What we can expect from season 3 of 'Euphoria'

• HBO renewed Sam Levinson's "Euphoria" for a third season in February 2022.

• Production has been delayed amid the writers' and actors' strikes. The show may not return until 2025.

• Barbie Ferreira will not be returning as Kat Hernandez.

HBO's popular teen drama series "Euphoria" will be back for another installment.

The show, which is created, written, and directed by Sam Levinson, centers on a 17-year-old drug addict named Rue Bennet (played by two-time Emmy winner Zendaya).

In early February 2022, amid a bonkers and wildly memed second season, HBO announced that "Euphoria" was renewed for a third season.

Here's everything we know so far about season three.

Barbie Ferreira won't be returning as Kat Hernandez

Ferreira announced her exit from the show on her Instagram story in August 2022.

She shared a framed image of Kat, drawn by costar Hunter Schafer, and wrote: "after four years of getting to embody the most special and enigmatic character kat, I'm having to say a very teary eyed goodbye."

She continued: "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. i put all my care and love into her and i hope you guys could feel it. Love you katherine hernandez."

News of Ferreira's departure came months after rumors and reports of on-set tension between Ferreira and showrunner Sam Levinson.

People speculated that Kat's minimized role was due to this reported drama.

"I've seen so many different things and a lot of it is untrue and some of it's kind of like mundane little things," Ferreira told Insider in March 2023.

"But I really think that the fans are really passionate and I do appreciate that because 'Euphoria' has really impacted so many people," she continued. "Sometimes, things take on a life of their own, and they're not rooted in the truth, but it's OK because I know it's just out of passion and out of curiosity and all that good stuff. And I signed up for it. So, I'll take it. I'll take the good and the bad."

Then, during an appearance on the podcast "Armchair Expert With Dax Shepard," Ferreira elaborated on why she left "Euphoria."

The actor said that it was a "mutual decision" for her to exit because her character's arc ran its course.

"I don't think there was a place for her to go," Ferreira said of Kat. "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."

"I just felt like, maybe it's like I overstayed my welcome a little bit?" she added. "So, for me, I actually felt good to be like, 'OK, I get to not worry about this and we both don't get too worried about this,' because it's exhausting."

Eric Dane said that his character, Cal Jacobs, will get redemption

In a 2022 interview with Variety, Dane said that Cal's story would continue in season three.

As a refresher, Cal was last seen getting arrested after his son Nate (Jacob Elordi) called the police on him.

"There's gonna be redemption," Dane said. "I mean, that's the trajectory he's on. I can't imagine Cal's life from solitary confinement. It's tough to work Cal into the storyline when he's behind bars.

There have been discussions of a time jump

Heidi Bivens, a stylist and costume designer for "Euphoria," spoke about her work on the series in an interview with Vogue, released on Tuesday.

"'Euphoria' is my family, and I'll do everything I can to make the third season of the show successful," she said. "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," she continued. "Who can say? 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."

A time jump would also make sense considering that Zendaya, who's a producer on "Euphoria," previously told The Hollywood Reporter that she hoped the next season would show Rue's life beyond high school.

Plus, most of the stars are in their 20s, unlike their teenage characters.

"I want to see what Rue looks like in her sobriety journey, how chaotic that might look," she said. "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."

Whether or not season three includes a time jump remains to be seen.

But it's worth noting that the direction of the show is constantly changing, even during filming.

In a press junket interview for season two, Elordi told Insider that the scripts for those episodes were "changing pretty regularly for the longest time."

Levinson envisions season 3 as 'film noir'

In an Elle cover story on Zendaya released in August,  the "Euphoria" showrunner said that season three will "explore what it means to be an individual with principles in a corrupt world."

Filming was supposed to begin in Los Angeles in June, according to the show's costume designer

In an interview for an episode of the podcast called "The Run-Through with Vogue," released in April, Bivens said: "It starts shooting in June, so prep in May, so very, very soon."

However, with Hollywood writers and actors being on strike, since May and July, respectively, it's unlikely that "Euphoria" will arrive any time soon.

Back in May, Francesca Orsi, HBO's head of drama, told Deadline that the show would "ideally" return in 2025.

Read the original article on Insider