- Announced in April 2024
- No release date revealed yet
- Filming began in early December 2024
- No trailer or first-look images unveiled
- Main cast members are expected to return
- Macauley Culkin has reportedly joined the cast
- Should pick up right after the season 1 finale
- Season 3 hasn't been greenlit, but discussions about future installments have taken place
Fallout season 2 has emerged from its vault – well, from a filming viewpoint, anyway. Principal photography on the hugely popular Amazon show's second season is underway, but it'll be a long time yet before the TV adaptation of Bethesda's iconic dystopian sci-fi videogame franchise is back on our screens.
Nevertheless, there's plenty to read about on the Fallout TV show's sophomore season. In this guide, we've left our vault and risked walking on irradiated ground to round up the latest new and rumors on the next chapter of one of Prime Video's most-viewed series. That includes more on when filming began, its new and returning cast members, possible story details, and more.
Major spoilers follow for Fallout season 1. We also discuss some likely season 2 spoilers as well, so proceed with caution.
Fallout season 2 release date prediction
Wouldn't want to keep you on the edge of your seat, now, would we? See you back in the Wasteland for SEASON 2. pic.twitter.com/ULs6DEPHDWApril 18, 2024
Fallout season 2 doesn't have a release date yet. That'll remain the case for a while yet, too, even though principal photography has begun.
Indeed, two months later Ella Purnell, who plays Lucy MacLean, admitted "I don't have a script, I have literally nothing" for Fallout's second season, filming has officially started on the show's next installment. That revelation came after Purnell and one of her co-stars Walton Goggins provided an exciting season 2 filming update in early December.
Still, we'd be amazed if one of the best Prime Video shows is back on our screens before mid-2026. Season 1 took eight months to shoot and it took a whole year for its post-production phase to be completed ahead of its debut in April 2024. If its sequel season takes as long to make, it won't be released until August 2026 at the earliest. Hopefully, though, the wait won't be as long as that.
Fallout season 2 trailer: is there one?
No, and there won't be for some time. We'll update this section when one is.
Fallout season 2 confirmed cast
Amazon hasn't announced who'll be back in Fallout season 2 but, based on how season 1 ended, here's who we expect to return:
- Ella Purnell as Lucy MacLean
- Aaron Moten as Maximus
- Walton Goggins as The Ghoul/Cooper Howard
- Kyle MacLachlan as Hank MacLean
- Moisés Arias as Norm MacLean
- Xelia Mendes-Jones as Dane
- Johnny Pemberton as Thaddeus
- Frances Turner as Barb Howard
- Leslie Uggams as Betty Pearson
Other supporting cast members, including Dave Register's Chet, Annabel O'Hagen's Stephanie, Zach Cherry's Woody, and Rodrigo Luzzi's Reg, should also show up in season 2's Vaults-based storyline again. Meanwhile, Michael Esper and Sarita Choudhury might reprise their roles as Vault-Tec employee Bud Askins and the New California Republic (NCR) commander Lee Moldaver, especially if season 2 has more flashback sequences that predate the Great War and/or explore more about the NCR's creation and role in founding Shady Sands.
On the new cast member front, Macaulay Culkin has reportedly signed on for a mystery role in Fallout season 2. Meanwhile, in conversation with IGN, director and executive producer Jonathan Nolan revealed Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad, Westworld) has already inquired about showing up, so don't be surprised if more famous faces cameo in the same manner as Matt Berry (What We Do in the Shadows) in season 1.
Fallout season 2 plot speculation
Full spoilers follow for Fallout season 1. Possible spoilers for season 2 are also discussed.
Nobody – outside of the main creative team, anyway – knows what Fallout season 2's story will entail, but we can speculate on what'll happen.
In non-spoiler terms, Nolan told TechRadar that the Fallout crew have "had some really cool conversations" about season 2, some of which could even impact future entries in Bethesda's videogame franchise. Indeed, for those unaware: everything that happens in Fallout's TV adaptation is now canon in the games.
Anyway, one of the most important storylines that requires further exploration involves Hank, aka Lucy and Norm's dad.
In last season's finale, Hank was revealed as one of Vault-Tec's junior employees who was placed in cryosleep, alongside the likes of Betty Pearson, inside Vault 31 before the Great War. This pair were among those reawakened over 200 years later to help Vault-Tec tyrannically rule the post-apocalyptic United States. He was also responsible for the Fall of Shady Sands – a cataclysmic event that saw a nuclear bomb dropped on the town that the NCR operated out of. As an aside, the NCR were almost wiped from existence during their showdown with the Brotherhood in episode 8 but, speaking to IGN, Howard teased: "I don't think you've heard the last of the NCR."
But we digress. Rose, Lucy's mom and Hank's wife, was turned into a feral ghoul due to radiation poisoning from said warhead (Lucy kills her to end Rose's misery in episode 8, by the way), while Maximus' entire family was killed during the initial blast. Oh, and Hank was also a huge fan of Cooper Howard – i.e. the A-list actor who becomes The Ghoul. In short: Hank has strong ties to all three main characters.
