‘The Umbrella Academy’ Season 3 Is Going to Be Bigger than Ever
The creators of Netflix superhero smash-hit The Umbrella Academy seem to get a twisted sense of pleasure from leaving audiences clinging to season-finale cliffhangers—and then locking their lips when it comes to what's next. But, really, that’s just part of the fun of this ingenious, wacky show: You're never gonna guess what's coming.
In Season 2, released in July 2020, our favorite dysfunctional family gets into all sorts of shenanigans in 1960s Dallas, only to arrive back in the present day—where the world doesn't look quite the way it did at the start. They walk into their childhood home only to find their deceased father is still alive, and their spots at the dinner table now occupied by a new group of adopted super-children known as the Sparrows. Talk about sibling rivalry.
As the Hargreeves kids adjust to their new reality, here’s what we know about a third chapter in the superhero series.
The Umbrella Academy is officially returning.
TUA is an extremely popular show, so Netflix isn’t likely to let it go anytime soon if it keeps its viewership numbers up. In November 2020, the streamer officially announced a third season is headed our way, but with delays caused by COVID-19, the cast and crew won't start filming until February. With that in mind, it's unlikely we'll see a third chapter until late 2021, at the earliest.
Still, there’s plenty of reasons to get excited, given the amount of material left for showrunner Steve Blackman to work with. The comic book series that TUA is based upon has three volumes so far, with a fourth in production, and Blackman has already hinted that a third season will be loosely based on the third volume: Hotel Oblivion.
We finally know who will play the Sparrows.
For months, we were in the dark about who will play the next iteration of Hargreeves children. But in January 2021, Netflix finally released names and bios for the Sparrows, as well as who will play them. Here are the juicy tidbits to fuel all your fan theories:
Justin Cornwell (I Am the Night) will play Marcus, Sparrow #1, described as "charming, chiseled, honest, virtuous, and demanding." He's the man who keeps the family together—not entirely unlike Luther—but "oozes confidence and leadership," unlike his alternate-reality counterpart.
Justin H. Min (After Yang) is back as Ben, Sparrow #2, but not the Ben you think you know. This Ben isn't the darling little lamb we love from the first two seasons, but someone "vicious, pragmatic, and hyper-vigilant." He's out for the job of team leader, and given his "Machiavellian" tactics, we'll expect he gets it.
Britne Oldford (Hunters) will play Fei, Sparrow #3, a super-smart, determined young woman who "comes across as a misanthrope" but might in fact be misunderstood.
Jake Epstein (Suits) is Alphonso, Sparrow #4, a young man armed with both a shocking number of battle scars and a "biting sense of humor." He also, apparently, has some frat-boy tendencies: According to Netflix, "The only thing he likes better than verbally battering anyone foolish enough to get in his face, is a good pizza and a six-pack of beer."
Genesis Rodriguez (The Fugitive) will play Sloane, Sparrow #5, a dutiful romantic who longs for life outside of the superhero set but fears abandoning her siblings. Still, she "has plans," and we can expect that might play out next season.
Cazzie David (86’ed) is Jayme, Sparrow #6, a quiet but dangerous type with a razor-sharp tongue and "a fear-inducing snarl." Her best friend—matter of fact, her only friend—is Alphonso.
Then there's Existential Dread Inducing Psykronium Cube, AKA Christopher. Despite his non-human form, he is "treated by the Sparrows like any other sibling" and serves as their sage and mediator. Also, he can induce paralyzing fear. Fun!
The rest of the cast is excited to get back to business.
Multiple cast members spoke out last year about their desire to return for a third season (and beyond). Chatting with RadioTimes, Robert Sheehan, who plays Klaus Hargreeves, said, “The show is very, very popular, so we’re optimistic. We’d love to keep the engines rolling.”
Tom Hopper, who plays Luther Hargreeves, added, “Especially the way the season ends, I think there’s so many avenues there.”
Hopper also told TechRadar, “I’d love to go back and do a bunch more of these.” So clearly we could be looking at a story that goes far beyond 2021.
Showrunner Steve Blackman has lots of ideas in store.
In an interview with Inverse, Blackman said next season likely won’t feature another apocalypse. Instead, it’ll seemingly focus on the new group in town: the Sparrows.
“It’s gonna be very complicated for the Umbrella Academy siblings,” he says. “They don’t have their home anymore, their father is alive and well—which he shouldn’t be—so needless to say there will be more destructive family madness.”
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