Filming is due to begin on Fallout season 2 very soon, which means we now have a slightly better idea of when we'll be heading back to the Wasteland with Lucy, the Ghoul, and the suits at Vault-Tec.
As exciting as the prospect of returning to one of the best shows on Amazon Prime is, there's also plenty of other new information to grasp on to. After all, we're still looking at a 12-month-plus wait before the new season hits the streaming service, and we'll need all the scraps and morsels of news we can get before we lay eyes on what (we hope) is a very S.P.E.C.I.A.L sophomore effort.
Among the latest news, as you'll see below, is talks of script progress, "more monsters", and the reveal of a returning character from the game series. Just a warning, though, before we go any further: From here on out, we'll be getting into big spoiler territory for Fallout season 1.
So make sure you've seen all eight episodes before scrolling on.
Fallout season 2 release date speculation
We know that Fallout season 2 is happening, but there is no official release date for the sci-fi show yet. However, our best guess is currently early-to-mid 2026.
Why? Well, Fallout actor Leslie Uggams (who plays overseer Betty) has suggested in an interview with Screen Rant that filming will begin in November. Production on the first season took around eight months, with the show then premiering 13 months after cameras stopped rolling.
While second seasons are always slightly quicker in terms of production (owing to creative pipelines and some sets already being in place), we would expect production to wrap in the middle of 2025 and the show to air a year later.
On top of that, it's clear that the Fallout team is itching to get the next season out. "We are going as fast as we possibly can, and we’ve got a lot of heavy lifting from Season 1 already done," showrunner Graham Wager said.
"We have sets, assets, visual effects, that are already done. We are hitting the ground running this season. We’re going to be pedal to the metal to get season two out as fast as humanly possible."
Vernon Sanders, Head of Television at Amazon MGM Studios, also told Deadline in July that scripts were "in hand" and ready to go. Another promising update, then, as all signs point to 2026.
Fallout season 2 cast
At the moment, the Fallout cast names that we know for certain are coming back are the main trio: the Ghoul, Lucy, and Maximus. We also know that Macaulay Culkin will be joining the cast as a recurring character in the next season.
We don't have a name just yet for Culkin's character, but Deadline has reported that he'll be a "crazy genius-type character." Leslie Uggams is also returning as overseer Betty, with the actor saying her Vault-Dweller has something "up her sleeve" for the new season. And although some names haven't been confirmed fully yet, we're pretty sure that all of the major players (who survived season 1, at least) will be back as well.
Here's the expected Fallout season 2 cast list so far:
- Ella Purnell – Lucy MacLean
- Walton Goggins – The Ghoul / Cooper Howard
- Aaron Moten – Maximus
- Kyle MacLachlan – Hank MacLean
- Moisés Arias – Norm MacLean
- Sarita Choudhury – Moldaver
- Frances Turner – Barb
- Leslie Uggams – Betty
- Macaulay Culkin – TBC
There's also been talk of Mr. House, the founder of RoboCo played by Anthony Misiano, returning for 'more episodes' (via Variety).
Not only that, but another actor could make a debut in season 2: Aaron Paul. According to Jonathan Nolan, he's very keen to star. However, only time will tell if the actor manages to join the Fallout season 2 crew. So, keep your eyes on this page as more casting details come our way.
What happened at the end of Fallout season 1?
The season finale of Fallout season 1 (which you can read more about in our Fallout season 1 ending explained guide) left out lots of open plot points for all of the major characters. The final episode all comes down to a stand-off at the Observatory, where Lucy finally meets Moldaver and finds her dad.
However, Hank has not been entirely truthful. He was actually a member of Vault-Tec's management team 200 years prior. As Norm found out elsewhere in the episode, Vaults 32 and 33 have been home to the generation of super managers known as Bud's Buds.
That's not all either, as Lucy's mother didn't die in the way they had always been told. She had figured out civilization was living on the surface and tried to take her children there to Shady Sands. Hank found her and burned it to the ground, leaving Lucy's mom as a ghoul-like creature.
Elsewhere, Maximus is now seen as the Brotherhood's "sword". He turns up at the Observatory, planning to free Hank and help Lucy. However, Hank escapes in the Brotherhood's power armour after the Ghoul confronts him about what happened to his family.
In the final moments, Lucy is given a choice: stay with Maximus as he wages a war for the Brotherhood or join the Ghoul to find out who is "behind the wheel". She chooses the latter, shooting her mom dead and leaving Maximus behind. When Maximus wakes up, he's now got the cold fusion device and is declared a knight.
That's not all, either, as we see Hank walking towards a very familiar location for fans of the games: New Vegas.
What will happen in Fallout season 2?
Nothing official has been confirmed about the Fallout season 2 plot just yet. However, that doesn't mean we don't have a pretty good idea about what's coming next. First of all, it seems clear that the Ghoul and Lucy will head out in search of more Vault-Tec members, including Barb (the Ghoul's ex-wife who we've only seen so far in flashbacks).
This will likely put them on the way to New Vegas and the Mojave Wasteland, which will be a big location going forward. It's not yet clear how closely the show will stick to the lore of the games with that one, but expect a brutal and war-torn place.
Then there's the Brotherhood who are now in the best position they've been in years thanks to having the cold fusion device. It's supposedly got "limitless power", and it will be interesting to see if Maximus uses it for good or not...
What have the creators and cast said about Fallout season 2?
They've been pretty tight-lipped on what to expect next in Fallout season 2, but we have had some clues from the cast and creators.
First of all, co-showrunner Graham Wagner has teased the introduction of a major creature in season 2 after showing their skull in the season 1 finale. "We wanted to get Deathclaws, but we didn’t want to just throw it away. It’s such a monumental piece," he told The Wrap. "We want to save something for Season 2 to be able to do it properly, not just add on to the massive world-building we had to do already in Season 1. So, Season 2, we’re very excited to finally tackle one of the most iconic elements of the games."
In addition to that, executive producer Jonathan Nolan promised more of, well, everything in a separate interview with The Wrap. "There are more monsters, more environments, more factions that we are currently designing and building right now to begin production quite soon. So we’re really excited."
Lucy star Ella Purnell also opened up to GQ about how her character will be very different after the season 2 finale. "I want the audience at the end of the show to wonder if their hero is still a good person," she said. "I don't know who she's gonna be in season two, [but] this is what happens when you break the unbreakable. I don't know who she's about to become."
Meanwhile, Moldaver star Sarita Choudhury spoke to 12DOVE about her hopes for what will happen next and, in particular, how her character survived for 200 years.
"Part of me knows a lot and purposely in the season you see and you get what you get. But I would ask the same question," she says. "I know a bit and I can't share it, but I also don't know a lot. But it's also what I loved, because you're like, 'Wait a minute, I want to know from when the bomb fell [what life was like] day by day and then for 200 years. Because she didn't have access to what the Vault dwellers had. I need it to be revealed. You know what I mean?"
For more on Fallout, you can read our Fallout Season 1 review. Or, if you are a gamer, we also have a guide on everything that you need to know about Fallout 5.
