Season two of Netflix’s Love, Death & Robots was released on May 14, 2021, and fans are eagerly waiting for Volume III (the third season). Speculation for a third season began when the trailer for the second season, released on April 19, 2021, announced that Vol. 3 would be released in 2022.
First released in 2019 on Netflix, Love, Death & Robots is an animated series for adults that follows the themes shared from the title with each episode being a unique, stand-alone short story. It gathered wild popularity and critical acclaim for its “cyberpunk” animation and writing. The format of the series has been compared to Black Mirror (2011) and The Twilight Zone (1959 TV Series). The series was conceived when David Fincher (Fight Club) and Tim Miller, co-founder of Blur and director of Deadpool, wanted to make a film inspired by the comic series Heavy Metal.
Although a release date for the third season has still yet to be announced, producers Finch and Miller, along with Jennifer Yuh Nelson, Kung Fu Panda 2 and 3, and Jerome Denjean, visual effects supervisor, affirmed the third season is underway at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival back in June.
Miller confirmed with Variety that at least one familiar writer is returning: "We’ve got Volume 3 coming out soon, and I could not be more excited, we’ve got some big stories for people, one of which you already know which is another installment of those three crazy robots with a story by John Skalzi."
Updated March 29, 2022: If you're a fan of Love, Death & Robots, you'll be happy to know we've updated this article with additional news and content surrounding the show and unique subgenre at large.
How Many Episodes Will Be in the Season?
In season three, we could expect more episodes than the eight from season two. The first season included eighteen episodes, so the low quantity from the second season left fans hungry for more. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, production of television and film decreased tremendously which might be the most likely reason for having so few episodes in the second season. However, with volumes two and three being confirmed together, it is possible any episodes not included in the second season will make it to the third. Since the first two seasons were both released in the spring, the third season can be expected to release in the spring of 2022. It is unclear how long the third season has been in development since there was a two-year gap between seasons one and two, and just a year (or less) gap until the third season.
Who Is Returning to Work on Vol. III?
Miller confirmed in the Annecy interview that John Skalzi would return for at least one episode. Skalzi was a writer for “Automated Customer Service”, the first episode of the second season. The story is about an elderly woman and her dog trying to escape a deadly, malfunctioning robot called “Vacuubot”.
Scalzi also wrote an original story that was adapted by Philip Gelatt in season one titled “Three Robots”, a fan favorite. Miller also confirmed he would be writing another story in continuation to “those three crazy robots” for Volume III. Their story revolves around three robots exploring a post-apocalyptic world without humans. Their curiosity in human life leads them to find genetically engineered cats that can speak. Scalzi is an original story writer for many of the episodes in seasons one and two, with Phillip Gelatt adapting a majority of the episodes. It is safe to assume they both will return for more episodes.
Will There Be Any Recognizable Talent?
The show is voice acted by a variety of actors, most notably, Michael B. Jordan provided talent for an episode in season two titled “Life Hutch”. The animators used both live-action footage and photo-realistic CGI to capture Jordan. It is not the only episode to use motion capture, and maybe we will see more celebrities animated digitally. Even Arnold Schwarzenegger has expressed interest to Miller about being in the show one day. Fans expect more big-name actors to join the cast as well as recurring voice actors in the upcoming season.
The producers of the show have been very active recently promoting the series, so it is possible we could receive a trailer for Volume III this winter, and perhaps a Volume IV teaser. The show has received high viewership and is one of Netflix’s top shows. On Rotten Tomatoes, season two currently has a score of 85% by critics and a low 56% audience rating. Fans are looking for a return to stories styled from season one, and hopefully, season three will deliver.
Where Else to Find Robots in Film, TV
As we await a confirmed release date for volume three of Love, Death + Robots, where else can we enjoy the unique subgenre? Robots are everywhere in mainstream media these days, and not just in the classical sense. A24's 2021 film After Yang made waves at Cannes and Sundance, for example. The features a number of subtle motifs to support complex themes that could easily go unnoticed. It deals with challenging topics such as loss, grief, connection, and what it means to be human. The narrative follows formerly-absent father and husband Jake, portrayed by Colin Farrell, as he navigates his and his family's loss of their organic android.
Steven Soderbergh’s recent HBO Max release Kimi also touches upon AI's place in society. Meanwhile, Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amélie) has taken to Netflix to explore a futuristic world involving machines with 2022's Bigbug. In this unique tale, the year is 2045, and most humans have delegated their everyday tasks over to androids. These androids can speak, detect emotion with a single look, determine a human’s intention, and have enhanced speed and power.
It's clear, therefore, that robots in Hollywood come in all shapes and sizes, and we can't wait to see what other unique stories Netflix — and all other streamers, for that matter — will bring in 2022.