Euphoria Season 3 – Cast, Development Details And More Info

"Euphoria" season 3 is officially on the horizon. After a chaotic but often powerful second season, some much-discussed behind-the-scenes drama, and a second discourse-baiting Sam Levinson HBO series, the future of the show may have seemed shaky to some. However, it was actually renewed way back in February 2022, and it's always been a pretty sure bet. Zendaya's all-in Emmy-winning performance, coupled with record-breaking ratings, do not a canceled show make, no matter how bothered some folks are by the salacious series' excesses — and the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the show.

But what will "Euphoria" look like in a third season, and who's coming back for it? The show is still lodged firmly in the zeitgeist, even as some of its fans have turned to hate-watchers, but could a third season even redeem it after Levinson's reputation took a highly publicized nose-dive after "The Idol?" We can't know for sure, but here's everything we do know about "Euphoria" Season 3.

"Euphoria" Season 3 is taking quite a while to get to the small screen. The WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes put a pause on things, and since Season 2, many of the primary cast members have become major stars with busy schedules. On top of all that, Sam Levinson needed to figure out where to take the show while writing all the scripts solo.

Things got even dicier for a second there, when HBO announced in March 2024 that "Euphoria" had been put on hold while Levinson was working on the show. However, we've finally got some good news. Yep, we're heading back to East Highland soon, as "Euphoria" Season 3 will start filming in January 2025. As reported by Variety, Francesca Orsi — the head of HBO drama series and films — was pretty excited for the new season, saying, "I am thrilled that we are ready to begin production on 'Euphoria' in January. We could not 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 the fans."

"Euphoria" Season 2 left off with Rue (Zendaya) in a surprisingly good place. The teen drug addict ended the season on okay terms with both new friend Elliott (Dominic Fike) and girlfriend Jules (Hunter Schafer). More importantly, though, she told viewers via one last surprisingly optimistic voiceover that she stayed clean through the end of her junior year of high school. But what comes next?

Well, Variety reports that at one point, Levinson planned on making Rue both a less important character and a private detective, while Zendaya wanted her to serve as a pregnancy surrogate. It seems both of these ideas received pushback and won't factor into the upcoming show. However, we do know that there will be some sort of time jump between Season 2 and Season 3, with the characters no longer in high school. Talking about this interesting move, HBO CEO Casey Bloys told Entertainment Weekly, "When you take it out of [high school], there's a lot of back and forth about where to set it and how far in the future to set it and all that stuff. But I think [Levinson's] got a take that he's excited about, and he's busy writing."

Other cliffhangers that will have to be resolved include the status of broken friend group Maddy (Alexa Demie), Lexi (Maude Apatow), and Cassie (Sydney Sweeney), plus we'll get to see what Nate's (Jacob Elordi) future looks like with his dad, Cal (Eric Dane), potentially behind bars. Personally, we're most invested in the wellbeing of Rue's poor, put-upon little sister, Gia (Storm Reid).

Several "Euphoria" cast members won't be returning for Season 3. Barbie Ferreira's Kat, a body-positive cam girl whose plot meandered in Season 2, is no longer going to be a part of the story after Ferreira confirmed she won't be back. In August 2022, after months of rumors surrounding her time on the show, the actor shared the news via Instagram stories, writing, "I hope many of you could see yourself in her like I did and that she brought you joy to see her journey into the character she is today."

Fezco, the sweet and soulful criminal who always had Rue's back, will also not be back following actor Angus Cloud's tragic death at age 25. Javon "Wanna" Walton, who played Fez's younger adopted brother Ashtray, is also out of the cast after his character died in a shootout in the Season 2 finale. It's also unclear whether Dominic Fike, who admitted in a previous interview that he was an active drug addict during filming and was nearly fired, will want to return. "I was so f****d up during a lot of that show. It was really bad," the actor told Apple Music's Zane Lowe, noting that Levinson tried to hire him a sobriety coach at the time.

However, as for the rest of the cast, HBO has announced that all the primary actors are returning. These stars have been shining brightly lately, with Zendaya playing in "Challengers," Jacob Elordi showing up in "Saltburn," Hunter Schafer appearing in "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes," and Sydney Sweeney starring in projects like "Anyone but You." Along with names like Maude Apatow and Alexa Demie, prepare to see the "Euphoria" cast return soon.