Fans of the freshman Showtime series Yellowjackets were left with a lot of big questions when Season 1 came to an end back in January, but one that inspired a great deal of instant speculation was "Who will play adult Lottie?" Courtney Eaton delivered a remarkable performance as the younger version of the character, and the finale's cliffhanger made it clear that Lottie is still creating mayhem in her 40s. Today the answer has been revealed, and it's Simone Kessell – who very recently played Breha Organa, Princess Leia Organa's mother, on the Star Wars Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Showtime has officially announced the casting, and added a cherry on the sundae by also revealing that Courtney Eaton has been promoted to series regular for Yellowjackets Season 2. The latter news surely isn't all that surprising for fans of the news to hear, as teenage Lottie only became more and more significant as a character over the course of the premiere 10-episode run.
In the back half of Season 1, it's slowly revealed that Lottie may have some kind of supernatural gift, and it seems to include premonitions via visions. By the time the events of the finale play out, she has been proven correct enough times to start gaining a following, with Misty (Samantha Hanratty) and Van (Liv Hewson) being the first to line up behind her... literally. She has been dubbed the Antler Queen by fans of Yellowjackets, and all signs point to her cult leader-esque behavior extending into adulthood – which is where Simone Kessell comes in.
A New Zealand native, Kessell's filmmography extends back to the 1990s when she starred in episodes of Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. She has been a regular cast member on shows such as Terra Nova, The Crossing, and Of Kings and Prophets, and in addition to her recent work on Obi-Wan Kenobi, she also appeared in two episodes of the new HBO series Our Flag Means Death.
Simone Kessell is the second new cast member to join Yellowjackets Season 2. Earlier this month it was announced that Six Feet Under and Servant actor Lauren Ambrose will be playing adult Van in the second run of the Showtime series (the announcement itself confirming that teenage Van ends up surviving her time lost with her soccer teammates in the wilderness of Appalachia). Will she still be a follower of Lottie's following their time surviving in the woods? We have no idea right now, but can't wait to find out.
Melanie Lynskey, Juliette Lewis, Christina Ricci, Tawny Cypress, Sophie Nélisse, Sophie Thatcher, Samantha Hanratty, Jasmin Savoy Brown and more will be back for Yellowjackets Season 2, which is starting filming this month and is expected to be released in early 2023.
The wait for more of the Emmy-nominated Yellowjackets is going to be tough for fans, but the good news is that there is a whole lot of great television set to arrive in what remains of the year to distract from the effort to be patient. Check out our 2022 TV Schedule for a preview of what's coming – and you can rewatch Season 1 of the new show to your hearts content with a Showtime subscription, reexperiencing all of the best WTF moments so far.
