The Boys‘ first two seasons have been massive hits for Amazon Prime, helping them challenge the dominance of Netflix in the streaming market. As such, all eyes are on the hotly anticipated third season, which is now shooting in Toronto and will air in 2022. After the cliffhanger of the season two closer, we have a decent idea where we’re going next, with Jensen Ackles joining the cast as Soldier Boy, and Aya Cash and Shawn Ashmore returning as Stormfront and Lamplighter respectively.
Amazon is currently promoting the show in advance of the Emmys. During an interview with Deadline showrunner Eric Kripke began hyping up what’s coming next:
“Without giving away any spoilers, I was just in editing yesterday, and we’re doing something here in the season 3 premiere that is not only I think the craziest thing we’ve ever done, it’s got to be up there with the craziest thing anyone’s ever done. Maybe it won’t work. Who knows? But I’m just so high on this gag that we’re pulling off. And it’s certainly something nobody has ever seen before, probably for good reason. So all that’s really exciting.”
Similar things were said by the cast and crew ahead of season 2 and that certainly didn’t disappoint. If I’d seen this quote in isolation, I’d probably assume that the third season would launch straight into Garth Ennis’ notorious ‘Herogasm’ arc. This sees Earth’s heroes gather to face a dire cosmic threat… which is actually an excuse for them all to attend a Voight-sponsored orgy. ‘Herogasm’ won’t be the season opener but, like Homelander and his buddies, it’s coming.
Kripke posted an image of the script in January, saying:
“From day one, everyone dared me to make this episode. CHALLENGE MET MOTHERFUCKERS”
Last week he continued to hype this up:
https://twitter.com/therealKripke/status/1405205855327322114?s=20
I can’t wait. The Boys has continually pushed the boundaries of what can be done in a TV show and what you can get away with in superhero media, as well as providing a much-needed counterpoint to the often anodyne MCU. Kripke concluded his interview on a very promising note, saying:
“Every episode we do really get to show the audience something they’ve probably never seen before. And that’s exciting. How often on a TV show do you get to say that?”
The Boys is expected to air on Amazon Prime in 2022.