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Euphoria: 5 things to know about season 3
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 release on April 13th, 2026. The first images have been unveiled, along with some major surprises… Singer Rosalía and actress Sharon Stone will join the cast, while renowned composer Hans Zimmer will create the soundtrack for the HBO show.
By Violaine Schütz.
Published on 20 October 2025. Updated on 7 May 2026.
It was the surprise of the Balenciaga Fall/Winter 2026-2027 show in Paris. Exclusive images from the new season of Euphoria were screened. Yet, only a few months ago, things were looking rather bleak in the universe of Sam Levinson.
An anticipated third season
In an interview with Variety during the promotional tour for Luca Guadagnino’s film Challengers, Zendaya stated that the decision to create a third season of the cult series was not hers to make. She expressed her wish to return. But only if it was good for the characters and if everything worked out the way it should. The actress seemed quite hesitant when answering those questions.
“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 members to pursue other opportunities,” HBO stated about the filming of season 3.
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 top-tier actresses and actors in Hollywood. This could have created potential issues for HBO in terms of the actors’ salaries and availability.
The filming of season 3 eventually took place in 2025. This new season premiered overnight on Sunday, April 12th, 2026, on HBO and on April 13th on HBO Max. According to Rolling Stone, the series has reportedly cost $110 million and each episode required a full month of shooting.
Zendaya and Jacob Elordi are back in the show
Good news, many lead actors will be back this new season. The main cast, including Zendaya, Jacob Elordi,Alexa Demie, Colman Domingo, Sydney Sweeney, Hunter Schafer are back. As for Eric Dane, who recently passed away, Maude Apatow, Dominic Fike, Martha Kelly and Chloe Cherry, they will also be part of the project. Among 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. I couldn’t be happier and more grateful to be acting alongside all of these incredibly talented people.” Icon Sharon Stone (Basic Instinct) also stars in this new season and portrays a powerful woman in Hollywood.
Barbie Ferreira will not appear in season 3
Angus Cloud‘s passing is clearly leaving a significant void in the show. Nevertheless, Sam Levinson took the liberty of keeping his character alive in the new episodes… Fezco is now serving a prison sentence to justify his absence.
Barbie Ferreira, who played Kat Hernandez, will not appear in the new episodes, following her post on Instagram in August 2022. Rumours had been circulating about alleged tensions between the show’s director and the actress, who denounced a toxic atmosphere on set. Besides, the American actress was also bothered by the direction her character took, becoming far less likable in season 2 compared to season 1.
Hans Zimmer as the new composer
This season, the musical direction has been entrusted to renowned composer Hans Zimmer. Just weeks after composing the soundtrack for F1, the summer blockbuster starring Brad Pitt, and winning an Oscar for the soundtrack Dune in 2021, he is taking on another major challenge. The 68-year-old German composer was supposed to collaborate with Labrinth, who had already composed the scores for the first two seasons. A promising duo for this cult series, acclaimed for both its visual aesthetic and soundscape. Yet, the final soundtrack doesn’t feature any tracks made by Labrinth.
“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.”
The first episodes of Euphoria, season 3, by Sam Levinson, are available now on HBO Max.
