Sam Levinson has announced that his hit show Euphoria (starring Zendaya, Jacob Elordi, and Sydney Sweeney amongst others) will be delayed indefinitely and has allowed actors to take on other jobs in the meantime.
Euphoria had an incredible response with its season one release in 2019, with a star-studded cast, stunning cinematography and original soundtrack. It follows the life of 17-year-old Rue Bennet (Zendaya), a high-schooler struggling with drug addiction. Alongside her are the intricate and equally chaotic lives of her schoolmates: Cassie (Sydney Sweeney), Nate (Jacob Elordi), Maddy (Alexa Demie), Jules (Hunter Schafer), and more.
The series was followed by a much anticipated season two in 2022, and HBO has since renewed Euphoria for season three. In November 2022, HBO and Max Content Chief Executive Casey Bloys claimed in Variety magazine that Euphoria season three would premiere in 2025.
This would make the wait between season two and three roughly three years, depending on at what point in the year the show would be released. The delay was partly due to the 2023 Writer strikes, which began with the Writers Guild of America at the start of May and the second strike from the Screen Actors Guild. The strikes have since ceased, but their impact on the release of many Hollywood productions has not, meaning a large number of shows and films were pushed back.
This, combined with the saddening death of Angus Cloud who played a central character, Fezco, explains why the show was indefinitely delayed. At the time, Colman Domingo (who plays Ali) stated in an interview with Vanity Fair that working on the next season would be “challenging in the most beautiful way.” In the same interview, Domingo uses the term “hope and faith” in describing the new focus of season three.
Sam Levinson has not revealed much about the third season, other than one indication of the few which was given in Elle’s interview with Zendaya, which claimed season three will be a type of ‘film noir’. This suggests the show will engage with a pessimistic and cynical style that comes with the noir genre. This will be mainly channelled through Zendaya’s character Rue, whose storyline will “explore what it means to be an individual with principles in a corrupt world.”
We left Rue Bennet in the season two finale on an affirmative note – in the motion of repairing her relationship with childhood friend Lexi (Maude Apatow) and her ex-girlfriend Jules (Hunter Schafer), as well as embracing her recent sobriety. Levinson’s comment suggests her newfound grasp on life will be met with hardships in a world outside of high school.
Words by India Gwyn-Williams
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