Euphoria Season 3 Casting Shake-Up: Who’s In, Who’s Out

After a long delay, Euphoria is finally returning for season 3 — but some fan favorites won’t be back. The HBO hit that debuted in 2019 will again center on Zendaya’s Rue fighting to stay sober, with a reshuffled cast shaking up the new chapter.

Euphoria season 3 is finally, actually happening after a long, messy wait. Cameras are rolling, people are in or out, and HBO sounds like it wants to land the plane. Here’s where everything stands and who you should expect to see when the show returns.

Where things stand

Quick refresher: Euphoria launched in 2019, centered on Rue (Zendaya ), a high schooler battling addiction, and built out an ensemble that included Hunter Schafer, Alexa Demie, Jacob Elordi, Sydney Sweeney, Maude Apatow, Colman Domingo, and more. Season 2 eventually arrived after nearly a three-year gap, with two bridge episodes in between that dealt with the fallout from Rue and Jules splitting up.

Season 3 was supposed to hit in 2025, then the road got rocky. Sam Levinson detoured into his short-lived series The Idol, then the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in late 2023 stretched the timeline even more. HBO boss Casey Bloys said back in November 2023 that strikes do make shows pricier, but it wasn’t going to scare the network off its big series. In March 2024, HBO put season 3 on pause again, saying the plan was still to make it, but in the meantime the cast was free to take other jobs.

The good news: production kicked off in early 2025. And per HBO’s head of drama Francesca Orsi in February 2025, this season is being treated like a true wrap-up for these characters.

"We’ve talked about it... it’s been discussed that this is the end. I think you will be very satisfied with this season, and how we bring each of the characters’ whole narrative."

No premiere date yet, but yes, the show is shooting and yes, the plan is to close out everyone’s arcs.

Who is back, who is out, and who is a question mark

• Rue Bennett (Zendaya): She’s back. Zendaya said in November 2024 that the delays weren’t on her; she’d actually been off set for close to two years and was waiting on updates. At the time she believed a January 2025 start was likely and admitted she hadn’t seen scripts yet but was ready to jump back in.
• Jules Vaughn (Hunter Schafer): Expected to return. In August 2024, Schafer said she genuinely didn’t know what was happening with season 3 and acknowledged that processing Angus Cloud’s death made the idea of returning emotionally tough. Still, she spoke about the cast’s anticipation to get back to it.
• Cassie Howard (Sydney Sweeney): Returning. In March 2024, Sweeney said her schedule was cleared for Euphoria and coyly hinted she may have seen some pages. One note: her former on-screen boyfriend, played by Algee Smith, is not coming back.
• Maddy Perez (Alexa Demie): Returning. Demie is expected to continue as Maddy.
• Kat Hernandez (Barbie Ferreira): Not returning. Ferreira said goodbye in August 2022 after four years with the character, thanking fans and saying she poured everything into Kat.
• Fezco 'Fez' O'Neill (Angus Cloud): Angus Cloud died in July 2023 at 25 after an accidental overdose. Season 3 will address Fez’s fate on-screen.
• Lexi Howard (Maude Apatow): Expected to return. Apatow hasn’t really weighed in on the timing but is set to be back as Lexi.
• Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi): Returning. In January 2024, Elordi joked they’d need a time jump or he’d be hobbling down high school hallways. A forward jump would make sense given the cast’s ages and the long gaps.
• Ali Muhammed (Colman Domingo): Returning as a guest star. In January 2025, Domingo said he was heading back and called what Sam Levinson told him about the season "groundbreaking."
• Elliot (Dominic Fike): Back for a limited appearance. Fike previously said in 2024 he wasn’t really in touch with the Euphoria team anymore and wasn’t sure about returning, but he ultimately signed on to pop up in a few scenes.
• Ashtray (Javon 'Wanna' Walton): Unclear. Walton shifted his focus to boxing and said in July 2024 he had "no damn clue" what was next for Ashtray. He still plans to act, but the ring is the priority right now.
• Cal Jacobs (Eric Dane): Returning on-screen in season 3, with a heartbreaking coda. Dane said in June 2024 he was optimistic about coming back and had previously teased a redemption path for Cal after that arrest. He was later diagnosed with ALS and died at 53 in February 2026, but not before filming scenes for this season.
• Gia Bennett (Storm Reid): Not returning. In November 2024, Reid said she wouldn’t be in season 3 but was grateful to have been part of the show and was excited to see what they do.
• Leslie Bennett (Nika King): Not returning. King joked during a March 2024 stand-up set that she had no idea when season 3 was coming and riffed on how the delay was affecting her work. It was confirmed in February 2025 that she would not be back.
• Ethan Daley (Austin Abrams): Likely not returning. With Kat out, Ethan isn’t expected to appear in season 3.
• Faye (Chloe Cherry): Returning, and promoted. Cherry has been bumped up to a series regular for season 3.

Big picture

The production delays were real, and the off-screen circumstances were heavy. But season 3 is filming, HBO is treating it like the endgame for these characters, and the cast is largely intact with a few significant departures. Expect the show to reckon with Fez in a meaningful way, fold in what Eric Dane shot before his passing, and likely age everyone up on-screen. When HBO locks a date, I’ll update, but for now: it’s moving, and it’s meant to stick the landing.