Klaus, Number Five, and the rest of the Umbrella Academy are returning for more adventures on Netflix.
After giving subscribers a wildly successful first season of the hit series based on the comic book series of the same name, Netflix confirmed in April 2019 that a second, 10-episode season of The Umbrella Academy is on the way, and now we know when it will arrive: July 31. Here’s everything we know about the second season of The Umbrella Academy.
Countdown to release
To commemorate the second season’s release, Netflix is counting down on Twitter with new sneak peeks and exclusive photos. The first is of Baby Pogo.
Season 2 of The Umbrella Academy premieres this Friday!
To celebrate, all week long we'll be giving you exclusive sneak peeks across @NXOnNetflix @UmbrellaAcad & right here!
First up, enjoy this brand new photo of #BabyPogo pic.twitter.com/USMqU45Byl
— Netflix (@netflix) July 27, 2020
First trailer
Netflix released the first, full trailer for The Umbrella Academy season 2 (see above) on July 8. The preview of the show’s second season teased a wide range of new looks and new characters making their debut in the series’ sophomore story arc, which has the family of reluctant superheroes stuck in the past after the catastrophic events of the first season.
The posters
On June 29, Netflix released a new poster for the second season of The Umbrella Academy. Look closely and you may see some clues for the upcoming season.
Netflix’s official The Umbrella Party Twitter account also released new character posters for season 2.
five. pic.twitter.com/Ef8NF7tF2r
— Umbrella Academy (@UmbrellaAcad) May 28, 2020
two. pic.twitter.com/TIbPaGKLPE
— Umbrella Academy (@UmbrellaAcad) May 28, 2020
three. pic.twitter.com/mnagHnyRla
— Umbrella Academy (@UmbrellaAcad) May 28, 2020
six. pic.twitter.com/DXTjYusCtz
— Umbrella Academy (@UmbrellaAcad) May 28, 2020
Premiere date dance party
The cast of The Umbrella Academy revealed the season 2 premiere date for the show in the most Umbrella Academy-esque way: With a collection of solo dancing scenes.
The seven actors portraying the Umbrella Academy family members appeared in a video released May 18, and are each shown dancing in their own, unique ways. The collection of scenes harkens back to a memorable sequence from the first season of the show that had each of the characters begin dancing in different rooms of the mansion where they grew up.
The season 2 premiere date was announced at the end of the video: July 31, 2020.
Behind the scenes
Steve Blackman will return as the show’s executive producer and showrunner for season 2, with comic creators Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá continuing to serve as co-executive producers.
Blackman offered the first look at the new season of The Umbrella Academy via an image he shared on Instagram.
The image shows Blackman working on a scene from the second season featuring actor David Castañeda as Diego Hargreeves. Diego’s hair and beard have grown out considerably in the scene, offering a very different look from the one the character had in the first season.
The story
One of 2019’s surprise hits for Netflix, The Umbrella Academy followed a group of children from around the world who were born simultaneously in 1989 under mysterious circumstances. They were then adopted by an eccentric billionaire and turned into a team of child superheroes.
After disbanding the team during their teenage years, the six surviving members of the team reunite decades later when their adoptive father dies, only to have old wounds resurface. The sudden return of long-absent team member Number Five forces them to come together, however, when he brings news that the end of the world will happen in just a few days and they’re the only people who can prevent it.
The first season ended on a major cliffhanger (SPOILER WARNING!), with the dysfunctional family of heroes teleported to an unknown point in space and time by Number Five.
This time travel thing? It gets messy. The cast of Umbrella Academy is back for Season 2! pic.twitter.com/qTnlTjeteB
— Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) February 19, 2020
In February, Netflix released a series of posters on Twitter featuring each of the show’s main characters’ eyes framed by an umbrella-shaped pattern. The character-specific images were accompanied by a promotional image for the second season with the tagline “When are they?”
The Netflix teasers seem to suggest that a journey through time is indeed in the group’s future (or is it their past?), but it isn’t likely to go smoothly.
The cast
The series is expected to bring back season 1 stars Ellen Page as Vanya Hargreeves, Tom Hopper as Luther Hargreeves, Emmy Raver-Lampman as Allison Hargreeves, Robert Sheehan as Klaus Hargreeves, David Castañeda as Diego Hargreeves, Aidan Gallagher as Number Five, and Justin Min as Ben Hargreeves, as well as Cameron Britton and Mary J. Blige, who portrayed time-hopping mercenaries Hazel and Cha-Cha, respectively.
Several new cast members for the series were announced in September 2019. Among the new additions to The Umbrella Academy in season 2 are actors Ritu Arya, Yusuf Gatewood, and Marin Ireland.
According to Variety, Arya (Humans) will portray Lila, “a chameleon who can be as brilliant or as clinically insane as the situation requires,” while Gatewood (pictured above) — who portrayed Famine, a harbinger of the apocalypse in Amazon’s critically acclaimed Good Omens series — will play Raymond, “a born leader with the smarts, gravitas, and the confidence to never have to prove it to anyone.”
Ireland will play Sissy, “a fearless, no-nonsense Texas mom who married young for all the wrong reasons.”
Filming
In June, the show’s official Twitter account commemorated the start of filming with a short video featuring the stars of the series reading a script for the new season.
season 2 coming through 🖤 pic.twitter.com/UkS3J7idTO
— Umbrella Academy (@UmbrellaAcad) June 15, 2019
Renewed
Netflix initially confirmed the return of the series on Twitter in a video announcing the renewal. The announcement did not include any mention of an expected premiere date for season 2.
The Umbrella Academy just got confirmed for Season 2, and if anything happens to Five we riot. pic.twitter.com/zoMkmsNwK2
— Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) April 2, 2019
Additional streaming guides
The Umbrella Academy is an adaptation of the award-winning comic book series created and written by My Chemical Romance lead vocalist Gerard Way and illustrated by Gabriel Bá. The comic book series was published by Dark Horse Comics and currently encompasses three volumes, with a fourth in development.
Updated on July 28, 2020: Added new image of Baby Pogo.
