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Everything we know about Euphoria season 3 with Rosalía and Sharon Stone
Departure of a main character, astronomical budget… Here’s everything we already know about the highly-anticipated third season of Euphoria, starring Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney, scheduled for Spring 2026. The first images have been unveiled, along with some major surprises – singer Rosalía and actress Sharon Stone will be joining the cast. Besides, Hans Zimmer will be composing the soundtrack for the HBO show…
By Violaine Schütz.
Published on 20 October 2025. Updated on 4 December 2025.
Just a few months ago, things were looking rather bleak in the world of Euphoria. In an interview with Variety during the promotion of Luca Guadagnino’s film Challengers, Zendaya stated that the decision to create a third season of the cult series was hers to make. She expressed her willingness to return if it good for the characters and if everything works out the way it should. But she was quite hesitant while answering these questions.
The first images from Euphoria season 3
“HBO and Sam Levinson (the creator of Euphoria) remain committed to making an exceptional third season. In the interim, we are allowing our in-demand cast to pursue other opportunities,” HBO declared regarding the filming of season 3 last March.
But much has changed since 2022 when season 2 of Euphoria first aired. Since then, Hunter Schafer, Sydney Sweeney, Jacob Elordi, and Zendaya have become increasingly sought after in Hollywood, which could create potential issues for HBO in terms of salaries and availability of the actors.
Zendaya and Jacob Elordi are back in the show
Fortunately, the filming of season 3 finally started in 2025 and HBO has unveiled a first image of Zendaya from the new episodes. The actress will be back in the new season scheduled for Spring 2026. According to Rolling Stone magazine, the series reportedly cost $110 million to produce and each episode required a full month of filming.
Good news, many lead actors will be back this new season. That include Zendaya, Jacob Elordi, Alexa Demie, Maud Apatow, Colman Domingo, Sydney Sweeney, Hunter Schafer, Eric Dane, Maude Apatow, Dominic Fike, Martha Kelly and Chloe Cherry.
Among the new cast members, the production can count on Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Toby Wallace, Marshawn Lynch, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Kadeem Hardison, Priscilla Delgado, James Landry Hébert, Anna Van Patten and Asante Blackk.
Rosalía and Sharon Stone are joining the cast
Another exciting surprise? Singer Rosalía is joining the team. She shared on Instagram: “If there’s anything that excites me as much as creating a good melody or writing a great lyric, it’s becoming a better performer every day. Euphoria has been my favorite series over the last few years and I couldn’t be happier and more grateful to be acting alongside all of these incredibly talented people.”
Icon Sharon Stone (Basic Instinct) will also join the cast in a role that remains undisclosed. Rumour has it that singer Taylor Swift might appear in season 3 too, although that seems rather unlikely.
Hans Zimmer as the new composer
A press release from July 23rd, 2025 announced that the musical direction of season 3 of Euphoria was entrusted to Hans Zimmer. Just weeks after composing the soundtrack for F1, the summer blockbuster starring Brad Pitt, the German composer, who won an Oscar for the soundtrack Dune in 2021, is taking on another major challenge.
At 68, Hans Zimmer will team up with Labrinth, who already composed the scores for the first two seasons. A promising duo for this cult series, acclaimed for both its visual aesthetic and soundscape.
“It’s an honor to join this incredible team of storytellers led by the visionary Sam Levinson. Together, they have crafted such a bold and moving series that has meant so much to audiences,” Hans Zimmer wrote on Instagram. “Labrinth’s music has shaped the show’s identity and I’m looking forward to contributing to the ongoing story and helping shape this new season through music.” With its star-studded cast, singular directing style, and top-tier musical collaboration, Euphoria season 3 is shaping up to be more captivating than ever…
Barbie Ferreira will not star in season 3 of Euphoria
The death of Angus Cloud is expected to leave a significant void in the upcoming episodes. Beyond this tragedy, most of the main cast is set to return for season 3 of Euphoria, including Zendaya (Rue), Hunter Schafer (Jules), Sydney Sweeney (Cassie), Alexa Demie (Maddy), Maude Apatow (Lexi), Jacob Elordi (Nate), Storm Reid (Gia), Nika King (Leslie), and Dominic Fike (Elliot).
