Just two days later, HBO revealed that the season three shoot had been put on hold. “HBO and Sam Levinson remain committed to making an exceptional third season,” a network spokesperson told Variety. “In the interim, we are allowing our in-demand cast to pursue other opportunities.” The scripts for the forthcoming instalment were reportedly still being written, cast members weren’t released from their contracts, and the intention, by all accounts, still seemed to be to get the show back on screens by 2025.
When asked by Variety if she was surprised by the delay, Storm Reid said: “Yes and no. We would all hope to be able to go back tomorrow, but there are logistics that have to be figured out. So even though I’m a little disappointed, I’m not surprised. I would hope the viewers, the audience will be able to finish the show. I think we should handle the show with care. We’ve put our hearts and soul into it. I do know if we do go back that I am sure we will continue to be authentic and represent the real world.”
Then, on 12 July, HBO finally shared an update: filming for season three is scheduled to kick off in January 2025. On 12 November, HBO boss Casey Bloys confirmed that this was still the case. “We are shooting Euphoria,” he told reporters at a press event. “I think we have a start date, mid to late January. Nothing’s changed. Somebody said something online, and then this whole thing started. We are shooting the season. I have read the scripts. We’re happy. We’re moving ahead. All of the actors are in the show. It’s eight episodes.” Praise be.
What will happen in Euphoria season 3?
So, what can we expect? Firstly, there is, of course, the matter of addressing the substantial gap between the seasons (season two concluded in February 2022). It was reported that when Levinson proposed his vision for the third season to executives in the winter of 2023, it featured a time jump of five years. Rewrites were necessary as, according to sources, Angus Cloud’s Fez “figured heavily into the initial concept for the season”.
However, when revised scripts were submitted in late 2023 and early 2024, executives were apparently not convinced. Per Variety, “There was a new arc for Zendaya’s Rue, whose character in Levinson’s first pass had been relegated to the background in a somewhat surprising storyline about her working as a private detective, which HBO had immediately vetoed. Among many other ideas for the rewrites, Zendaya had pitched an idea in which Rue, who is now sober as a twentysomething young woman, would be a pregnancy surrogate. But insiders say the new scripts simply didn’t feel like the show tonally.” Now, it seems, they’ve gone in an entirely different direction, but it may be a while yet before we get further details.
When will Euphoria season 3 be released?
In November 2023, HBO’s boss, Casey Bloys, had confirmed that the show would return to the network in 2025, but that seems to no longer be the case: in December 2024, Warner Brothers Discovery’s global streaming chief, JB Perrette, clarified that they were now working towards a 2026 release. Fingers crossed it isn’t pushed back further.
