Deadline is reporting that Paul Sparks (Boardwalk Empire, House of Cards) will be replacing Garrett Hedlund as bully John “Ace” Merrill in Hulu’s Castle Rock Season 2.
RELATED: Lizzy Caplan to Star as Misery’s Annie Wilkes in Castle Rock Season 2
Hedlund had already filmed a few scenes for the second season which will now be reshot with Sparks in what the outlet notes was a creative decision related to the character. In the series, Ace is taking over his uncle Pop’s (Tim Robbins) business and will threaten a fragile peace with nearby Jerusalem’s Lot.
Sparks is best known for his roles in House of Cards, which earned him an Emmy nomination, and HBO’s Boardwalk Empire. Other credits include the limited series Waco and the film The Greatest Showman starring alongside Hugh Jackman. Sparks will appear in Season 2 of Starz’s drama series Sweetbitter, which the actor recently wrapped production on.
The Castle Rock Season 2 cast includes Emmy nominee Lizzy Caplan (Masters of Sex), who will be taking on the iconic role of Misery’s Annie Wilks, as well as Oscar winner Tim Robbins (Mystic River, The Shawshank Redemption), Elsie Fisher (Eighth Grade), Barkhad Abdi (Blade Runner 2049), Yusra Warsama (Call the Midwife), and Matthew Alan (13 Reasons Why).
Castle Rock Season 2 will explore a feud between warring clans that comes to a boil when budding psychopath Annie Wilkes (Caplan), King’s nurse from hell, gets waylaid in Castle Rock.
A psychological-horror series set in the Stephen King multiverse, Castle Rock combines the mythological scale and intimate character storytelling of King’s best-loved works, weaving an epic saga of darkness and light, played out on a few square miles of Maine woodland. The fictional Maine town of Castle Rock has figured prominently in King’s literary career: Cujo, The Dark Half, IT and Needful Things, as well as novella The Body and numerous short stories such as Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption are either set there or contain references to Castle Rock. Castle Rock is an original suspense/thriller — a first-of-its-kind reimagining that explores the themes and worlds uniting the entire King canon, while brushing up against some of his most iconic and beloved stories.
RELATED: Castle Rock Season One Blu-ray Details Revealed
The first season of the series stars André Holland (Moonlight), Melanie Lynskey (Togetherness), Sissy Spacek (Carrie), Bill Skarsgård (IT), Jane Levy (Don’t Breathe) and Scott Glenn (Daredevil).
Sam Shaw & Dustin Thomason developed the project for television and serve as executive producers along with J.J. Abrams, Ben Stephenson, and Liz Glotzer. Castle Rock is from Bad Robot Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.
(Photo Credit: Getty Images)