However, Barbie Ferreira (Kat Hernandez) will not star in the new episodes, as she announced on her Instagram account in August 2022. Earlier that same year, rumours had circulated about tensions between the actress and the creator of the show, especially regarding the reportedly toxic atmosphere on set. Apparently, the actress was also bothered by the direction her character took, becoming far less likeable in season 2 compared to season 1. Let’s see how her absence will feel in season 3.
Zendaya becomes the youngest highest-paid Black actress on television for season 3
With this new season, the two-time Emmy Award recipient makes history. Following a renegotiation of her contract with the American network, Zendaya now becomes the youngest highest-paid Black actress in the history of television, while also co-producing the series.
On February 27th, 2023, Hollywood industry outlet Puck reported that Zendaya’s salary for Euphoria season 3 would reach one million dollars per episode. According to the magazine, this huge sum matches what the cast of Friends earned in their final season, or what the lead actors of Game of Thrones were paid. Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon received a similar payday for Big Little Lies (2017). Tom Holland’s partner is now playing in the big leagues.
In the past few months, whether she appeared on red carpets, Fashion Week front rows, or at film premieres, Zendaya has been turning heads with her stunning, sexy looks from Valentino, Mugler, and vintage Versace. But the reign of the 28-year-old American actress, who also lit up the silver screen in Dune: Part Two by Denis Villeneuve, may just be getting started. 2026 will be her year.
A darker third season for Rue Bennett and her friends?
With a paycheck like that, what can we expect from Zendaya’s portrayal of a struggling teenage addict? One might have thought that her character, Rue Bennett, would take a turn for the better in the upcoming episodes. Especially since the end of season 2 seemed to suggest she was on the road to redemption. In the final episode, she appeared to be sober and kissing Jules (Hunter Schafer) on the forehead after Jules told her she loved her.
Love, hope, joy, and even sobriety could have been on the cards for Rue in season 3. But that was without counting on the dark mind of the series creator, Sam Levinson, who has more in store for us… Sex scenes, betrayals, tears, arguments, and trashy plot twists involving police raids and gunfire.
Earlier this week, the director of The Idol told Elle magazine that the third season of HBO’s flagship show would be very dark, describing it like a film noir. In December, he also told Variety that we would see Rue at the Mexican border, still owing money to Laurie. She will have to figure out a way to pay her back.
A character with principles in a corrupt world
In that same interview, Zendaya, who will portray “an individual with principles in a corrupt world”, noted: “From a character perspective, I want to find things that will push me. As I get older, you know, I can’t play a teenager for the rest of my life.”
It is also been confirmed that there will be a time jump in this new season. The characters will no longer be in high school. In October 2024, Zendaya was invited on Entertainment Weekly’s podcast The Awards: “It will be fascinating to see and understand these characters outside of the context of high school and how all the stuff that we saw when they were kids and they were in high school affects the kind of adulthood they have and who they become in a much bigger world. I’ll be interested to see what happens too.”
We also know that Cassie will be living in the suburbs with Nate, whom she has married, and that she will be obsessed with social media. A strip club will be central to the plotlines. Finally, we can expect new controversial storylines in this third season, like the one involving Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) and Maddy’s (Alexa Demie) toxic ex-boyfriend Nate (Jacob Elordi), which led to an unforgettable showdown in season 2, episode 5. While we wait to find out, the more ambitious viewers can (re)watch Sam Levinson’s latest series, The Idol, starring Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd. It carries the same whiff of scandal as Euphoria.
The season 3 of Euphoria, created by Sam Levinson, will premiere in April 2026 on HBO Max.
