“Paradise” boss talks James Marsden’s return, season 2’s post-apocalyptic world: ‘There’s positively no zombies’

It's time for Paradise to enter the true world.

When the Hulu drama returns for its second season, Xavier (Sterling Ok. Brown) is leaving the bunker behind to seek out his spouse. And the present is leaving season 1 behind for one thing … totally different. "Our second season was at all times meant to be a little bit of a departure," showrunner Dan Fogelman says of his three-year plan for the story.

"I hold reminding myself to stay to the plan, as a result of generally the plan generally is a little scary," Fogelman continues. "There's a second the place you go, 'Wow, persons are actually having fun with this present on this world and we're gonna be going to totally different worlds and totally different areas. And that's a scary second the place you examine your self just a little bit, however we tried to execute the plan that we at all times had, the plan that I pitched to Sterling after I first instructed him what the three seasons have been gonna be. And we caught with that."

One factor that was at all times a part of the plan? James Marsden's return. Though his character, Cal Bradford, was killed in season 1, that didn't cease him from showing in flashbacks — and it received't cease him in season 2 both.

"I’ve had roles for him in thoughts each within the second and third season as a means that he can play an element within the story," Fogelman says, noting how his final collection offered useful expertise with flashbacks.

"Coming off of This Is Us for therefore lengthy and understanding the way it works while you're coping with reveals that deal in time and when you’ve got beloved characters in them, there are methods when you’ve got flashbacks the place, if it's not transferring the plot ahead, it may transfer any individual's character ahead. And it retains them within the ether of the present. In order that was one thing that was at all times on my thoughts with James. I knew individuals have been gonna love him in it."

Whereas Marsden serves as a well-known face, season 2 may also herald some new characters, together with Shailene Woodley and Thomas Doherty. "Now we have a primary episode of the present that may be very totally different," Fogelman says. "Shailene Woodley actually carries the primary episode in such an unbelievable means."

As for Doherty, he'll come into the fold by Woodley's character's story. "He holds a number of keys and connection to the entire story," Fogelman teases. "Episode 1 tells the story of Shailene's character and the way principally she survives the apocalypse and he's a personality who initially crosses together with her, however he has different roles within the story that develop because the present goes on. He's mysterious and he's tremendous romantic. He's additionally tremendous difficult and also you study why because the season goes on."

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Though it's unclear simply how they'll join with Xavier, one factor is definite: Xavier's airplane is just not trying good. For the previous Secret Service agent, Fogelman says the story picks up "simply hours" after the season 1 finale. "It's a bumpy trip," Fogelman says with amusing.

So what is going to Xavier discover when he fairly actually crashes into the surface world? "After I first pitched the present, I joked that there's going to be a number of parts in a post-apocalypse present which have a number of coronary heart and humanity, prefer it's going to be a extremely pleasant apocalypse," Fogelman says. "That was clearly an exaggeration. You want battle. However we speak so much in our writers' room concerning the expertise of the pandemic and the way, amidst all of the horror in our neighborhoods, it was lots of people coming collectively, and in order that's a spot we are inclined to reside extra. I believe that our apocalypse will really feel uniquely ours."

One factor it definitely received't have in widespread with a couple of different in style post-apocalyptic reveals? "There's positively no zombies," Fogelman says. "However it was at all times the intention for the present to get just a little bit extra sci-fi as we went alongside, and the second season begins opening up these doorways extra."

That's to not say that the bunker will probably be left behind fully. Let's not neglect that Xavier's youngsters are in Jane's (Nicole Brydon Bloom) very harmful arms. After which there's the matter of what's subsequent for mastermind Sinatra (Julianne Nicholson). "By way of the bunker story, it's extra about a spot coming aside on the seams and social rebellion and all that comes with it," Fogelman says.

So, one other bumpy trip.

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The season as a complete, nonetheless, is one which Fogelman hopes is much less bumpy. "I believe the present is each totally different within the second season, but additionally the identical as a result of a number of the identical feeling is there, hopefully," he says.

"It was fascinating with this explicit present as a result of this can be a present constructed on a number of mysteries, nearly all of which have been solved by the tip of the primary season," Fogelman continues. "A number of characters who existed within the first season of the present who individuals actually responded to are useless. And so the very nature of the present doesn't help you repeat the primary season. And now the looming questions are totally different: What’s it on the market? Is Xavier's spouse alive? These are questions that actually weren't the first questions driving the primary season of the present, however now are the first questions driving the second."

Paradise season 2 premieres Monday, Feb. 23, on Hulu.

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