AceShowbiz -

"Wayward Pines" is welcoming everyone again next summer. The drama thriller originally executive produced by M. Night Shyamalan and Chad Hodge has been renewed for a second season by FOX.

Hodge, who also served as showrunner for the freshman season, will not return for the second season though. Mark Friedman ("Believe", "The Forgotten") has been tapped as a new showrunner.

" 'Wayward Pines' was a huge hit for us this past summer," said Fox Broadcasting Entertainment president David Madden on Wednesday, December 9. "We 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. 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."

Debuted last summer, the limited series averaged 9.4 million viewers across all platforms and a 2.2 rating in adults 18-49. It became the summer's No. 1 broadcast scripted series in the demo, according to the network.

The 10-episode season 2 will pick up after the events in the season 1 finale, when a new arrival in the mysterious town arrives to find himself in the middle of a rebellion as the residents battle over how to preserve the endangered human race. There's no word if any of the original stars, namely Matt Dillon, Carla Gugino, Melissa Leo and Terrence Howard, will return for the second season.