Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet is being tipped to headline the second series of Netflix's hard-hitting drama, Adolescence, according to the Mail on Sunday. The 50-year-old British star, who won an Academy Award for Best Actress for The Reader (2009) and has six further nominations, is linked to a pivotal role in a follow-up series that will centre on a fresh storyline surrounding troubled teenagers.
First Series Success
The first series of the streaming giant's hit show followed the Miller family, led by Stephen Graham's Eddie, whose son Jamie (played by Owen Cooper) is arrested for the murder of a female classmate. Told across four episodes each filmed in a single continuous take, the critically acclaimed drama tackled themes of teenage violence, online harassment and the manosphere's influence on young boys. It collected several major accolades for its writing, direction and performances, with now-16-year-old Cooper becoming the youngest ever male recipient of both a Primetime Emmy Award and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor, reports the Mirror.
Winslet's Involvement
"It's happening and in development. There's excitement that Kate's on board," a source said in the Mail's Talk of the Town column. Winslet recently directed and starred in Netflix's Christmas drama film, Goodbye June. Her involvement follows Graham's hints at a potential second season at the Golden Globes, although his remarks were swiftly played down by the show's writer, Jack Thorne.
Graham's Tease and Thorne's Clarification
"It's somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind and Jack's mind. We'll pull it out in three or four years, so stay tuned," Graham said. Thorne addressed his collaborator's comments on The One Show, stating: "There's not going to be a second series that involves the Miller family. So if we ever do anything else with the format, which we might do in years, years, years to come, we've got nothing at the moment. To be clear, there's nothing. Stephen said there might be something at the back of our brain somewhere. There isn't anything at the back of my brain. I've got this brain and I know Stephen's brain. There's nothing there at the moment. But give us time and there might be something else."
Breakout Star Owen Cooper
Breakout star Cooper has since appeared in this year's landmark period drama Wuthering Heights alongside Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, and has been cast in Tom Ford's forthcoming historical feature Cry to Heaven, adapted from the novel by Anne Rice. During his Golden Globes acceptance speech, he said: "Standing here at the Golden Globe does not feel real, whatsoever. What an incredible journey me and my family have been put through."
Reach PLC has contacted Netflix for comment. Adolescence is available to stream on Netflix.
