Picture: Universal Television / Netflix
The Umbrella Academy is returning for one final season on Netflix in 2024. Here’s everything you need to know about the fourth and final season of The Umbrella Academy, including cast news, production updates, trailers, and the expected Netflix release date.
The Umbrella Academy is a Netflix Original superhero-comedy-drama series created by Steve Blackman, developed by Jeremy Slater, and based on the comics of the same name by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá.
The series first debuted in February 2019, with the most recent season dropping in June 2022. It’s become one of Netflix’s best superhero shows and is largely believed to be one of the best Netflix Original shows of all time.
When was The Umbrella Academy been renewed for season 4?
It took a little longer than expected, but Netflix confirmed the renewal of The Umbrella Academy on Twitter on August 25th, 2022. The renewal ultimately was bittersweet, given that the show would also be the final season.
Picture: Netflix
Showrunner Steve Blackman, speaking about the renewal, said:
“I’m so excited that the incredibly loyal fans of The Umbrella Academy will be able to experience the fitting end to the Hargreeves siblings’ journey we began five years ago. But before we get to that conclusion, we’ve got an amazing story ahead for season four, one that will have fans on the edge of their seats until the final minutes.”
The Umbrella Academy Season 4: Number of Episodes, Writers, Directors, Episode Titles
In December 2022, rumors began flying around the final season, which would consist of a smaller number of episodes than seasons prior. On December 14th, Steve Blackman confirmed on Twitter that it would consist of six episodes, adding that they’ll be “amazing.”
Here’s a breakdown of the episode writers, directors, and episode titles that we have so far:
- Episode 401 – The Unbearable Tragedy of Getting What You Want
- Writers: Steve Blackman and Jesse McKeown
- Director: Jeremy Webb
- Episode 402 – TBD
- Story by : Molly Nussbaum & Robert Askins and Jesse McKeown
- Teleplay by : Molly Nussbaum & Robert Askins
- Director: Jeremy Webb
- Episode 403 – TBD
- Writer: Aeryn Michelle Williams and Elizabeth Padden
- Director: Paco Cabezas
- Episode 404 – TBD
- Writer: Lauren Otero and Thomas Page McBee
- Director: Paco Cabezas
- Episode 405 – TBD
- Story by: Robert Askins & Christopher High and Jesse McKeown & Andrew Raab
- Teleplay by: Jesse McKeown and Andrew Raab
- Director: Neville Kid
- Episode 406 – End of the Beginning
- Writer: Steve Blackman
- Director: Paco Cabezas
We’ve also got some of the remaining episode titles, but we don’t quite know in what order they’re going to be:
- The Squid and the Girl
- The Cleanse
- Six Years, Five Months, and Two Days
- Jean and Gene
What to expect from The Umbrella Academy season 4
The world’s best worst father
Sir Reginald Hargreeves is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the worst fathers in the known universe. Simply a means to a selfish end, Reginald’s only reason for the adoption of the children of the Umbrella Academy and Sparrow Academy was so that he could reset the universe in his image and be reunited with his dead wife, Abigail.
Once his children realize that he’s alive, we can expect a less-than-civil visit from the Hargreeves family. We still don’t know the full extent of what Reginald’s universe reset means for his children, but in true Reginald fashion, we expect they’ve been screwed over again.
Reginald and Abigail reunited at last, but at what cost? – Picture. Netflix
A life without powers
By removing their powers, the Umbrella and Sparrow Academy are a significantly reduced threat to Reginald. Life will be dramatically different for the Hargreeves family, who, without their powers, will now experience a new form of vulnerability. This means no more bus ball for Klaus.
This also begs the question, in this world, did Reginald adopt the Hargreeves children? Regardless of whether or not he did, this could mean that all of their respective mothers are still alive. After finally making a bond with Reginald, it was all for naught, so while Klaus will still be feeling the pain of betrayal, if he realizes his mother could still be alive, he’ll be on a road trip to Pennsylvania immediately.
