Haunting of Hill House star returning as new character for season 2's Bly Manor setting

The first star has been cast for The Haunting of Hill House‘s second chapter, and it’s a familiar face.

Victoria Pedretti, who portrayed Hill House‘s older version of Nell Crain, will now star in The Haunting of Bly Manor. Keeping with the anthology format of the Netflix horror series, she will play an entirely new character.

In a video message shared with fans online, Pedretti announced she will take the role of Dani, “a governess who takes care of two very unusual children.”

“Our incredible writing team is writing the new season right now and I’m so excited to get going,” she said.

The Haunting of Hill House debuted in 2018 with a story about the Crain family, shifting between their past selves living in the spirit-infested Hill House and their present selves dealing with both the psychological and supernatural demons that haunt them. Following the show’s success, creator Mike Flanagan and executive producer Trevor Macy struck a new multi-year deal with Netflix that includes turning Hill House into the next American Horror Story, in a sense.

The Haunting of Bly Manor, the second season’s story, takes its name from the setting of the Henry James novella, 1898’s The Turn of the Screw, which features the tale of two orphans looked after by a young governess, who acts as the story’s narrator. Pedretti’s Dani, it would appear, is that governess.

If Pedretti becomes for Flanagan what Sarah Paulson is for Ryan Murphy, we won’t be mad. Carla Gugino, who played mother Olivia Crain, also collaborated with the filmmaker in both Hill House and Gerald’s Game. So, we wouldn’t be surprised to see her in a new role for Bly Manor.

The new season will premiere on Netflix sometime in 2020.

Related content:

• The Haunting of Hill House officially returns with new anthology format for season 2
• The Haunting of Hill House creator Mike Flanagan on hidden clues, major scares, and a season 2
• The Haunting of Hill House creator talks putting his own stamp on a ghostly classic