Julia Roberts won't be back in Homecoming season 2, which streams on Amazon Prime. However, her exit was not a surprise for the show since she was always set out to do one season only.
Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke confirmed that Roberts' exit had been planned from the very beginning. During a panel interview with the Television Critics Association, Salke said that the Pretty Woman star did not step down. "Julia is just continuing in the capacity she had planned to," Salke said, as per Slash Film.
With Roberts gone, producers of Homecoming season 2 are now looking for a new lead star. Amazon is hoping, however, that the show will end up with an actor or actress with the same "star wattage" as Roberts. Salke confirmed that they have a list of superstars for the role.
Based on a podcast series from Giblet Media, Roberts played the caseworker Heidi, who dealt with soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder. But her character's story ended ambiguously in the first season finale, which worked both as a proper ending or a curious beginning for Homecoming season 2.
In the podcast version, Homecoming season 2 has Heidi desperately looking for Walter (played by Stephan James). The Amazon version, however, revamped this storyline in the first season to suggest that Heidi has put that part of her life behind her.
Showrunner Sam Esmail confirmed with The Hollywood Reporter that they have a different path for Homecoming season 2 compared to the source. Viewers can expect major shifts and differences as well if they have been following the podcast series closely as well.
Homecoming also features Stephan James, Bobby Cannavale, Hong Chau, Sissy Spacek, Alex Karpovsky and Shea Whigham. It's unclear for now if these stars will be signed on for season 2. However, Chau's Audrey Temple is vital to the second season given how her storyline ended in the first installment.
Meanwhile, Roberts is going back to doing movies next with Little Bee, which is an adaptation of a novel from Chris Cleave. Amazon Studios is also producing this film about a young asylum seeker from Nigeria who crosses paths with a magazine editor.
Little Bee has been in development more than a decade ago with Nicole Kidman originally tapped to play the lead role, according to Deadline. Roberts will also double as a producer for this project under her production outfit Red Om Films.
