Scrapped ‘Euphoria’ Season 3 Scripts “Relegated” Zendaya’s Rue To A Background Character, Leaving HBO Execs “Unsatisfied”: Report

Euphoria Season 3 is reportedly suffering major delays as series creator Sam Levinson continues polishing the scripts after HBO executives and series star Zendaya were allegedly left “feeling unsatisfied” by the series’ direction.

A new report from Variety detailed the lengths HBO and Levinson have gone to keep the show in the works, which included multiple rounds of revisions for Levinson’s scripts.

According to sources with knowledge of the matter, Levinson initially envisioned Season 3 to take place five years in the future with “very compelling” arcs for Sydney Sweeney and Jacob Elordi‘s characters. HBO execs reportedly thought this was a “strong start,” but the first rounds of scripts did not pass the test for Zendaya or the network.

The outlet reports that Zendaya “offered Levinson significant input for where she’d like Season 3 to go” after taking a look at the full scripts.

But the revised scripts left HBO execs “feeling unsatisfied.” Levinson wrote that Zendaya’s character, Rue, had began working as a private detective, practically demoting her character to the background, per Variety. The network “immediately vetoed” the idea, presumably given Zendaya’s growing star power in light of her massive success outside of the series.

Zendaya reportedly pitched a couple of her own ideas for her character, including a storyline in which Rue becomes a pregnancy surrogate now that she’s a sober young woman.

Insiders with knowledge of the scripts noted that, despite the revisions, the scripts still did not “feel like the show tonally.” Levinson has previously said that he envisioned Season 3 to be a “film noir” in which Rue will “explore what it means to be an individual with principles in a corrupt world.”

Production for Season 3 was expected to begin in the coming months, but HBO recently announced that it has allowed the cast to seek new opportunities as they continue preparing for the new season. Variety reports that the network promised to get back to the cast on Oct. 1 with a “solid plan” for filming, which will likely take place in 2025.

Fortunately, the outlet reports that Zendaya, Sweeney, and Elordi are “all truly committed” to seeing Euphoria get the ending it deserves, despite the fact that their budding film careers are far more lucrative.

For now, Euphoria Season 3 is still slated to premiere in 2025. Until then, catch up on Euphoria Seasons 1 and 2 on Max.