Those longing for more of Stephen King’s particular brand of psychological terror after It: Chapter Two are probably already gearing up for the second season of Castle Rock. Hulu just dropped the new season teaser, which features Lizzy Caplan bringing the Annie Wilkes origin story to life, a character played by Kathy Bates in the 199 film Misery. How did Annie transform from a nurse into a maniacal romance-novel fan fond of sledgehammers and words like “cockadoodie”?
In the Hulu trailer, a younger Annie ends up in the town of Castle Rock with her daughter Joy (Elsie Fisher, Eighth Grade). She’s on the run from the FBI after committing a murder and the town citizens aren’t too happy to have her in the midst. We get brief glimpses of her nurse past as well. While Misery hinted at Annie’s violence-filled past when Paul Sheldon found her scrapbook, Castle Rock will likely fill in many of the blank spaces in her story.
Castle Rock season two also stars Alison Wright, Tim Robbins, Paul Sparks, Barkhad Abdi, and Matthew Alen. It will be available on the streaming platform just in time for Halloween—or, as the teaser puts it: “Misery Arrives October 23.”