We Actually Know A Lot About Euphoria Season 2

You’ll have to hold onto your face glitter and pastel eyeliner a little longer. We might not get the highly anticipated season 2 of HBO’s Euphoria until next year, but lead actor Zendaya promises it will be well worth the wait.

“There is a beautiful second season that has been written, but in order to do it the way we want to do it, we need to wait until it’s safer,” she told InStyle earlier this month. No one has confirmed when Euphoria season 2 filming will begin, but Zendaya added that fans might be able to expect something to tide us over. “There is an idea to do a couple of bridge episodes that can be shot safely but aren't necessarily part of season 2. So, hopefully, we will be able to do those in the coming months. I can't wait.”

The actress, who got a 2020 Emmy nomination for her performance as cynical, troubled lead Rue, previously explained that the ensemble cast was just about to begin filming when COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic. “We were supposed to go back to work, I believe, on March 16. And, literally, three or four days before that, they were shut down,” Zendaya told Variety in June. On March 16, Euphoria’s Twitter account announced that production would be paused due to safety concerns. “I was like, ‘I was so close.’ We did camera tests and hair and makeup tests, and we got to see everybody and […] the sets were built.”

Euphoria’s first season was praised for its honest portrayal of real issues teenagers face, including drug addiction, abusive relationships, and abortion access. The show follows Rue as she attempts to get sober after an overdose, often using her love for new girl Jules (Hunter Schafer) as a coping mechanism. In the season finale, Rue’s journey takes a sharp turn: Jules hops on a train without her, and Rue subsequently has another overdose. Viewers wondered if this full-circle moment meant Rue had died and the show was done for good, but creator Sam Levinson immediately clarified that Rue’s story was far from over.

“Rue’s not dead, if that’s the question,” Levinson told The Hollywood Reporter. “Rue has a big journey ahead of her, and a tough one. It's not something I want to cut short because of who Rue means to me as someone who has battled with addiction and come out the other side.”

In an Instagram post, Sydney Sweeney, who plays another teenager in Rue’s orbit, appeared to confirm that she, Schafer, Barbie Ferreira, and Maude Apatow will be reprising their roles in season 2.

Also, a photo shared from the Euphoria Twitter account in March appeared to show a season 2 table read with Zendaya and Angus Cloud, which suggests he will be back to play soft-spoken drug dealer Fez.

And thanks to a casting call that was posted Project Casting and made the rounds in January, we may have some information on four new characters, including a stripper who “can’t read a room” and “has a big mouth” and a mischievous, sensitive, and “interesting” 17-year-old named Darian.

“I do miss Rue,” Zendaya told InStyle. “She's like my little sister in a lot of ways. And going back to that character is a home base for me.”

Along with those possible bridge episodes, the Euphoria team has found other creative ways to engage with fans eagerly waiting for season 2. On August 24, Emmy-nominated composer Labrinth performed songs from the show, including unofficial theme "All For Us," in a virtual concert live-streamed from Euphoria's YouTube account. As one fan commented, Euphoria is pretty much its own musical genre at this point.

Hopefully, it will soon be safe enough for the cast to return to filming. In the meantime, we’ll be listening to Labrinth nonstop and trying to perfect Jules' makeup looks.