The Boys season 3 begins filming – but a release date could take a while

The Boys
(Image credit: Amazon)

The Boys season 3 begins filming today, Tuesday February 16, it's been confirmed by executive producer and showrunner Eric Kripke. The dark superhero show, which stars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid and Erin Moriarty, wrapped up its second season in October 2020, and is one of Amazon Prime Video's most popular originals.

If you're wondering how a series like this can film mid-pandemic – which frequently uses crowd scenes and has a pretty wide ensemble – Urban said on Instagram that the show is filming in a "highly tested, PPE, zone controlled, socially distanced way", as you might expect.

Here's Kripke's announcement on Twitter:

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We know a fair amount about what's planned for season 3 of the show. Notably, the series will adapt the 'Herogasm' storyline from the comics – essentially a giant superhero orgy in an island resort. 'Herogasm' will be the name of episode 6 of season 3. In producing the episode, Kripke said, "From day one, everyone dared me to make this episode. CHALLENGE MET MOTHERF*CKERS".

Jensen Ackles from Supernatural will also join the cast as the hero Soldier Boy.

It's unclear when The Boys season 3 will release – we'd expect it next year, since the series requires such extensive effects work. The Boys season 2 finished filming around November 2019, then released in September 2020, which gives you an idea of how long it can take to polish the show off. 

The Boys is getting a spin-off, too

Back in September, it was revealed that The Boys is getting a college-set spin-off, too. The school itself belongs to the shadowy Vought International, which is behind the creation of the 'supes' in the main show – expect something slightly Hunger Games-y. 

That series was fast-tracked, according to reports, which means Amazon is keen to get it made. The same team of writers and producers as the main show will be behind the spin-off, too.

Samuel Roberts

Samuel is a PR Manager at game developer Frontier. Formerly TechRadar's Senior Entertainment Editor, he's an expert in Marvel, Star Wars, Netflix shows and general streaming stuff. Before his stint at TechRadar, he spent six years at PC Gamer. Samuel is also the co-host of the popular Back Page podcast, in which he details the trials and tribulations of being a games magazine editor – and attempts to justify his impulsive eBay games buying binges.