Netflix has announced the new cast members joining the third season of ‘The Umbrella Academy’, much to the delight of fans across the globe.
When audiences last left the Hargreeves siblings they had returned to the present day, only to be met with a very-much-alive Ben and an assortment of shadowy figures. Now, fans are one step closer to discovering who these people are after Netflix announced a whole new slew of cast members on January 11th.
Joining the cast of the series as the “Sparrow Academy” is Justin Cornwell (I Am the Night) as Marcus/Number 1, Britne Olford (who you may recognise from the American adaptation of Skins and as Alma Walker from American Horror Story: Asylum) as Fei/Number 3, Jake Epstein (Suits and Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark) as Alphonso/Number 4, Genesis Rodriguez (Big Hero 6: The Series and She-Ra and the Princess of Power) as Sloane/Number 5 and Cazzie David (actor and writer) as Jayme/Number 6. Additionally, they are also joined by a mysterious, floating cube named Christopher, who can induce “paralysing fear”. Perhaps this is another sidekick character for the audience to get to know, as the character appears to be treated like a sibling and referred to as Number 7.
Source: Netflix
It is likely that the new cast will act as narrative foils to the members of the Umbrella Academy. The name “sparrow” most likely comes from the model sparrow we see Harlan with at the end of season 2; how will the newly-alive Harlan fit into the upcoming season?
From the information provided by Netflix, Fei is the smartest in the Sparrow Academy while Marcus is described as “honest, virtuous, and demanding” and oozes “confidence and leadership without ever having to raise his voice”. After witnessing Luther’s (endearing) bumbling through seasons one and two, it appears as though Marcus is everything that Luther has failed to be – if Luther’s daddy issues weren’t enough already, they are likely to worsen now.
Additionally, the Ben that audiences have grown to love is still gone – instead, this alternate-timeline version of him is a “Machiavellian tactician”, “determined to gain his status as the leader at all costs”. Meanwhile, Alphonso is a hardened crime-fighter who may be more than a match for Diego, complete with scars that “have left his face and body with countless visual reminders of his battles”.
Less is known about Sloan and Jayme, but the former is apparently a romantic who feels a higher, cosmic calling (perhaps, a counterpart for Klaus, who speaks to the dead), and the latter is a “loner” who sticks close to Marcus.
With the end of the world averted (for now), it will be interesting to see how the Umbrella Academy react to their new siblings (and potential rivals). Filming on season three is due to start in February 2021, with the release date as yet not set in stone.
Words by Maddy Raven
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