After those revelations came to light, Hank – who was accidentally freed by Maximus before Lucy could tell Maximus about Hank's villainous past – managed to escape in a stolen T60 power armor suit. He suffered a facial injury after being shot by The Ghoul, though, so he'll bear the physical scars – as well as the mental and emotional ones – to show for his misdemeanors.
Why is all of this important? Episode 8's final moments revealed Lucy and The Ghoul had formed an uneasy alliance to pursue Hank. For her part, Lucy will want more answers about her dad's involvement with Vault-Tec and his familial betrayal. Meanwhile, The Ghoul needs to find Hank to get information on which vault his wife and daughter – Barb and Janey – are in.
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Before the Great War, Barb, a high-ranking Vault-Tec staff member, secured a place in one of the evil megacorporation's most prestigious underground bunkers for her family. However, the implied breakdown of Cooper and Barb's marriage – something we should learn more about in season 2 – suggests that Cooper lost his place following their divorce, forcing him to survive as an irradiated ghoul on the surface. It's possible Barb and Janey survived the Great War if they were cryogenically frozen in Vault 31 or another subterranean location, and Hank may know where.
All of this points to Hank being the show's primary antagonist moving forward, right? Not necessarily. Speaking to IGN, Nolan simply teased "you'll have to stay tuned" to find out if this is the case.
So, who else could it be? The season 1 finale revealed Barb was also involved in concocting the idea of the Great War to line Vault-Tec's pockets and ensure it was well positioned to rule the US after the nuclear apocalypse. She was joined in that pivotal meeting by other scheming executives looking to make a quick buck, including RobCo owner Robert House (played by Rafi Silver). In Bethesda title Fallout: New Vegas, this Machiavellian individual (known as Mr. House) is the enigmatic ruler of the titular city. And, with Fallout season 2 heading to a dilapidated version of New Vegas – it's the location we see Hank look out onto in the season 1 finale's mid-credits scene – there's the potential for Mr. House to play a bigger role next season. Speaking to GQ, co-showrunner Graham Wagner teased that would be the case, adding: "We certainly intend to expand on that [the Vault-Tec meeting and its nefarious characters]. That is an interesting moment to be double-clicked, as they say, in a future story."
The New Vegas tease isn't the only thing that delighted long-time fans in the mid-credits scene, with the skull of a Deathclaw, one of the most formidable monsters in the Fallout universe, also being glimpsed. Speaking to The Wrap, Wagner confirmed Deathclaws would appear in season 2.
As for Maximus, his fellow Brotherhood of Steel, erm, brothers believe he was the one who killed Moldaver – his friend Dane convinces them that this was the case – so it seems he's set for a more influential role in the group's hierarchy. But, with Maximus having fallen for Lucy during the pair's Wasteland excursions, coupled with his worldview being altered by season 1's many revelations, we expect Maximus' allegiances to be torn between staying with the Brotherhood and wanting to reunite with Lucy.
There are plenty of other subplots that require further examination, such as how Norm plans to free himself from Vault 31. As Arias told Inverse, Norm is "going to have to use every ounce of intellect he has to get himself out of that one", which hints at a protracted jailbreak for Lucy's inquisitive brother.
Other notable storylines include some of Vault 33's inhabitants resettling in the deserted Vault 32 (and whether Chet will finally reveal what actually happened there) and how Moldaver survived for over 200 years without turning into a ghoul like Cooper. Those answers may lie in more flashback sequences, so we can expect more glimpses into the past in Fallout season 2.
In the present, we might catch up with Thaddeus, who believes he's starting to become a ghoul after consuming a mysterious serum from the cryptic Snake Oil Salesman. We may get more details on cold fusion, a new non-Vault-Tec technological advancement that might offer hope of a brighter future for the surface-dwelling common folk, too. Then there are subplots that were cut from season 1, with Wagner and fellow co-showrunner Geneva Robertson-Dworet telling GQ that "a cannibal encounter" was dropped for runtime purposes. However, the pair are confident "we'll find a place in season two for some of those, because some of them were really fun, and it was tragic to lose them."
Is Fallout season 2 going to be the final installment?
Given the richness of Bethesda's Fallout franchise and the global popularity of its TV adaptation, there's plenty more for the Prime Video series to explore and expand on from the games. In conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Wagner teased the prospect of more entries, adding that "five [seasons] is suddenly feeling a little more appealing."
If the show doesn't wrap up its main characters' stories by the time Fallout season 2's end credits roll, it could follow their adventures in a third installment. Alternatively, season 3 could be set in an entirely new location (not unlike the games) and introduce us to new characters to not only fall in love with, but also see how they navigate a post-nuclear war-torn Earth and potentially unearth new revelations about Vault-Tec. Think along the lines of an anthology series like True Detective, Fargo, and American Horror Story, and you'll get the gist.
Whatever direction Fallout goes in, there's plenty more material – old and new – to mine and explore respectively. War never changes – and neither will our adoration for this show if it continues to be as good as season 1 was.
For more Prime Video coverage, read our guides on the best Prime Video movies, The Boys season 5, Invincible season 3, and The Rings of Power season 3.
