One of the greatest strengths of the first season of FX’s Fargo was the cast that assembled for Noah Hawley’s fine extension of the Coen Brothers’ work. Billy Bob Thornton, Martin Freeman, Allison Tolman, Colin Hanks, Bob Odenkirk and Oliver Platt, among others, all brought gravitas, while fitting their performances perfectly with the incredibly well-written material.
With the show planned as an anthology series – like True Detective – speculation soon began as to which talented actors would headline season two, since season one set the bar so high. Now, it seems the cast for the next story is finally coming together, and it once again shows some interesting choices, as Kirsten Dunst (The Two Faces Of January) will star alongside Jesse Plemons (Breaking Bad).
The new story set to unfold in this second season takes place in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Luverne, Minnesota, in 1979. An entirely new case is investigated by Lou Solverson – a young State Police Officer who has recently returned from Vietnam. If you recall, the character of Solverson was featured as an older man in the first season of Fargo, played by Keith Carradine.
The latest casting announcement does not concern that main role, however. Instead, Jesse Plemons will play Ed Blomquist – a well-meaning butcher’s assistant and husband of Peggy, played by Kirsten Dunst. Peggy Blomquist is a small-town beautician, struggling to reconcile her ambitions with her suburban situation. Returning, behind the scenes, is writer and showrunner Noah Hawley, who will once again executive produce along with Joel and Ethan Coen, Warren Littlefield and John Cameron.
The question remains as to who will play the young Lou Solverson in the next chapter of Fargo, and what the nature of the new case will be. In true Coen Brothers style, the first season saw a labyrinthine plot develop from a simple moment of coincidence, and we should expect nothing less from season two, which is due to air in the fall of 2015.