Simone Kessell Joins Season Two of YELLOWJACKETS

SHOWTIME has announced that Simone Kessell (Obi-Wan Kenobi) is joining the highly anticipated second season of YELLOWJACKETS as Adult Lottie Matthews.

In addition, Courtney Eaton (Mad Max: Fury Road), who plays the teen version of Lottie, has been upped to series regular in season two. She joins recently announced Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under, Servant), who will play the adult version of Van.

YELLOWJACKETS is nominated for seven Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actress for Melanie Lynskey and Outstanding Supporting Actress for Christina Ricci.

YELLOWJACKETS was also nominated for two writing Emmys and earned additional noms for Directing and Casting. Season one averaged over 5 million weekly viewers across platforms and was the second-most streamed series in SHOWTIME history. Produced for SHOWTIME by studio Entertainment One (eOne), the series will go into production later this month in Vancouver.

A New Zealand native, Kessell can currently be seen opposite Ewan McGregor in Obi-Wan Kenobi as Breha Organa, mother to Princess Leia as a child. Previous television credits include a recurring role in Taika Watiti's Our Flag Means Death, as well as Reckoning, The Crossing, OF KINGS AND PROPHETS and Terra Nova.

She stars in the upcoming feature Muru, which will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Kessell received an Australian AACTA Nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film Outlaws. Other film credits include Andreas, 2:22, The Lovers, Burning Man and The Informers.

Created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson (Narcos), YELLOWJACKETS stars Emmy nominee and Critics Choice Award winner Melanie Lynskey (Castle Rock), Oscar® and Emmy nominee Juliette Lewis (Camping), Emmy nominee Christina Ricci (Z: The Beginning of Everything) and Tawny Cypress (Unforgettable).

Equal parts survival epic, psychological horror story and coming-of-age drama, YELLOWJACKETS is the saga of a team of wildly talented high school girls soccer players who become the (un)lucky survivors of a plane crash deep in the remote northern wilderness.

The series chronicles their descent from a complicated but thriving team to savage clans, while also tracking the lives they've attempted to piece back together nearly 25 years later, proving that the past is never really past and what began out in the wilderness is far from over.

Season one also starred Ella Purnell (Sweetbitter), Samantha Hanratty (SHAMELESS), Sophie Thatcher (Prospect), Jasmin Savoy Brown (The Leftovers), Sophie Nélisse (The Book Thief), Steven Krueger (The Originals) and Warren Kole (Shades of Blue). Liv Hewson (Santa Clarita Diet) who plays the teen version of Van, has been upped to series regular in season two.

YELLOWJACKETS is executive produced by Lyle, Nickerson and fellow showrunner Jonathan Lisco. Karyn Kusama also executive produced and directed the pilot. Drew Comins of Creative Engine also serves as executive producer.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Paramount, owns and operates the premium service SHOWTIME®, which features critically acclaimed original series, provocative documentaries, box-office hit films, comedy and music specials and hard-hitting sports. SHOWTIME is available as a stand-alone streaming service across all major streaming devices and Showtime.com, as well as via cable, DBS, telco and streaming video providers.

Photo Credit: George Pimentel/WireImage/Getty

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