'Cruel Summer' Season 3 Is in the Works, Olivia Holt Set to Return: Report

Summer might be winding down in America, but news that Cruel Summer is returning for a third season is heating up.

Variety reported on Friday, August 8, that season 3 is currently in development at Hulu and Freeform, and OG star Olivia Holt is set to return.

Holt, who played Kate Wallis on season 1 of Cruel Summer, will reportedly be an executive producer on the project in addition to reprising her role.

Cori Uchida and Adam Lash have signed on as showrunners and executive producers, according to the outlet. Jessica Biel and Michelle Purple are also reportedly back to executive produce the new season via Iron Ocean.

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Us Weekly reached out to Freeform, which declined to comment on the TV news. However, both Holt, 28, and Biel, 43, confirmed their participation.

“Kate Wallis, it’s good to be you again,” Holt wrote via Instagram on Friday, sharing Variety’s story about the casting.

Olivia Holt and Froy Gutierrez on ‘Cruel Summer’ season 1. Bill Matlock/Freeform/Everett Collection

Biel, meanwhile, reshared the news via her Instagram Story on Friday, writing, “We’re baaack” with a side eye emoji and tagging Cruel Summer’s official social media page. (Biel served as an executive producer on seasons 1 and 2.)

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Cruel Summer premiered in 2021 on Freeform and became the network’s most-watched show in history. It was created by Bert V. Royal and documented the story of popular Kate Wallis (Holt) and nerdy Jeannette Turner’s (Chiara Aurelia) lives across three summers.

Throughout the first season, fans were taken on a wild journey while trying to figure out what happened to Kate after she mysteriously went missing. Jeannette, meanwhile, was accused of being connected to the crime.

Griffin Gluck, Sadie Stanley and Lexi Underwood on ‘Cruel Summer’ season 2. Justine Yeung/Freeform/Everett Collection

During the season finale, which aired in June 2021, it became clear that Jeannette never saw Kate while she was being held hostage by Martin Harris (Blake Lee). Mallory Higgins (Harley Quinn Smith) was the one who saw a blonde in the window of his house but didn’t know it was Kate.

The final scene revealed that Jeanette heard Kate begging for help from the basement of Martin’s house in 1994 — but never said anything. Kate, for her part, killed Martin with his gun named Annabelle but didn’t call the police until one day later.

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With so many twists and turns, fans were excited when Cruel Summer was renewed for a season 2. However, it was later revealed that there would be an entirely new cast and new showrunner after Royal’s departure.

Season 2 premiered in June 2023 and followed a new group of young people while trying to find who was responsible for Luke Chamber’s (Griffin Gluck) death in the Y2K. The season also starred Sadie Stanley as Megan Landry and Lexi Underwood as Isabella LaRue.

Freeform canceled the show in December 2023.