Everything We Know About ‘The Haunting of Hill House’s Follow-Up ‘Bly Manor’
Netflix gave The Haunting of Hill House fans what they’ve wanted since late last year — a Season 2 renewal.
On Thursday, February 21, 2019 the streaming service announced its multi-year deal with showrunner Mike Flanagan along with news that The Haunting of Hill House would get a second season, but in the anthology vein. Similar to shows like American Horror Story, The Haunting will tell a new story with different characters.
So, what is there to know about the upcoming season? Within hours of the announcement there were enough details to satisfy even the thirstiest of viewers with a title and release year. Below we’re rounding up everything we know so far.
The Title
Season 2 of The Haunting anthology will be known as The Haunting of Bly Manor, the title is inspired by a famous work of fiction similar to Hill House‘s novel counterpart by Shirley Jackson. In this instance, Bly Manor is a reference to Henry James’s famed horror novella The Turn of the Screw.
Henry James
The Inspiration
Henry James is one of the world’s most famous English writers and his novella The Turn of the Screw continues to be read well after its original 1898 publishing date. The story follows the events which occur at an estate known as Bly Manor, where a governess watches over the orphaned Miles and Flora after being employed by their uncle.
In the English countryside where Bly is situated, the governess becomes ill at ease when she begins seeing ghostly apparitions and fears what the figures may represent and what impact they might have on the family. Of course, this inspiration will surely only go so far. Since showrunner Mike Flanagan offered his own take on Shirley’s work with Hill House, he’ll likely do the same with Bly Manor.
A new Haunting is coming. Can you guess where it takes place? Listen closely… pic.twitter.com/vqzrd3z4NZ
— The Haunting of Hill House (@haunting) February 21, 2019
Clues about the show’s inspiration were given in a quick video teaser via the show’s Twitter page prior to the full title release. In the video the dialogue, “The terrace and the whole place, the lawn and the garden beyond it, all I could see of the park, were empty with a great emptiness,” was provided as a hint.
No word on whether the show will stick to Henry James’s time period for the piece as Hill House defied Shirley Jackson’s 1959 set-novel.
Premiere Date
No definite date has been provided but at the end of the initial video teaser “you’re expected 2020,” does confirm that Season 2 is expected within that time frame. Thankfully it gives fans something to look forward to and plenty of time to rewatch Season 1 for all of the thrills, chills and excitement.
Even luckier? The series wrapped filming prior to production shut-downs related to the coronavirus pandemic. As evidenced in Flanagan’s February 21, 2020 tweet, the showrunner said, “That’s a wrap on THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR. Congratulations to the cast and crew, the familiar faces and the new, and congratulations to the filmmakers who came on board to make this season their own.”
This means that it’s more likely than not that the show will stick to the 2020 premiere date, but a definitive month and date has yet to be revealed. May we suggest a premiere timed to Halloween?
That’s a wrap on THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR. Congratulations to the cast and crew, the familiar faces and the new, and congratulations to the filmmakers who came on board to make this season their own.
— Mike Flanagan (@flanaganfilm) February 21, 2020
Who’s Returning
The Haunting of Bly Manor announced its first cast member back in June and it’s none other than Season 1 star Victoria Pedretti who played Nell in Hill House. According to Deadline, Pedretti will lead the series as governess, Dani, who cares for two young children.
Nellie Crain may be gone, but Victoria Pedretti is returning to the Haunting universe in The Haunting of Bly Manor coming 2020! pic.twitter.com/uWoB5zdxKx
— The Haunting of Hill House (@haunting) June 28, 2019
Meanwhile, Oliver Jackson-Cohen finally shared the news that he’d be joining the show’s Sophomore season in July. The actor made the reveal in a quick video announcement via the show’s Twitter page in which he shared that his character’s name is Peter and while charming, the Bly Manor resident makes life difficult for those around him.
*cues adorable British accent* help us welcome @ojacksoncohen to The Haunting of Bly Manor!!! pic.twitter.com/aCysTCqOut
— The Haunting of Hill House (@haunting) July 15, 2019
On August 28, showrunner Mike Flanagan shared that Henry Thomas would also return for the anthology’s second season in a tweet. “I’m beyond thrilled to announce that the inestimable, irreplaceable, invaluable Henry Thomas has joined the cast of THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR,” Flanagan wrote.
I’ll be making more BLY MANOR casting announcements here tomorrow and Friday… stay tuned! @haunting
— Mike Flanagan (@flanaganfilm) August 28, 2019
Another Season 1 star is joining Bly Manor as Flanagan shared that actress and wife Kate Siegel will return for more Haunting fun. “THE HAUNTING wouldn’t be THE HAUNTING without fan favorite KATE SIEGEL… and I’m elated to confirm that she’ll be joining us at BLY MANOR,” the creator wrote.
THE HAUNTING wouldn’t be THE HAUNTING without fan favorite KATE SIEGEL… and I’m elated to confirm that she’ll be joining us at BLY MANOR. @k8siegel @haunting
— Mike Flanagan (@flanaganfilm) August 29, 2019
As promised, Flanagan revealed even more cast members for Bly Manor on Friday, August 30 on Twitter. Hill House‘s own Poppy Hill star Catherine Parker will return for Bly alongside new cast members Years and Years‘ T’nia Miller, iZombie‘s Rahul Kohli and Amelia Eve. He also shared that Benjamin Ainsworth and Amelie Smith will portray the crucial roles of Miles and Flora.
There’s a couple more Season 1 stars who haven’t been revealed as returning. Considering the anthology format and Flanagan’s affinity for using the same talent in his various projects (which is obvious with the first casting reveals), we can’t help but hope that a few more familiar faces pop up in the new episodes. Hill House star Carla Gugino appeared in the showrunner’s Netflix film Gerald’s Game in 2017.
The Haunting of Bly Manor, Coming 2020, Netflix
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