If some of the Hargreeves have a better life without their powers, such as Allison, it may take some convincing to return to their former lives.
Blackman, in an interview with Netflix, said on the subject:
“… the siblings losing their powers isn’t going to be the only oddity in this timeline. There are new enemies who want to see them wiped out of existence, but how do they manage without their powers? Is there even a way to get them back? The stakes have never been greater.”
Aidan Gallagher has teased that we could see the show’s characters be more akin to their comic book counterparts. In an interview with Collider, he told them, “We may see a more comic book version of Five in Season 4.”
Gallagher also spoke about what we could expect from his character, saying:
“I think he’ll go on mission mode and try to figure out how to make everything right with this new, strange reality that Hargreeves has made up. I don’t know. It may bring out a more mission-oriented version of Five. It’s very final, the way it resolves. It’s this new world, with them not having powers. I’d like to see some of the characters, at least for the time being, settle into that reality. I don’t know if Five is that type of personality. I think he’s still gonna wrestle with it, but we’ll have to see. Let’s hope it gets picked up.”
Timeskip?
In real life, Aidan Gallagher, the actor for Five is 18 years old and will turn 19 in September. By the time we expect the fourth season of The Umbrella Academy to arrive on Netflix, he’ll be almost 21 years old. Now, while Gallagher plays an extremely convincing 15-year-old, it won’t be long before he outgrows the look of one. A simple time-skip would allow the actor’s real-life growth to be worked into the story of Five looking older than a 15-year-old.
Included in the time skip, we’d get to see how drastically different the lives of the Hargreeves have changed. Diego and Lila will have had their baby, if Luther can find Sloane, the newlyweds may be able to enjoy a few years of marital bliss, and Ben, clearly upset by the loss of his powers, may begin his plan to takedown Hargreeves.
The oldest 15-year-old in history, Five (left) meets his younger but older-bodied self (right) in season 2
A fractured family
All of the Hargreeves have been through their trials, tribulations, and trauma, and despite how dysfunctional they are, they have remained as a family. But in a brand new universe without powers, the choice to move on with their lives could fracture the relationships of the family who want their powers back.
Allison’s betrayal will still sting, and while she is reunited with Claire and Ray, she may seek to repair the burning bridge with her siblings.
When asked about whether Allison is in a different timeline, showrunner Steve Blackman said:
“… Allison is not in a different timeline, she’s in the same timeline. In fact, Ray and Claire do exist in this timeline now. That was the dark deal she made with Hargreeves, to help Hargreeves bring the family together. This is what she got.”
We also see Ben from season 3 in the post-credits scene, but is this a new Ben? Blackman said:
“It’s not a different timeline Ben. It’s the Ben we know from Season 3, but how that works and why we’re seeing him will be a Season 4 reveal.”
Where is The Umbrella Academy season 4 in production?
Production on the fourth and final season of The Umbrella Academy is currently penciled in to start in February 2023, according to multiple production sources seen by What’s on Netflix.
Updated production listings suggest the show would be filming season 4 from February 6th, 2023, and runs through to May 19th, 2023.
One source again puts the show’s budget at between $7,000,000 to $10,000,000 per episode, with the series’ codename being Kodiak.
On February 1st, 2023, Steve Blackman confirmed that filming was underway, and Netflix themselves posted (alongside a picture) that production had started.
Production continued until May 31, 2023, when it was confirmed that the show had wrapped production.
Production photos from The Umbrella Academy season 4
Justin Min also took to Twitter (the actor has since deleted his account) to share that the show had wrapped production, saying:
“you never forget your first. 5 1/2 years. grateful for every moment. thanks for the ride, ben. you’ll always be with me.”
The show did have some additional photography/reshoots following the end of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes with those lasting for two days and wrapping on November 16th, 2023.
Picture: tua_updates / Instagram
Composers Jeff Russo and Perrine Virgile posted on November 18th, 2023, that they had begun working on the fourth season’s soundtrack.
