You season 3 release date: Cast, trailer and latest news for Netflix series

A third season full of murderous mayhem is currently on the way, and we can now expect to see Gossip Girl's Penn Badgley reprise his killer role in the second half of 2021.

The news was confirmed by Netflix Co-CEO and Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos, revealing that You will likely be released in the final three months of the year (October, November, or December).

Badgley plays the unhinged stalker in the lead role, and Joe now has a partner in the form of Love, played by The Haunting of Bly Manor's Victoria Pedretti.

Travis Van Winkle (The Last Ship) is set to appear as a self-help guru and Shalita Grant (Search Party) as a social media obsessed mum blogger, while The Vampire Diaries star Michelle McManus will reprise her role of Natalie, the next-door neighbour to Joe who was briefly spotted in the season two finale.

Meanwhile, Saffron Burrows (Marvel's Agents of SHIELD) has been boosted to the rank of series regular in season three, suggesting there will be a larger role for Love's mother, Dottie.

There could be more from teenage filmmaker Ellie Alves also, as actress Kenny Ortega has hinted in several interviews that there could be more to her character's story.

Those mourning the cancellation of Netflix's Chilling Adventures of Sabrina will be pleased to hear that Tati Gabrielle has also joined You, set to play no-nonsense librarian Marienne on season three.

Most recently, it has been revealed that Crazy Ex-Girlfriend alum Scott Michael Foster will also play a recurring role in the third season, portraying a local news reporter with some demons of his own.

Caroline Kepnes, who writes the books on which You is based, recently announced that she had finished the third book in the series, so hopefully that will provide some hints for what we can expect in the upcoming season.

Here's everything we know about You season three, returning cast members and upcoming plot twists.

When is You season 3 released on Netflix?

In April 2021 it was announced that You season three would be released in "Q4" (the year's fourth quarter), meaning an autumn or winter release in 2021.

It didn't take long after season two's December 2019 debut for news to emerge about a further series, with the commission of third run officially announced the following month.

Production started just prior to the coronavirus pandemic but was halted soon after in order to keep the cast and crew safe from catching the illness.

After an extended hiatus, Netflix confirmed in November that filming on season three had resumed.

In addition, Caroline Kepnes, the author of the books on which the Netflix series is based, released the third book called You Love Me on 6 April 2021.

There are reportedly 10 episodes in season 3 with the same number in the previous two series.

As usual, we'll give you more information as we get it.

You season 3 trailer

There isn't a trailer quite yet, but we'll update this page when it drops. The trailer is usually released nearer the release date.

You season 3 cast

Confirmed cast members so far include Gossip Girl's Penn Badgley as lovesick serial killer Joe Goldberg and Victoria Pedretti as equally murderous rival/girlfriend Love Quinn.

Two characters who had small but impactful introductions last season will return to You in larger roles, those being Joe's latest next-door neighbour Natalie, played by The Vampire Diaries star Michelle McManus, and Love's mother Dottie, portrayed by Saffron Burrows (Mozart in the Jungle).

As reported by Deadline, we can also expect several new characters to debut in season three, including Travis Van Winkle as a self-proclaimed "Master of Self-Optimisation", and Shalita Grant as Sherry, a locally famous “Momfluencer” obsessed with social media.

Meanwhile, Tati Gabrielle is officially moving on from cancelled fantasy drama Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, as she is set to play no-nonsense librarian Marienne on You season three, a woman attempting to overcome her personal struggles and build a better life.

In January 2021, it was announced that Scott Michael Foster, who will be familiar to fans of musical comedy Crazy Ex-Girlfriend as the privileged lawyer Nathaniel Plimpton III, has also joined the cast.

He will play a television news reporter in You named Ryan, a well-liked single father with a history of addiction who can sometimes be manipulative and controlling to those closest to him.

We can also take a stab at guessing some other stars which might return, though these are currently unconfirmed: Will Bettelheim (Robin Lord Taylor), whose identity Joe stole in season three could make an appearance, and there's also every chance Love's friends Lucy (Marielle Scott), Sunrise (Melanie Field) and Gabe (Charlie Barnett) could return.

There's also the possibility of more from Ellie Alves, with actor Jenna Ortega telling Insider: "I don't think her storyline has fully run its course and I say this because the writers have been so brilliant in the way that they left so many possibilities open."

Ortega also said she would happily return if asked, telling Cosmopolitan: "I had such an incredible time there that if they would like to have me back, I'm more than happy to take a few digs at Joe again."

"Imagine if she took down Joe and Love," Ortega added. "Insane."

