The Umbrella Academy season 3: Tom Hopper and Robert Sheehan on what comes next for the Netflix series

(Image credit: Netflix)

The Umbrella Academy season 2 has hit Netflix and the new series sees the Hargreeve siblings reunited in 1963 after being transported back in time at the apocalyptic end of Season 1. 

Already, ideas for a third season are being batted around for what new world-ending dramas the super-powered family might land themselves in, and Tom Hopper and Robert Sheehan – who play Luther and Klaus, respectively – have revealed that they want to return, ideally for a feature-length episode. However, they wouldn’t be keen if it was anything akin to the superhero movies that dominate the box office.

“I certainly like the idea of doing different proliferations,” Sheehan tells GamesRadar. “The idea of it becoming a sort of a big superhero feel, I wouldn't be.”

“I think the magic of the show is that it is very grounded and it's not all superheroe-y stuff,” Hopper says. “We season it with the superhero stuff, but the reason people love it [is] because of the people behind the ‘superheroes’.”

“And the hardness of the storytelling,” Sheehan adds.

(Image credit: Netflix)

Netflix has yet to give Season 3 the greenlight, but Hopper and Sheehan are optimistic. “You're always talking about future seasons,” Hopper explained during a roundtable interview attended by GamesRadar. “You know, from season 1, you're always talking about where the show could go. I’d like to do the Eighties, actually.”

Sheehan would “love to do” a third season and likes the idea of the family getting transported back to “Medieval times,” but he concurs with his co-star’s ‘80s era suggestion. “What if they went back to the day they were all born? Something in 1987,” the Irish actor mused. “You know, the whole 20th century was contentious. I'm always hatching pipe dreams. Sending an email to Steve. That's the fun part.”

“I think there's an element of assuming that the story continues until you're told that it's not going to continue,” Hopper added. “You're always keeping it alive in your head as an actor because you don't like to kill off a character until it's kind of done. You're always seeing where they could go or what could happen.”

The pair also praised showrunner Steve Blackman for fermenting collaboration with the cast who first stepped foot into this fantasy world, based on Gerard Way’s Dark Horse graphic novels of the same name, in 2018, when production launched in Toronto.

“We love hanging around in this world. It's a lot of fun,” Hopper said. “And we all love working with each other. It's quite a gift to have the kind of show we have written. We have a showrunner who's very collaborative and allows us to be

“Which is a huge plus,” Sheehan added.

Season 2 takes its cues from the second graphic novel in the series, Dallas, and sees the siblings sent back to the Texan city, but arriving at different times before and during 1963 because of Five’s temperamental control of his time-travelling abilities.

Of course, trouble always seems to follow the Hargreeves and they soon have to team up and prevent another apocalypse befalling the Earth. However, with new Swedish assassins on their tail and a powerplay going on at the Temps Commission, it’s not going to be easy. Read more of our interview with Hopper and Sheehan here.

The Umbrella Academy Season 2 is available to stream on Netflix from July 31st

Freelance writer

Hanna Flint is a freelance film and TV critic who has bylines at GamesRadar+, Total Film magazine, Variety, BBC Culture, The Guardian, British GQ, IGN, Yahoo Movies, and so many other publications. Hanna has also appeared as a critic and commentator on Sky News, Sky Cinema, BBC World Service, and BBC Radio 5 Live, and can be frequently found as a Q&A host at MTV UK, BFI, and BAFTA. When Hanna isn't writing reviews, interviews, and long-form features about the latest film and TV releases, she specializes in topics concerning representation and diversity.