UPDATED: Latest info about Arcane Season 2's release date from Netflix Geeked Week and a first-look image of Jinx in Season 2.
Netflix's Arcane is coming back for a Season 2, taking fans back into the animated world of Riot Games' League of Legends.
The first batch of episodes was a massive success for the streaming giant, telling a gripping tale of two sisters in a stunningly animated and stylish package.
Season 1 earned near-universal acclaim (currently sitting at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes), causing Netflix to quickly greenlight a sophomore effort.
Updates have been few and far between on the second season of Arcane, but fans can rest easy knowing there is more on the way.
When Is Arcane Season 2 Releasing?
No exact release date has been announced for Arcane Season 2, but it is expected to hit the service sometime before the end of 2024.
During a video conference (via Kotaku) from League of Legends parent company Tencent in September 2023, it was revealed fans can expect the hit animated series to come to Netflix sometime in "Q4 2024" (aka October-December 2024).
Riot Games CEO Nicolo Laurent previously remarked that "it’s unfortunately not going to be [in 2023]" as the team strives for "quality:"
“So, I just watched the third episode of Season 2 before my flight to China. We’re making progress on it. It is not ready yet, and there are two reasons for that. One, you want the quality. We just do not want to rush, and that takes time. So that’s a good reason.”
Co-showrunner Christian Linke said that Season 2 scripts were completed back in 2022, with Linke (along with producer Alex Yee) saying in a Reddit AMA that "some amount of tweaks" would also happen throughout the process:
"There’s always some amount of tweaks that happen in the process. Seeing story boards & hearing voices for the first time makes you realize that something doesn’t quite click, or there’s new opportunities you didn’t recognize before."
The first season took about six years to come to completion; however, Laurent reassured fans that Season 2 would not take nearly as long, posting online that "[fans] won’t have to wait for 6 years" for the next batch of episodes:
"So yeah, we are working on 'Arcane' season 2. The good news: you won’t have to wait for 6 years (the time it took us to making season 1."
Work on the series has been going in earnest for months (if not years). Things like the soundtrack are seemingly coming together well for the sophomore effort, as Showrunner Christian Linke Tweeted in May 2022, the music of Season 2 "is gonna be something very special:"
"Arcane S2 soundtrack is gonna be something very special. Holy smokes."
During Netflix's Geeked Week in November 2023, the streaming giant announced fans can expect Arcane Season 2 to premiere in November 2024.
Alongside the announcement, Netflix also shared the first official look at Jinx for Season 2 in a new teaser trailer while also teasing Vi's design.
Who’s Cast In Arcane Season 2?
Only three actors have been confirmed to appear in Arcane Season 2. The trio of returning actors, confirmed by way of Season 2's announcement trailer, are Ella Purnell as Jinx, Hailee Steinfeld as Vi, and Katie Leung as Caitlyn Kiramman.
Other familiar faces expected to appear in the series are Kevin Alejandro (Jayce Talis), Toks Olagundoye (Mel Medarda), Harry Lloyd (Viktor), Reed Shannon (Ekko), Mick Wingert (Cecil B. Heimerdinger), and Amirah Vann (Sevika).
However, some of the confirmed voice cast may not be back for Arcane's second season, depending on what characters survived the Piltover explosion that capped off the Season 1 finale.
One character who died at the first season's end, but will be appearing in Season 2 despite this is Jason Spisak's Silco. Spisak told the Izuko Unscripted podcast that he had "recorded lines for Season 2," despite his character being dead:
"Yeah, well, I’ve recorded lines for Season 2. They let me say it. Riot Games let me tell people. They said, ‘You can officially tell people that you have recorded lines for Season 2.’ So, I’m allowed to say that I have."
Spisak's Silco popped up in a first look at the series that was released in Jauary 2024, potentially hinting at him coming back for this next batch of episodes.
And of course, there will be new faces yet to be revealed appearing in the upcoming second batch of episodes.
As Arcane dives deeper into League of Legends lore several fan-favorite characters from the hit video game could make themselves known. Some League champions that could pop up in Season 2 include Warwick, Blitzcrank, Camille, and Swain among others.
What Will Happen in Arcane Season 2?
Plot details for Arcane's second season remain scarce, but there are a few directions the series could go in the wake of the Season 1 finale.
Following Jinx's bombing of the Piltover chambers, it will be fascinating to see which council members survived the attack that took place during the Zaun independence vote.
Jayce will likely make it out of the rubble relatively unscathed, simply because he is a significant character in both the series and the League of Legends game the series is built on. Meanwhile, Piltover councilors Mel and Cassandra may not fare as well, with their injuries and potential likely serving as motivation for Jayce (a close friend of Mel) and Katie Leung's Caitlyn (the daughter of Cassandra) in Season 2.
When it comes to the other members of the council (Viktor, Hoskel, Bolbok, Shoola, and Salo), it is anyone's guess if they were to make it out of Jinx's attack.
If some of the council were to die because of the bombing, this could play into the vote to give Zaun its independence being sustained. Moments before the Jinx's rocket connected with the Piltover capital building, the council was voting through a movement to give the undercity its autonomy, but this hostile act from across the Zaun border could change everything.
Season 2 will likely see Hailee Steinfeld's Vi (along with Caitlyn) back living in Ekko's Firelight utopia in the undercity. And despite Jinx sparing her sister and opting to kill the villainous Silco, the relationship between her and Vi may not be repairable.
Given the power vacuum left in the wake of Silco's (supposed) death, names like the scientist Singed could rise the ranks and take advantage of the Zaun's newly-introduced freedom. Singed played a minor part in Acrane Season 1, but some have speculated that the Shimmer-filled beast seen in his laboratory, Warwick, could be Vi and Jinx's father, Vander.
Warwick was the focus of a brief teaser for the series, being seen hanging in front of Silco in an underground facility somewhere.
While this tease is not much to go on, it seems Season 2 will likely see Vander's pair of daughters dealing with the revelation that their father is alive.
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