‘Homecoming’: Janelle Monáe To Star In Season 2 Of Amazon Series

Hidden Figures and Moonlight star Janelle Monáe is set to headline the second season of Amazon’s psychological thriller drama series Homecoming, from Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail, according to Deadline.

The description of her character provides some clues about the premise of Season 2. The actress/musician plays a tenacious woman who finds herself floating in a canoe, with no memory of how she got there — or even who she is.

As a leading lady, Monáe succeeds Julie Roberts who toplined Season 1 in a one-year deal. Roberts is continuing as an executive producer on the series, a co-production between Amazon Studios and UCP.

Homecoming, which is in the middle of a two-season initial order from Amazon, is heading into a second season that will deviate from the popular Gimlet Media’s podcast which Season 1 was based on and will introduce new characters.

It has not been confirmed yet who from the original cast would come back, but I’d been hearing that Bobby Cannavale, Stephan James, Hong Chau and possibly Shea Whigham are looking good to return.

Directed by Esmail and created by Eli Horowitz and Micah Bloomberg, Homecoming’s first season focused on Heidi Bergman (Roberts), a caseworker at the Homecoming Transitional Support Center, a Geist Group facility helping soldiers transition back to civilian life. Walter Cruz (James) is one of these soldiers, eager to begin the next phase of his life. Overseeing Heidi and the facility is Colin Belfast (Cannavale), an ambitious company man whose manic demands point to questionable motives.

Four years later, Heidi has started a new life when a Department of Defense auditor (Whigham) comes to her with questions about why she left the Homecoming facility. Heidi begins to realize that there’s a whole other story behind the story she’s been telling herself.

Homecoming is executive produced by Esmail through his UCP-based production company Esmail Corp;  as well as Chad Hamilton of Anonymous Content; the podcast’s Eli Horowitz and Micah Bloomberg; and Chris Giliberti, Alex Blumberg and Matt Lieber of Gimlet Media. Roberts exec  produces through her production company Red Om Films.

This marks the first major TV role for singer and songwriter, activist, and fashion trendsetter Monáe who appeared in an episode of the Amazon anthology series Electric Dreams. Monáe was recently nominated for two Grammy awards in the categories Album of the Year and Best Music Video for her album Dirty Computer. She also serves as a co-chair for When We All Vote and is behind a Fem the Future initiative empowering female filmmakers.

As an actor, Monáe will next be seen in Focus Feature’s Harriet Tubman biopic Harriett as well as Disney’s Lady and the Tramp live action reboot, in which her management company, Wondaland, is producing multiple songs. She will play Peg, the wise-cracking pound dog voiced in the 1955 original animated film by Peggy Lee’. Additionally, Monáe will be seen alongside Julianne Moore in the upcoming biopic, The Glorias; A Life On the Road. She is repped by WME, Wondaland Management and Ziffren Brittenham Law.