The latest cast update for Lioness season 2 confirms an expanded role for a CIA character. A spy thriller created by Yellowstone‘s Taylor Sheridan and formerly titled Special Ops: Lioness, the show premiered on Paramount+ in July 2023. Based on a real-life CIA program, the story follows Cruz Manuelos, a young Marine who’s recruited to join the CIA’s Lioness Engagement Team to bring down a terrorist organization from within. The show features a star-studded cast, including Avatar and Guardians of the Galaxy star Zoe Saldaña, and was renewed earlier in May.

Deadline confirms that Thad Luckinbill, who plays CIA Officer Kyle McManus, will return as a main cast member for Lioness season 2. Luckinbill previously appeared in six out of eight episodes in Special Ops: Lioness season 1. Most notably, in the first installment of the Paramount+ series, Kyle helps to abduct an informant.

Who Else Is Returning For Lioness Season 2?

& What Could Happen After That Season 1 Finale

Star and executive producer Saldaña will be back as Joe McNamara, the CIA officer in charge of the Lioness program in the field. Laysla De Oliveira, who played key character Marine Raider Cruz Mañuelos, is also returning. Executive producer Nicole Kidman will be back as Kaitlyn Meade, as will Michael Kelly, who recurred as Kaitlyn’s supervisor Byron Westfield. As for Morgan Freeman, who plays Secretary of State Edwin Mullins, he has been upgraded to a main cast member.

The Special Ops: Lioness season 1 finale left plenty of story to be explored for key characters: Saldaña’s CIA officer Joe, who had been struggling to balance her job and family throughout eight episodes, finally arrives at a decision. In part because of the difficulty of her assignment with Cruz, now that it’s over, Joe tells her husband that she’s agreeing to a desk job. Cruz, too, deals with the consequences of her actions. As part of her mission, she murders two men who are close to Aaliyah (Stephanie Nur), the woman she loves, and she’ll likely never see Aaliyah again. Though she’s told it was the right thing to do, Joe isn’t so sure.

Kidman also has a lingering storyline in regard to Kaitlyn’s murky relationship with her husband. As for Kyle, however, the CIA officer is shown to get himself in the hotseat during Lioness season 1. He shares a scene with Mullins, who is not too pleased with McManus. The latest news means that viewers will get to spend more time with Luckinbill’s character to better understand his approach and how he operates.

Source: Deadline