In advance of its season one finale next week, AMC Networks has renewed the suspense thriller Moonhaven for a second season of six episodes coming to on AMC+ in 2023. AMC also announced that Krysten Ritter will star in and executive produce Orphan Black: Echoes.
Since its premiere earlier this month, Moonhaven has become the No. 1 most-watched exclusive series and the No. 2 most-watched new series in the streamer’s history, behind only the breakout Western noir crime drama Dark Winds.
Created by Peter Ocko (Lodge 49, Black Sails, Elementary, Pushing Daisies), who is also the showrunner, the series is focused on a utopian colony on the Moon that may hold the keys to preserving life on Earth.
Moonhaven features an acclaimed ensemble cast, including Emma McDonald (Queens of Mystery), Dominic Monaghan (Lost), Amara Karan (Doctor Who), Ayelet Zurer (Losing Alice), Joe Manganiello (True Blood), Kadeem Hardison (Black Monday), and Yazzmin Newell (The Last Tree).
“This is such an engaging and entertaining series, brilliantly conceived and run by Peter. The story is suspenseful, provocative, and prescient, and features a phenomenal cast that delivers mesmerizing performances,” said Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios for AMC Networks. “What Peter and the team are crafting for season two is next level, and the fans will be thrilled.”
“I couldn’t be more excited to return to the Moon and continue our story with this amazing cast and crew,” Ocko said. “AMC+ has been a wonderful partner in bringing our world to life, and we can’t wait to continue the journey.”
Set 100 years in the future, the suspenseful thrill ride of a series follows Bella Sway (McDonald), a lunar cargo pilot and smuggler who finds herself accused of a crime and marooned on Moonhaven, a utopian community on a 500 square mile Garden of Eden built on the moon to find solutions to the problems that will soon end civilization on Mother Earth.
A skeptic in paradise, Bella is sucked into a conspiracy to gain control of the artificial intelligence responsible for Moonhaven’s miracles and teams with a local detective, Paul Serno (Monaghan), to stop the forces that want to destroy Earth’s last hope before they are destroyed themselves.
Tomm Schultz (Manganiello), an ex-military with a philosophical bent, is the right hand of the lead Earth diplomat to the moon, who finds his ambitions changed when he’s injected with a mind-altering moon drug.
An AMC Studios production, Moonhaven is executive produced by Ocko and Deb Spera, who is a non-writing executive producer.
Krysten Ritter (Marvel’s Jessica Jones, Love and Death, Breaking Bad) will star in and executive produce Orphan Black: Echoes, the long-awaited new series set in the world of the landmark series Orphan Black, which is set to debut in 2023. Produced and distributed globally by Boat Rocker, the company behind the original series, Orphan Black: Echoes, will have a 10-episode first season.
Set in the near future, Orphan Black: Echoes takes a deep dive into the exploration of the scientific manipulation of human existence. It follows a group of women as they weave their way into each other’s lives and embark on a thrilling journey, unraveling the mystery of their identity and uncovering a wrenching story of love and betrayal.
Ritter will play Lucy, a woman with an unimaginable origin story, trying to find her place in the world. Orphan Black: Echoes marks Ritter’s return to AMC Networks, where she played her breakout iconic role of Jane Margolis in the hit series Breaking Bad.
Known for her critically acclaimed performance and fan-favorite role of Marvel’s Jessica Jones and the titular character in the cult darling Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23, Ritter will next be seen in HBO’s Love and Death, opposite Elizabeth Olsen, and written by David E. Kelley, directed by Lesli Linka Glatter, and produced by Lionsgate and Blossom Films Per Saari and Nicole Kidman.
She was recently seen in the film Nightbooks for Netflix and directed and executive produced the supernatural YA series The Girl in the Woods for Peacock.
Ritter is also a best-selling author, currently working on a follow-up to her novel Bonfire, which will be announced soon. She is also a mom to a two-year-old, her favorite of all titles.
Anna Fishko (Pieces of Her, The Society, Fear the Walking Dead) is the creator, writer, showrunner, and executive producer of Orphan Black: Echoes with John Fawcett, the co-creator of the original series who also directed 17 episodes across all five seasons, on as director and executive producer.
David Fortier and Ivan Schneeberg, executive producers from Boat Rocker on the original Orphan Black series, return as executive producers on the new series. Katie O’Connell Marsh, Nick Nantell, and Kerry Appleyard will also be executive producers for Boat Rocker.
Mirko Parlevliet has been reporting on the entertainment industry since 1998 and founded Vital Thrills in 2018 to cover the latest news on streaming, movies, TV, and video games.