Shailene Woodley joins Paradise as Season 2 sneak peek premieres at SDCC

The San Diego Comic-Con crowd got a surprise on Saturday when Paradise creator Dan Fogelman revealed the first extended look at season 2 and brought out Shailene Woodley, who officially joins the series in a major role. Woodley, whose casting was announced earlier in the week, appeared in person after the sneak peek of the season 2 premiere episode, titled Graceland, was played exclusively for attendees.

The clip introduced her character in Paradise. Woodley's Annie is a Graceland tour guide whose normal day is suddenly upended by tsunami warnings that align with the catastrophic timeline fans last saw in episode 7 of Paradise Season 1. She’s shown trying to keep guests calm, coordinating with staff, and leading people to safety as the skies darken.

Fogelman confirmed that much of the season 2 premiere will center on Annie’s perspective, hinting that her world will soon connect with Sterling K. Brown’s Xavier. Woodley called watching the preview “stressful,” despite having filmed it.

The Paradise footage also teased a fully recreated Graceland set, built entirely from reference photos. According to Fogelman, production is nearly complete, and they’re aiming for a release by January, though no official date has been locked yet.

Shailene Woodley makes a surprise appearance as Paradise Season 2 clip debuts at Comic-Con

Woodley’s appearance marked her first time at Comic-Con in nearly a decade, and the energy in the room reflected that. She walked out to loud applause after the clip ended, joining Dan Fogelman and Sterling K. Brown on stage. The last time she attended the convention was in 2016 for Snowden, so her return felt like a full-circle moment for longtime fans.

Fogelman joked that Woodley hadn’t even seen the finished clip until that day. Her reaction saying,

“I did it and I’m sweating” got laughs from the audience and set the tone for the conversation.

The Paradise episode wasn’t filmed in Graceland. It was shot in Los Angeles on a set that production designed using only photographs. Woodley joked that she’s never been to the real Graceland but now feels like she owns it. She also mentioned how fast everything moved after she signed on.

“They said, you’ve got three days to travel and five to start shooting,” she said, describing the process as overwhelming but exciting.

Fogelman revealed that her scenes were among the first shot for the new season and that her character’s arc plays a significant role in how season 2 will expand the world.

One specific detail from the sneak peek that fans noted was a moment where Woodley’s character grabs Elvis Presley’s iconic gold and silver revolver before rushing to the bunker. That scene was paired with flickering lights, crashing noise, and a shot of the massive tsunami approaching, building tension without any visual effects yet complete.

According to Fogelman, the VFX are still being worked on, but they didn’t want to wait to show fans what they had.

“We’re editing as we speak,” he said, adding that no one outside the production had seen the scene before that day.

Fogelman also confirmed that Annie will eventually meet Brown’s character Xavier, though he kept the details vague. He said the two have already shot scenes together and hinted that their meeting won’t be straightforward. Brown praised Woodley’s work, calling her

“sweet, honest, open, ready to play, and very professional.”

He added that forming a genuine friendship with her off-set made their scenes stronger. Fogelman called her role a “real tour de force performance” and said everyone on set had been praising it, even though she hadn’t seen much of it yet.

During the panel, Brown also teased that season 2 would show viewers how people outside the bunker survived.

“They made a way,” he said. “It’s not organized, but it’s something. We’ll meet some good people and some dangerous ones too.”

That shift in perspective is what makes Annie’s story important; she represents the world above ground, a contrast to the closed, heavily monitored environment of Paradise. As the show inches toward its next chapter, it’s clear that Woodley is reshaping the story’s direction from the very first episode.

Trending

Follow for more updates.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback