Everything we know about the next instalment of the coming-of-age mystery series.
It’s been a long time coming, but teen fantasy series Locke and Key is finally back, returning to Netflix for its second season just in time for Halloween.
That’s quite appropriate as the series comes from the mind of horror writer Joe Hill, son of the legendary Stephen King, and enthralled viewers last year with a creepy debut.
Season two was confirmed as the pandemic spiralled out of control, hence the long wait for new episodes, but fans can rest assured that there should be no such delay the next time around.
Locke and Key enjoyed the luxury of an advance renewal, with Netflix handing it a third season in December 2020, allowing the writers to plan ahead in confidence they will have plenty more chapters in which to tell their story.
In September 2021, the streamer dropped its Locke and Key season two teaser trailer to the delight of fans, although some noted that they couldn’t remember exactly how the finale left things.
Fortunately, we have your Locke and Key recap right here, as well as everything else you need to know about the return of the Netflix series, including release date, cast, trailer and more.
Locke and Key season two release date
CONFIRMED: Locke and Key season two will be streaming exclusively on Netflix from Friday 22nd October 2021.
The fantasy series was renewed back in March 2020, mere days after the coronavirus pandemic threw modern life into total disarray, which is why this follow-up is coming later than fans would have ideally liked.
Filming finally got underway in late September 2020 and it appears that the execs at Netflix were very happy with what they saw, as they gave the show an early third season renewal three months later.
That might also have been motivated by the young cast, who will become too old to play their roles unless Netflix completes this adaptation post-haste.
Locke & Key season 2 cast
!["Locke]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2020/02/LOCKE_105_Unit_00570RC-941cac2-scaled.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"LOCKE_105_Unit_00570RC\"")
The new season of Locke and Key will reunite main stars Jackson Robert Scott (Stephen King’s IT), Connor Jessup (Falling Skies) and Emilia Jones (Utopia), who play the Locke siblings.
Several other members of the Locke & Key cast will be reprising their roles in the follow-up, including Darby Stanchfield (Scandal) as widow Nina Locke and Petrice Jones (Step Up: High Water) as high school student Scot Cavendish.
Meanwhile, Griffin Gluck (American Vandal) will also reprise his role following season one’s shock twist that his seemingly friendly character Gabe is in fact the ruthless villain Echo (aka Dodge) in disguise.
Echo’s alternate female form is portrayed by Laysla De Oliveira, who starred in another Joe Hill adaptation in 2019, taking a key role in Netflix film In The Tall Grass.
Recurring cast members Aaron Ashmore (Uncle Duncan) and Hallea Jones (Eden Hawkins) have been promoted to the main cast for Locke and Key season two, while the show has also recruited some new faces.
Deadline reports that Brendan Hines (The Tick) has joined the cast as Josh Bennett, a charismatic history teacher at Matheson Academy who is hiding a secret agenda.
Locke and Key season 1 recap
It’s been more than 18 months since the first season of Locke and Key dropped on Netflix, so we don’t blame you if your memory of the show has become a bit fuzzy. Here’s a quick recap.
Following the murder of their father Rendell Locke, children Tyler, Kinsey and Bode move into their family’s ancestral home (aptly named Keyhouse) along with mum, Nina.
As they settle into their new lives, they discover Keyhouse contains an array of mysterious keys, each one gifting those who discover them with a range of magical powers – but only children can make full use of these abilities.
Another complication is that a sinister villain known by the names Echo and Dodge (mostly) is trying to harness the power of the keys for her own nefarious goals and she’s not about to let the siblings get in her way.
!["LOCKE]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2020/02/LOCKE_107_Unit_01540RC-00aa497-scaled.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"LOCKE_107_Unit_01540RC\"")
In the series finale, Tyler, Kinsey and their friends pushed who they thought was Dodge back where she came from: beyond the so-called “omega door” in the ominously named Drowning Caves under Keyhouse.
While Bode managed to get to his friend Rufus, who had been attacked by Dodge earlier, his mother Ellie remains missing after Dodge attacked her to get the Crown of Shadows.
Despite her disappearance and all the trauma they have endured – supernatural and otherwise – the Locke family decides to stay at Keyhouse and settle back into life in Matheson, believing they have vanquished the threat.
Unfortunately, it is later revealed that Kinsey’s love interest, Gabe, is actually Dodge using the identity key, which she also used to change Ellie’s physical appearance.
Gabe then goes to meet classmate Eden, who was hit by one of the bullet-like lights from the other dimension, which has made her as ravenous as Dodge when she escaped from the well. Uh oh.
Locke and Key season 2 plot spoilers
The first season of Locke and Key was inspired by volumes one through to four of the comic books, touching on the Locke siblings dealing with their grief as they find the keys, and Dodge’s attempts to steal them.
Though that may sound like creators Carlton Cuse and Meredith Averill will soon run out of source material to draw from, they don’t seem to think that’s the case.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Averill said: “The world Joe and Gabe created is so rich with so much potential for places to go that I feel like we have many stories we want to tell. The stories we tell in season one are launching points for many of the stories that have yet to come.”
In the same interview, Cuse also teased where the story will go next: “Things are not ideal at the start of season two. That’s how one should want it [as a storyteller]. Dodge has turned out to be even more formidable than they could have imagined.
“But by the same token, across the first season, our kids have come to learn that they are the new keepers of the keys, and that they have the responsibility that goes with that. Both sides have stepped up their game for what’s going to happen in season two.”
The main Locke and Key comic book story concluded with the final issue of volume six in late 2013, but the series has recently returned for a surprise crossover with Neil Gaiman’s Sandman universe.
Notably, Netflix is also developing a live-action adaptation of The Sandman starring The Hollow Crown’s Tom Sturridge, but the two shows are not expected to share a universe.
Locke and Key season 2 trailer
Netflix gave fans their first look at Locke and Key season two in September 2021, as Griffin Gluck’s Gabe goes full bad guy and the Locke siblings scramble to save the world from his terrible plan. Watch below.
Locke and Key returns to Netflix on Friday 22nd October. Check out more of our Sci-Fi and Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.