Castle Rock Season 2: Should Tim Robbins reprise his role as Andy Dufresne?

Recent casting announcements regarding season two of Castle Rock confirmed that Tim Robbins would be stepping back into King’s universe once again, but not as Andy Dufresne.

Despite putting on an amazing performance in the Shawshank Redemption, Tim Robbins is not reprising his role as Andy Dufresne in King’s expanded universe. He will, however, return in the next season of Castle Rock as a new character.

According to a recent report from Entertainment Weekly, Robbins’ character originates from another of King’s books, The Sun Dog. Keep in mind that he’ll be thrown into a plot involving Annie Wilkes (Lizzy Caplan).

The story itself will presumably be a prequel to Misery since Caplan appears too young to portray the deranged Annie who previously played by Kathy Bates. Of course, the malleable nature of Castle Rock could allow for a mix of elements to be incorporated into Season Two, making Caplan’s age irrelevant.

In any case, Robbins being cast as a different character in Stephen King’s universe is bound to upset longtime fans of his books and movies. Shawshank Redemption was one of the movies that put King on the map and made for Robbins’ most prominent role in his career up to that point.

With those factors noted, it seems strange that Hulu and Castle Rock’s producers wouldn’t bring Tim Robbins back as the beloved Andy Dufresne. They’ve already taken liberties with King’s stories, mashing multiple elements and story-arcs together, why couldn’t they draw Andy into the Hulu series? He’s obviously a fan-favorite who should be in the second season but sadly won’t.

The good news is that Robbins hasn’t lost his touch as an actor so he should be just as good in his new role as Reginald “Pop” Merrill.

As for Robbins’ character, Pop is reportedly the boss of a crime family who now has to hand the reigns over to someone else. Pop is dying of cancer so a member of his family will assume control. Much of the plot will center around that dilemma but this raises the question of how Annie Wilkes becomes involved.

Is she under Pop’s employ, is she a dimwitted townie indebted to Pop, or is she just someone who winds up being in the wrong place at the wrong time? Whatever the case may be, it’ll be intriguing to see how Annie Wilkes gets along with others, especially a notorious crime family.

What are your expectations of Castle Rock Season 2? Let us know in the comments section below.

Castle Rock Season 2 release date is TBA. For more updates on this Hulu Original, follow us on the Hulu Watcher Twitter Account @HuluWatcherFS or on the Hulu Watcher Facebook Page.