‘Euphoria’ Creator Eyes Season 2 Filming in March, with Episodes to Begin Releasing in 2021
Zack Sharf
This August will mark two years since the season one finale of “Euphoria,” but the long wait for Season 2 will end before 2021 is over if creator and showrunner Sam Levinson has his way. During an interview this week on IndieWire’s Filmmaker Toolkit podcast to promote his upcoming Netflix feature film “Malcolm & Marie,” Levinson confirmed the plan is to start filming “Euphoria” Season 2 in late March. The creator added, “And the goal is to release episodes this year, so that’s hopefully [what will happen].” Of course the pandemic could change these plans, but Levinson’s goal is to start filming in March and start rollout on completed episodes on HBO before the end of December.
The March production start date means Season 2 will begin filming exactly a year later than planned. Cameras were about to begin rolling on “Euphoria” Season 2 in March 2020 when the pandemic forced the entire industry into shutdown mode. Levinson and his Emmy-winning “Euphoria” actress Zendaya pivoted to writing and filming “Malcolm & Marie” as the start date on “Euphoria” Season 2 continued to be delayed. To ease the pain of the long hiatus, the “Euphoria” crew filmed two special bridge episodes (one centered around Zendaya’s Rue, the other centered around Hunter Schafer’s Jules), both of which are now streaming on HBO Max.
Prior to Levinson’s confirmation about the March start date, all “Euphoria” fans knew about the upcoming second season is that it would start production in early 2021. HBO programming president Casey Bloys said as much to Deadline after the Emmy Awards, where “Euphoria” surprised many in the industry by winning Zendaya the prize for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. The win made Zendaya the category’s youngest winner in Emmys history. “Euphoria” also won Emmys for Outstanding Contemporary Makeup and Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics.
Levinson and Zendaya’s “Malcolm & Marie” makes its debut February 5 on Netflix. The streaming giant is supporting the film with an Oscar campaign that could earn Zendaya a nomination for Best Actress. The film also stars “Tenet” and “BlacKkKlansman” breakout John David Washington. Zendaya and Levinson cracked the idea for the film, which finds a couple unraveling over the course of a single night, together while in quarantine.
Additional reporting by Chris O’Falt.
