The Boys to start shooting Season 3 in early 2021, season premiere promises 'Payback' is coming

After the shocking revelations of its bloody Season 2 finale, The Boys isn't wasting any of its momentum. In a tweet posted last night, showrunner Eric Kripke revealed that Amazon's hit comic book adaptation is looking to kick off production on its third season in early 2021 ("COVID willing," to use Kripke's own words from NYCC). That means we might actually see new episodes as soon as late next year. Here's hoping!

"You're not f***ing ready," the showrunner wrote, tagging Seth Rogen (executive producer), Antony Starr ("Homelander"), Jack Quaid ("Hughie"), Karl Urban ("Billy Butcher"), Erin Moriarty ("Starlight"), Laz Alonso ("Mother's Milk"), Karen Fukuhara ("Kimiko"), Jessie T. Usher ("A-Train"), and Nathan Mitchell ("Black Noir"). The mention of Mitchell is a good sign that Noir will return after his near-fatal allergic reaction to the Almond Joy that was crammed down his throat.

To underscore how serious he was, Kripke also shared most of the title page for the Season 3 opener, which is officially titled "Payback." It was written by Craig Rosenberg, an executive producer on the series, who has penned 16 episodes to date. The director portion of the page is strategically blocked off, leading us to believe that either one hasn't been hired yet or Amazon wants to keep the person a secret for now.

So, who is after some payback? Well, off the top of our heads, we'd say that Butcher wants to get even with Homelander following the death of his wife, Becca (Shantel VanSanten), who was killed by Homelander's estanged son (and Butcher's kinda step-son), Ryan (Cameron Crovetti). Billy had the good sense not to kill the boy, but his frustration and grief have to be taken out on someone. Following the Season 2 closer, the Boys have been forgiven for all their crimes and poised to become a recognized unit of the United States government (overseen by Claudia Doumit's Victoria "head exploding" Neuman), just like they are in the comics. Moreover, M.M. is supposedly due for a second round with the "love sausage" (you know the one).

When it comes to new cast members, it's been confirmed that Jensen Ackles (who previously worked with Kripke on Supernatural) will play Soldier Boy. As Stan Edgar (Giancarlo Esposito) let slip near the start of Season 2, the Captain America-esque hero of the WWII era was one of the first American Supes to be created with Compound V, the result of Frederick Vought's gruesome and sadistic Nazi experimentations.

In the source material by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, Soldier Boy is part of another superhero group called "Payback," of which Stormfront (played by Aya Cash in live-action) was once a member. Tek Knight, Swatto, Mind-Droid, Crimson Countess, and Eagle the Archer are also counted among its ranks. Now that Eagle (Langston Kerman) is out of the Fresca-loving Church of the Collective, he can team up with these other Supes, some of whom have been mentioned in passing on the TV show.

The first two seasons of The Boys are now streaming on Prime Video. In addition, you can check out eight special aftershow specials for Season 2, hosted by Archer's Aisha Tyler.