patriarch of Stephen King’s iconic crime family. Pop is dying of cancer and at a reckoning with his family.
- Elsie Fisher (‘Despicable Me,’ ‘Eighth Grade’)
- Joy, Annie’s home-schooled teenage daughter. Joy is starting to have questions about her mother’s sanity.
- Yusra Warsama (‘Call the Midwife,’ ‘Assassin’s Creed: Origins’)
- Dr. Nadia Omar, the Harvard-trained Somali medical director of a rural hospital in Jerusalem’s Lot. Dr. Omar’s rational and scientific mind will be put to the test.
- Barkhad Abdi (‘Captain Phillips,’ ‘Blade Runner 2049’)
- Abdi Omar, the tough, older brother of Nadia. Abdi leads the charge to build a Somali community center that will deepen the roots of his people in Maine.
- Matthew Alan (’13 Reasons Why,’ ‘Snowfall’)
- Chris Merrill, Pop’s nephew and Ace’s brother. Chris struggles to keep peace between the Merrills and the Somali community.
Also, Wilkes is the central antagonist in Stephen King’s 1987 novel ‘Misery.’ Kathy Bates was in the role for the Rob Reiner’s film adaptation from 1990.
Moreover, the premise is below:
“Season two will center around Annie Wilkes, Stephen King’s nurse from hell, who gets waylaid in the town of Castle Rock as a feud between warring clans comes to a boil.”
Meanwhile, the first season of ‘Castle Rock’ starred Andre Holland, Sissy Spacek, Bill Skarsgard, Melanie Lynskey, Scott Glenn, Jane Levy and Terry O’Quinn.
Additionally, Sam Shaw and Dustin Thomason serve as developers and executive producers of the series. Further, ‘Castle Rock’ is the second Hulu series in the Stephen King universe, with the first being the miniseries ‘11.22.63.’
But, Hulu has yet to announce the premiere date.
Source: Deadline