'Wayward Pines' Season 2 Release Date Set For Summer 2016; Can Ben Protect The Town And Its People?

After months of speculation, Fox has officially announced a summer 2016 release date for "Wayward Pines" Season 2.

M. Night Shyamalan will return as executive producer, but Chad Hodge won't be joining him as the showrunner of the of the creepy-town thriller series. According to Variety, "Believe" creator Mark Friedman will take over Hodge's place.

Many were suprised with the announcement of "Wayward Pines" Season 2's release date since the show was originally introduced as an "event series" that's supposed to run for only one season. But according to Fox Broadcasting Entertainment president David Madden, "Wayward Pines" has been written so well that he and Fox were "absolutely blown away by the mysterious and surprising world that Night and his team created, and the twisting-and-turning storytelling that drew viewers in from day one."

So what can fans expect from the follow up season?

"Season Two is going to take the suspense, the vision of the future and the haunting character drama to whole new levels, and we can't wait for our fans to continue that ride next year," Madden added.

Season 1 ended with Ethan Burke (Matt Dillon) sacrificing himself in order to keep the town and its residents safe, and his son, Ben, waking up from a coma and wandering the mysterious town.

Christian Today claims Season 2 will see the arrival of a new character who is caught in between two factions as they battle it out over how to save the human race from extinction.

"Wayward Pines" is based on a trilogy novel of the same name written by Blake Crouch.

Season 1 stars Matt Dillon as Ethan Burke, Shannyn Sossamon as Theresa Burke, Carla Gugino as Kate Hewson, Melissa Leo as Pam, Toby Jones as Dr. Jenkins, Juliette Lewis as Beverly, Terrence Howard as Sheriff Arnold Pope and Charlie Tahan as Ben Burke.

Stay tuned for more on news on the "Wayward Pines'" release date as they become available.