EntertainmentDelays, cancellation rumors and cast changes: what we know about Euphoria season 3The third season of the series starring Zendaya will premiere (finally) in 2026today at 1:23 pm

Article published on December 4, 2024 in Rolling Stone, to read the original in English click here.

Euphoria (2019) will make its long-awaited return in 2026. Yes, you read that correctly. Fans can finally breathe a sigh of relief knowing they’ll get some well-deserved answers about the satirical piece by Lexi (Maude Apatow), the explosion of friendship Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) and Maddy (Alexa Demie), and the path of Rue (Zendaya) for sobriety. JB Perrettehead of global streaming at Warner Bros Discoveryconfirmed the third season’s 2026 premiere date during a technology and media conference on Tuesday.

In the months (and months, and months, and months) leading up to the announcement, the cast of the hit HBO did his best to deflect questions about the series’ long-awaited return. When asked about this on talk shows, red carpets and other interviews, Jacob Elordi, Sweeney, Hunter Schafer and others responded with a blunt “we know nothing,” leaving fans to believe they were in the dark just like the rest of us. Zendayawhich is the beating heart of the series, even told Vanity Fair in November that he was “just waiting” for news on the third season’s script and release date, allaying suspicions that his busy schedule had led to the delays.

The cast felt the gap between seasons. As previously reported, season three will include a time jump from where season two left off, so viewers can also expect the cast to have broken out of their high school personas. Jacob Elordiwhich interprets Natejoked in The Tonight Show earlier this year that the team may have to take a “Benjamin Button” he stops the show’s return. “I’m going to have a backache walking down the aisle,” he told Jimmy Fallon.

As the wait for season three continues, here’s what we know about the upcoming season of the teen drama, from what caused the delays to the returning cast members and expected plot lines.

Why was it postponed?

Euphoria was plagued by confusing schedules from the start. Following the first season’s June 2019 premiere date, the series’ production schedule experienced a series of delays. To begin with, the Covid-19 pandemic pushed the premiere of the second season to 2022. Then, Levinson took a break to pursue another project for HBO, idol (2023), the show starring Lily-Rose Depp and The Weekndwhich premieres in June 2023 (after its own set of delays, of course). Last year’s actors’ and writers’ union strikes also left writers’ rooms and sets at major streamers and Hollywood studios empty for months as the respective unions negotiated artificial intelligence protections, higher residuals and fair wages.

The unexpected death of the star Angus Cloudwho played Fezcowho died in July 2023 at age 25 from an accidental overdose, also shook up the cast and crew. Although the streamer has never linked any specific delay to the death of Cloudthe cast spoke candidly about the difficulty they had processing their co-star’s death. The end of the second season left many questions open about the fate of Fezco after the second season finale: after suspected murder leads the SWAT team to his home, his brother Ash dies in the shooting, and Fezco He suffers gunshot wounds and is taken away by the police.

“Words can’t truly capture how magical he was. My heart is broken,” he expressed Apatow in an Instagram post days after his death. “Angusmeeting and working with you has been one of the greatest joys and blessings of my life. I will love you forever.”

In March, the HBO revealed that a projection for the release date of Euphoria had been postponed, and the scripts for the third season were still being worked on. But the streaming giant emphasized to the Variety what Levinson was still “committed” to developing a third season and that, in the meantime, it would allow its actors to “seek other opportunities.”

Were there rumors that the show was cancelled?

Yes, but they were proven to be just that: rumors. A spokesperson for HBO denied claims that the show was quietly canceled in November. “Euphoria is going into production in 2025. Nothing has changed,” the representative said, according to The Guardian.

Who will return to the cast?

Euphoria turned many of its show regulars into stars, making the production schedule even more complicated. Sweeney took on roles in the romantic comedy Everyone But You (2023), in the film adjacent to Spider-Man, Madame Teia (2024), and the religious horror film Immaculate (2024), and even landed a job as a hostess on Saturday Night Live. Notably, Zendaya worked on successful films Dune 2 (2024) and Rivals (2024) with its series counterpart, Schaferleading a slasher film of his own, Cuckoo (2024), along with a small role in Types of Kindness (2024) by Yorgos Lanthimos this year. In 2023, Elordi played the “King of Rock’n’Roll” in Priscilla from the A24 and a leading role not much discussed Saltburn (2023).

Your bingo cards have already started to fill up in the coming years, with Elordi cast to star in the adaptation of Wuthering Heights of Emerald Fennell and Zendaya returning to Dune: Messiah.

That said, we can expect most of the melancholy drama’s main cast to return for season three: Zendaya as Rue, Schafer as Jules, Apatow as Lexi, Sweeney as Cassie, Demie as Maddy and Elordi as Nate.

But the new season will have to work without Cloudand Barbie Ferreirawho played Katestepped away from the series in August 2022 after disagreements with Levinson about the direction of her character. Last month, Storm Reidwho starred as the younger sister of Rue, Giarevealed that he would not return for a third season, but expressed gratitude for becoming part of the “cultural phenomenon” that is Euphoria.

When will production resume?

Euphoria is scheduled to begin filming in January 2025. The executive of HBO, Francesca Orsiexpressed his excitement about the series’ return to The Hollywood Reporter in July, saying, “I’m thrilled that we’re ready to begin production in Euphoria in January. We couldn’t be happier with our creative partnership with Sam and this incredible cast. We look forward to bringing this new season of Euphoria to life for fans.” The early 2025 production start date helps explain its 2026 return.

What can we expect from the third season?

In addition to the time jump, the team Euphoria and executives of HBO gave fans few clues about the direction of the next season. Zendaya told the The Hollywood Reporter in August 2022 what she expected to see in the third chapter of the series. “I want to see what his sobriety journey will be like. Ruehow chaotic it can be,” she said. “But also with all the characters, in the sense that they’re trying to figure out what to do with their lives when high school is over and what kind of people they want to be. What was special about this season was that we got to dive [nos outros personagens de um modo muito mais profundo. Acho que podemos fazer isso novamente com a terceira temporada.”

Em setembro de 2023, Levinson disse à Elle que a terceira parte se assemelharia a um “film noir”. Quanto a Rue, Levinson disse que a personagem de Zendaya vai “explorar o que significa ser um indivíduo com princípios em um mundo corrupto.” Só o tempo dirá.