Everyone will agree that Apple TV built something very unique and very strange with Severance. And if we’re completely honest, director Ben Stiller helped build that creepy and sterile office world. Now, after two seasons and a slew of awards, Stiller is stepping back and handing over the reins to a new creator. According to a new report, Kogonada (who we know from Disney’s The Acolyte and 2026’sZi) will step in as the primary director for Severance Season 3 (via World of Reel).
Stiller is currently busy working on a new World War II survival film, but the good news is that he is staying on Severance Season 3 as an executive producer. “Yes! It’s been full time the last 8 months working on season 3 and I’m not going anywhere. We have incredible directors and a team that creates the show,” Stiller wrote on X. “I love directing it and look forward to at some point again for sure. I feel like season 3 is going to be the best yet as we continue to evolve.”
If you’ve watched the show, you know how great the directing has been on the show. You need a great eye to create those long quiet shots and those eerie hallways at Lumon Industries. Then you also have to balance the tension between the “innie” and “outie” versions of the employees.
Will Kogonada be the right kind of filmmaker to handle that tone?
He first caught attention with Columbus in 2017, a quiet drama starring John Cho and Haley Lu Richardson that built its reputation on visual precision and patient storytelling. Something that’s very necessary here.
But not everything he’s created has reached critical acclaim.
His 2025 film A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, a $60 million time-travel romance with Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell, struggled badly. Critics tore it apart.
But television isn’t exactly new territory for Kogonada either. He directed four episodes of Apple TV+’s Pachinko and also worked on Disney+’s Star Wars series The Acolyte. And those were well received.
Whether or not he is able to continue the magic of Severance’s first two seasons into Season 3 remains to be seen. Fans of the Dan Erickson-created show will be watching closely.
There’s no release date for Severance Season 3 yet, but reports suggest late 2027. The cast is expected to return, including Adam Scott, Zach Cherry, Britt Lower, Tramell Tillman, Jen Tullock, Dichen Lachman, Michael Chernus, John Turturro, Christopher Walken, and Patricia Arquette.
Season 2 aired in early 2025 and earned 27 Emmy nominations. That’s got to create a lot of pressure for Kogonada and Severance Season 3.
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