Post-production continued into 2024, with Steve Blackman posting on January 9th that he was currently in picture mixing on Instagram, saying:
“Always love a good Umbrella picture mix with these two superstars and my amazing fellow producers!”
Picture: steveblackmantv / Instagram
When will The Umbrella Academy season 4 be released on Netflix?
If we look back at the production schedule of the third season, production prep didn’t begin until October 2020, and filming began several months later, in February 2021. Filming ended on August 28th, 2021. That’s perhaps not the greatest comparison, given it was filmed throughout the height of the pandemic.
Seasons 1 and 2 of the show took around 5-6 months in development and then a further 6-8 months of post-production and localization before heading to Netflix.
Steve Blackman, the showrunner of The Umbrella Academy, has stated that the time to produce each season of The Umbrella Academy takes up to 18 months before its eventual release on Netflix, so this lines up.
In this case, our best estimate is that season 4 of The Umbrella Academy will be released sometime between Spring and Summer 2024.
On October 1st, 2023 – Netflix confirmed on their social media pages that the new season will be debuting in 2024.
Release date for The Umbrella Academy season 4
There was some hope the new season could squeeze on Netflix by the end of 2023. A press release from Dark Horse Comics in November 2022 for Free Comic Book Day stated that we could see the show return in 2023:
“Be sure to pick up this Free Comic Book Day issue in anticipation for the release of the final season of The Umbrella Academy and Season 3 of The Witcher, both coming to Netflix in 2023.”
Who will be in the cast of The Umbrella Academy season 4?
We expect to see the following cast members return in the fourth season of The Umbrella Academy:
- #U7 Viktor – Elliot Page
- #U1 Luther – Tom Hopper
- #U2 Diego – David Castañeda
- #U3 Allison – Emmy Raver-Lampman
- #U4 Klaus – Robert Sheehan
- #U5 – Aidan Gallagher
- #S2 Ben – Justin H. Min
- Sir Reginald – Colm Feore
- Lila Pitts – Ritu Arya
- Pogo – Adam Godley
- #S5 Sloane – Genesis Rodriguez
- Abigail – Liisa Repo-Martell
In February 2023, we exclusively learned of several new characters that will feature in season 4 of The Umbrella Academy and two names currently eyed to star, including Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally.
- Gerald, aka Gene – An eccentric small-town mayor.
- Bea, aka Jean – A community college professor who is an unhinged conspiracy theorist.
- Kailee – A waitress with a secret.
- Cassius Newman – An attorney who gave it all up to live in a commune.
On February 27th, it was confirmed by Netflix that Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally, and David Cross had joined the cast of season 4. The casting of Cross confirms the new character, Sy Grossman.
New cast members for The Umbrella Academy season 4
It’s unclear if the deceased members of The Sparrow Academy will be returning as it’s still unclear how much of the universe has been changed by Sir Reginald.
What’s on Netflix can also confirm that joining the cast in season 4 includes:
- Katharine King So (The Recruit) as Amy
- Rachel MacMillan (A Murder of Innocence) as Karen
- Kevan Kase as Big Ass Keeper
- Sophie Olivia Goldman as Sundance
Pictures: IMDb / Getty Images
Will there be a spin-off to The Umbrella Academy?
A Sparrow Academy spin-off series has been long-rumored and reported by various production listing websites to be in development at Netflix. Still, a Netflix representative told us during the summer of 2023 any spin-off series wasn’t at a greenlit stage.
In December 2023, we got word that a follow-up prequel will be released in 2024 in the form of a novel that’s due out in June.
The showrunner of The Umbrella Academy has multiple other projects in the works at Netflix. The biggest is the video game adaptation Horizon Zero Dawn, where Blackman serves as an executive producer, and a new series called Orbital, described as a thriller set on the International Space Station.
Are you looking forward to watching the fourth season of The Umbrella Academy on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below!
Note: Contains additional contributions by Kasey Moore.