'Euphoria' Season 3 Delayed: What We Know About the Future of the Emmy-Winning Series
There is no shortage of questions about the future of Euphoria.
After the tragic death of series star Angus Cloud, the rumors surrounding creator Sam Levinson's other controversial series, The Idol, and the numerous other projects that the talented cast have signed onto in the interim, many wonder if the show's planned third season will ever come to screens.
Production was delayed in 2023 due to Cloud's death and the labor strike dispute between the studios and the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, and the show hit another setback in March 2024, when Deadline was the first to announce that filming on Euphoria season 3 had been pushed back, adding that the scripts for the upcoming season were still in the works.
In a statement to ET, a spokesperson for HBO said, "HBO and Sam Levinson remain committed to making an exceptional third season. In the interim, we are allowing our in-demand cast to pursue other opportunities."
WHAT THE CAST IS UP TO
Zendaya
You'd have to be living under a rock not to know what the Emmy-winning actress has been up to since Euphoria season 2. (And even then, a giant sandworm might find you!) The mononymous star has kept plenty busy since February 2022, and after winning two Emmys for her portrayal of Ruby "Rue" Bennett, a drug-addicted high schooler who struggles with the death of her father, the pressures of young love and plenty more.
Following the resolution of the SAG-AFTRA strike, Zendaya kept busy promoting Dune: Part Two and her upcoming tennis drama, Challengers.
Sydney Sweeney
A breakout star from the show, Sweeney has parlayed her scene-stealing role of Cassandra "Cassie" Howard into major new projects. In 2023 and 2024 alone, she starred in five new films -- including the rom-com Anyone But You and the recent horror release Immaculate -- hosted Saturday Night Live, and starred in a new music video from The Rolling Stones.
The actress also made a major physical transformation to play real-life whistleblower Reality Winner in 2023's Reality, a role which earned her a Critics Choice nomination.
Colman Domingo
Another Euphoria star who recently went on an awards season tear, Domingo kicked things off with an Emmy win in 2022 for his role as Rue's sponsor, Ali, before going on to release five films in 2023. He played "Mister" in the critically acclaimed film adaptation of The Color Purple musical, as well as the starring role in Rustin, which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
Next up, the actor is set to take on another complex, real-life role as patriarch and manager Joe Jackson in the Michael Jackson biopic, Michael.
Jacob Elordi
Elordi has also gone on quite a run amid the Euphoria hiatus. In 2023, he released four films, which included starring roles in Priscilla -- where he played Elvis Presley -- and the much talked-about drama Saltburn.
And there's definitely more to come from the Aussie actor. He's set to play the monster in Guillermo del Toro's reimagining of Frankenstein's Monster, and will also star in Paul Schrader's Oh, Canada.
Hunter Schafer
Euphoria was Schafer's acting debut, and she's quickly become one of Hollywood's in-demand young stars. She made her feature film debut in a major franchise -- starring as Tigris Snow in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes -- and has two more films set to release later this year.
The actress is also set to star opposite Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel in Mother Mary, a film that's generated plenty of buzz even in its early production stages.
Barbie Ferreira
In August 2022, Ferreira announced that she would not be returning for Euphoria season 3. While rumors persisted about on-set drama, the actress later said in an April 2023 interview on Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast that it was a mutual decision for her to leave, explaining that all parties felt that the storyline for her character, Kat Hernandez, had run its course.
"I don't think there was a place for her to go," Ferreira said. "I think there were places she could have gone. I just don't think it would have fit into the show. I don't know if it was going to do her justice, and I think both parties knew that I really wanted to be able to not be the fat best friend. I don't want to play that, and I think they didn't want that either."
Since her departure, Ferreira has appeared in Jordan Peele's Nope, and has two films slated to come out later this year.
Nika King
One Euphoria star who has been outspoken about the show's extended hiatus is King, who plays Rue's mother, Leslie Bennett. During a recent stand-up gig, the actress and comedian joked that she knows nothing about the upcoming season but is just as eager for the show to come back because she has bills to pay.
"Don't ask me [when season 3 is coming out]. I don't f**king know. Don't ask me, I don't know," she said in a video from the event shared to her TikTok account. "People are like, 'We need season 3,' and I'm like, 'B**ch, I need season 3! I haven't paid my rent in six months.'"
King joked that while Zendaya was at Paris Fashion Week, she was thinking, "B**ch, come home. I need you. Mama needs you!"
Angus Cloud
After making his breakthrough acting debut on Euphoria as the kind-hearted drug dealer Fezco, Cloud died from an accidental overdose on July 31, 2023. He was 25.
In a February 2024 interview with Vanity Fair, Domingo opened up about how the young actor's death is likely to affect the upcoming season.
"I'm sure it affected not only the creation of season 3, because [Angus] was going to be a very strong part of it, but it's…I don't know," he admitted. "It will be challenging in the most beautiful way. I always think that [creator] Sam [Levinson] is examining hope and faith, especially when it comes to people who are struggling and trying to find their way."
Meanwhile, Sweeney said in a December 2023 interview with Glamour UK that she was still having a hard time accepting the fact that Cloud is really gone.
"I don't think it'll truly feel real or hit me until we’re filming and I won't see Angus on set," she explained. "It's really interesting when someone passes away in our industry, because they're still alive in so many forms."
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT SEASON 3
Rumors have persisted for some time that Euphoria season 3 won't follow directly from season 2's chaotic, dramatic (in like, a literal, on-stage way) finale -- instead making a major timeline jump. (This would also help explain why cast members may look different after three or four years between production.)
"I think it’ll be exciting to explore the characters out of high school," Zendaya hinted in an August 2022 interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "I want to see what Rue looks like in her sobriety journey, how chaotic that might look. But also with all the characters, in the sense where 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."
In an April 2023 interview with Vogue, Euphoria costume designer Heidi Bivens also hinted that season 3 might feature a time jump -- though noted at the time she had yet to read any scripts.
"I'll do everything I can to make the third season of the show successful. I'm really excited to read the scripts. There is talk of it being approximately five years in the future, and that they're not in high school anymore. Dorothy’s not in Kansas anymore. I mean, it might be a total trip. Who can say?" Blevins shared. "But knowing Sam’s brain, it's gonna be exciting, and he will challenge all of us, because he won't want to repeat himself. It'll be something new for the audience to discover."
And, in true cryptic fashion, Levinson called season 3 a "film noir" in an August 2022 interview with Elle, noting that Rue will be exploring "what it means to be an individual with principles in a corrupt world."
WHEN WILL SEASON 3 PREMIERE?
While most things about the upcoming season remain unclear -- or merely a Levinson secret -- HBO chief Casey Bloys said in November 2023 that the network was hoping to debut in 2025. According to Deadline's reporting, that remains the goal.
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