Some characters definitely won't be involved next time out though - having met a grisly end in season two – for example, Delilah (Carmela Zumbado) and Candace (Ambyr Childers), who were both murdered by Love.

You season 3 plot

You centres on stalking sociopath Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley), who repeatedly develops obsessions with young women – aspiring writer Beck (Elizabeth Lail) in season one before he turned his attentions to aspiring chef Love Quinn (Victoria Pedretti) in the second run.

**WARNING: contains spoilers for You season two**

And the second series ended in a rather shocking manner - with Love revealed to have been behind the murder of both Delilah (Carmela Zumbado) and Candace (Ambyr Childers) - it looks as if Joe had met his match.

Season three looks to see the murderous couple come to terms with this revelation - as well as a certain shock pregnancy. The show seems to hint that Joe and Love will attempt to become a happy family unit, though we're sure some killing is going to get in the way eventually.

Showrunner Patrick Gamble told Entertainment Weekly: “The stakes are pretty high. I have so many questions about Love’s mother who’s incredibly in the picture at the end of the season, like how much she really knows about her children.

“We wrote [the finale] hoping that we will get the opportunity to tell more stories because we’re really excited with the seeds planted at the end of season two.”

And co-creator and executive producer Sera Gamble has hinted that the third run could see an even more exciting storyline, telling Cosmopolitan UK: "I will say that we have an idea for season three that is SO exciting that people talk about it in the [writer's] room everyday."

Both seasons one and two were based on novels written by Caroline Kepnes, and the third one has now been released.

According to the book's description, Joe is ready to start a family "even if it kills him", and is "done with Love".

He leaves the city for a "cozy island in the Pacific Northwest", and meets a new love interest/potential victim – librarian Mary Kay DiMarco.

"Joe won't meddle, he will not obsess. He'll win her the old fashioned way...by providing a shoulder to cry on, a helping hand. Over time they'll both heal their wounds and begin their happily ever after in this sleepy town," the book teases.

"The trouble is...Mary Kaye already has a life. She's a mother. She's a friend. She's...busy," it continues. "True love can only triumph if both people are willing to make room for the real thing. Joe cleared his decks. He's ready. And hopefully, with his encouragement and undying support, Mary Kaye will do the right thing and make room for him."

However, Kepnes offered Netflix an early draft of the book and says that, while there will be similarities between the text and the screenplay, there will definitely be differences.

She told The Hollywood Reporter: "You're going to see Joe living in a place similar to where he lived in the book," but she adds: "The minute that Love in the show became a killer, I think that also changes things a lot."

On what she envisioned for the third story and Joe, she said: "I really wanted him to tangle with a woman who's a little more settled in her life than the women in his past. So right off the bat, I knew this man is not going to get the dream family that he thinks he's going to get at the end of Hidden Bodies...

"I wanted to put him in a place where he has this idealism about small-town life, that it will be less about social media and more about real life. It was a great way to play with his clinic denial that every person alive has their own story and their own little personal private network of people.

"I loved this idea of him meeting this woman and immediately she's following him, he's following her and they're two adults and then the rest begins."

You season 2 filming locations

The second season moved filming to LA which had a "big effect on the show" according to Penn Badgley. Of course, the next season (and seasons after that) can move anywhere.

Penn said: "I remember having a conversation with [EP Greg Berlanti] about this. He was like, 'You know what? I think we can put you anywhere and the show works. We could put you in Hawaii and it would work.' Maybe that will happen in the fourth season? I'll keep my fingers crossed."

You season 3 theories

Like any television show with an avid fanbase, there are loads of fan theories online about what could happen next on You - some more plausible than others.

There has been plenty of speculation about Love's unborn child, particularly over who the real father is. Sure, it could very well be Joe, but given the series has a knack for shocking twists, viewers are already dreaming up alternatives.

Some remain suspicious that the father could be Milo, particularly as the contraceptives Love claims to have used with him are not always effective, while a more elaborate theory suggests the baby could be the result of artificial insemination via a sperm donor.

There's a growing sentiment that Love really could be the one to beat Joe at his own twisted game, with some fans suggesting that she secretly killed her late husband too, suspicious of the fact he died of a mysterious unknown ailment.

If not Love, perhaps Forty could put Joe to justice from beyond the grave, with one recurring idea being that the film he was working on could still see release and expose the psychotic murderer once and for all.

You seasons 1-2 are streaming on Netflix. If you want to watch something else check out our best movies on Netflix guide or best series on Netflix. You can also order Caroline Kepnes' You from Amazon.

If you're looking for more to watch, check out our TV guide.