Garrett Hedlund Replaced by Paul Sparks in Stephen King's CASTLE ROCK Season 2
I’m excited about Castle Rock Season 2! One of the main reasons for that excitement is the fact that it is going to feature the classic Stephen King character Annie Wilkes from Misery.
The story is said to focus on “a feud between warring clans [that] comes to a boil when budding psychopath Annie Wilkes (Lizzy Caplan), Stephen King’s nurse from hell, gets waylaid in Castle Rock.”
There’s been a little change in casting, though. Deadline is reporting that Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy) will be replaced by Paul Sparks (Boardwalk Empire, House of Cards) in the series. Sparks will play Castle Rock’s legendary bully, John “Ace” Merrill, who was originally played by Kiefer Sutherland in Stand By Me.
According to the report, the reason for the recasting was “a creative decision related to the character of Ace, who is taking over his uncle Pop’s (Tim Robbins) businesses and threatening a fragile peace with nearby Jerusalem’s Lot.” It’s an interesting replacement because there’s a decent sized age difference between the two actors.
Hedlund had filmed a handful of scenes for the series but those will obviously now be reshot. Sparks joins the previously cast:
Elsie Fisher (Eight Grade), who is going to play Joy, “Annie’s home-schooled teenage daughter, Joy is starting to have questions about her mother’s sanity.”
Yusra Warsama (Assassin’s Creed: Origins), who plays Dr. Nadia Omar, “The Harvard-trained Somali medical director of a rural hospital in Jerusalem’s Lot, Dr. Omar’s rational and scientific mind will be put to the test.”
Barkhad Abdi (Blade Runner 2049), who will portray Abdi Omar, “The tough, older brother of Nadia, Abdi leads the charge to build a Somali community center that will deepen the roots of his people in Maine.”
Matthew Alan (13 Reasons Why), who plays Chris Merrill, “Pop’s nephew and Ace’s brother, Chris struggles to keep peace between the Merrills and the Somali community.”
J.J. Abrams is producing the series with King, and it was created by Sam Shaw and Dustin Thomason.