MOVIE NEWS – Patricia Arquette (who plays Harmony Cobel) has warned us to be “very afraid” of what’s to come in the second season of Severance…

A dystopian thriller from Dan Erickson, directed by Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle, Severance comments on the modern troubles and boredom of working life with an intriguing sci-fi twist. One of the most unexpected successes of last year, we also reviewed it.

Last year’s first season of Severance was a surprisingly big hit and may now be the most anticipated show on Apple TV+, and although it came in under the radar, season two is sure to be on everyone’s radar.

Already, the craziest fan theories are being generated in the far corners of the internet. And Patricia Arquette (who plays the Lumon-loving Harmony Cobel) has warned us to be “very afraid” of what’s to come in season two.

Severance Season 2: What do we know about the plot?

One of the biggest mysteries of the series has to be the nature of the work itself, which the four main characters of the series are called upon to do. Mark, Dylan, Helly and Irving are macro data refiners at the fictional biotech mega-firm Lumon Industries. Their work is supposed to be so confidential that they have to undergo a process called “severance”. This is how they separate their consciousness at work from their outer selves. Yet the actual work is further coded to protect it from theft to the point where it seems meaningless.

Perhaps in the second season, it will be revealed that the work is indeed meaningless and that it is all just an attempt to gauge human obedience.

Keeping in line with Erickson’s revelation that the initial ideas for the story came to him during a terrible office job and depression. This can be read as a metaphor for criticising the state of bullshit jobs in the crumbling atmosphere of late capitalism (at least according to the theory put forward by anthropologist David Graeber)

If the protagonists were indeed just guinea pigs, it would be interesting to see how the rebels adjust to life after the events of the season one finale. Or rather, what actions Lumon takes in retaliation?

What about the new cast?

Game of Thrones and Wednesday star Gwendoline Christie joins the many cast members interested in Lumon. She will be joined by Bob Balaban, Alia Shawkat, John Noble, Robby Benson, Merritt Wever, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson and Stefano Carannante. It is not yet clear who will be in what role. But there is already talk of enthusiasm for the new cast.

Britt Lower echoed the excitement of fans, telling The Hollywood Reporter on the Golden Globes red carpet that she’s excited about the new cast.

“They’re really dynamite,” Lower said. But that’s not all. Dan Erickson also joked about offering a role to Barack Obama: “I think he’d be really good, he’d bring some gravitas,” he told THR.

When is season 2 of Severance due?

A series of the calibre of Severance can’t be rushed. Filming for the second season began in October 2022, and since then, we’ve already seen some behind-the-scenes details. As confirmed by Stiller, the filming schedule will reportedly be extended until at least May 2023. The seven-month shooting time doesn’t seem surprising, considering that the first season lasted 11 months. So a fully formed, significantly worth the waiting season could hit screens sometime later this year, if not early 2024.

In the meantime, you can re-watch the first season of Severance, currently streaming on Apple TV+.

Source: VOX, The Hollywood Reporter