The Umbrella Academy: Tom Hopper Talks S03 Filming, Scripts & More

Yesterday, Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy showrunner Steve Blackman shared a Season 3 “sneak peek” in the form of a storyboard panel featuring Diego (David Castañeda), Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman), Vanya (Elliot Page), and Luther (Tom Hopper). Now, Hopper is offering an update or two on how things are going behind the camera regarding production, courtesy of his interview with Collider to promote his new film, SAS: Red Notice. From how the pandemic has impacted filming and the season’s scripts to how working with a two-season-experienced team made getting back to work and maintaining quality so much easier.

As we’ve learned from the cast and creative team via social media, filming on the third season is underway- but with health and safety practices in place, the work is proceeding at a much slower pace. “Well, the COVID protocols mean that we have shorter days, which means that the actual length of the shoot is going to be a lot longer. But yeah, we’re really near the beginning,” Hopper explained. “We’re not that far into it at the moment, so we’ve got a long way to go, but it’s good. The great thing is the material, the work is amazing, so every day on set is, like I say, a joy and so much fun.” And while the cast doesn’t have all 10 season scrips yet, they have received some- and Hopper believes the extra time has allowed the writers to really deep-dive into the storylines. “We’ve not got all 10, but we’ve had a fair chunk and… I think it did allow them to have a bit of extra time on, because I think we got commissioned in the middle of all this stuff,” he said. “So the writers I guess got more of a headstart. But now it’s only allowed them to really refine them, so the ones we’re getting now are really special.”

But for Hopper, it’s the familiarity the cast, crew, and writers have with one another that’s made getting back to work much easier than it might’ve been without sacrificing the series’ quality. “The scripts are so great, season three, it’s really such a joy to be doing it. I feel very privileged to be a part of this show. And I think the best thing really is that we’re all so comfortable with each other now,” Hopper explained. “So it feels like we can really hit the ground running from a creative standpoint and we’ve got the same crew, most of the same crew. And I think we know who these characters are and who we are playing and I think when we work with each other, we’re very aware of, of how to react in these scenes. So as a family, I think we’re in a great place and it’s like we’re a good sports team, I suppose, when a sports team really finds that flow, and they go on a winning streak. It feels a bit like that.”