Rivals season two adds Hayley Atwell and Rupert Everett

Hayley Atwell and Rupert Everett join Rivals season two, adding star power to a Disney+ drama rooted in Jilly Cooper's Rutshire world.

Rivals season two welcomes Hayley Atwell and Rupert Everett

Disney+ announced that Hayley Atwell and Rupert Everett have joined Rivals season two, the Jilly Cooper adaptation produced by Happy Prince. The two actors join the UK-shot drama alongside a returning ensemble. Atwell will play Helen Gordon, the ex-wife of Rupert Campbell-Black, and Everett will portray Malise Gordon, her husband and former show-jumping coach. Filming is underway in the United Kingdom, with the series set in the Rutshire world of the 1980s. The new cast joins season one veterans and a wider guest cast including Maxim Ays, Holly Cattle, Oliver Dench, Amanda Lawrence, Bobby Lockwood, Eliot Salt, and Jonny Weldon.

The show will stream on Disney+ in the UK and internationally; Hulu will carry Rivals in the United States.

The move signals Disney+'s continued push into high-end British drama, leaning on a familiar literary property to draw in both nostalgia audiences and newcomers. Casting two well-known actors can boost international visibility and help drive streaming numbers for a show with a niche appeal.

Yet the reliance on star power also risks overshadowing the adaptation's own voice or alienating fans who expect a faithful Rutshire world. The show must balance glossy style with grounded storytelling, especially given the 1980s backdrop.

Highlights

The Rutshire world returns with a bigger cast and a wider audience in mind