When Netflix's animated series Arcane first hit the streaming platform in 2021, it rightly became a smash hit with one hell of a cliffhanger ending.
But considering we're now a few years down the line from that first outing, we're going to take a wild guess that you're wondering when we could see more of Vi (Hailee Steinfeld) and Jinx (Ella Purnell).
The show, which went on to win an Emmy in 2022 for Outstanding Animated Program, garnered Netflix's stamp of approval and has been commissioned for a second season. But when might it be finally arriving?
Here's everything you need to know about what lies ahead for the show.
Arcane season 2 release date: When will it air?
Netflix has confirmed Arcane's second season is on its way, and the even better news is that we now have a release window!
The next batch of episodes will arrive on the streaming platform in November 2024, Variety reports. So it's still a waiting game, but at least the second season is within sight now. Production first began on the next instalment of the show in November 2021.
While Riot Games CEO Nicolo Laurent previously promised that the wait for a second season wouldn't be as long as the six years it took to make the first, he later rowed back on that promise.
Speaking to LPL caster Guan Zeyuan (via Esports.gg) in April 2023, Laurent said he had seen the third episode of season two, and confirmed that the team were "making progress on it".
"Honestly, we didn't know if season one was gonna be a success," he said. "If I had known, we could have started season two way earlier. But we didn't know, so we kind of waited a bit. Now we're paying the price."
Arcane season 2 cast: Who will be in it?
The following season one stars are definitely returning to voice Arcane's second season:
• Hailee Steinfeld as Vi
• Ella Purnell as Jinx (formerly known as Powder)
• Katie Leung as Caitlyn
Kevin Alejandro has also teased his return as Jayce in season two, telling Buzzfeed: "You're going to be conflicted in such a way that I don't know if it's good or bad. Like, your emotions will be pulled out of you and you'll be like 'Oh my god!' That's how you're going to end [season two]. It's so good!"
Other cast members who could potentially return include Mia Sinclair Jenness as Young Powder, Molly Harris as Young Caitlyn, Harry Lloyd as Viktor, Toks Olagundoye as Mel, JB Blanc as Vander and Bolbok, Reed Shannon as Ekko and Miles Brown as Young Ekko.
Meanwhile, a teaser from Arcane's team has fans wondering if there could be an intriguing new addition to the series.
The teaser features no new scenes, just some dialogue, but the important bit is at the very end – Arcane fans are convinced they can hear the mechanical heartbeat of League of Legends champion Warwick.
Warwick is part-werewolf, part-machine, and doesn't remember his life before he was experimented on in scientist Singed's laboratory.
There's no news yet about who would voice Warwick should he be added to season two, but watch this space for updates.
Arcane season 2 plot: What will happen?
Set in the Riot Games' League of Legends universe, Arcane tells the origin stories of characters from utopian city Piltover and the repressed undercity Zaun, including sisters Vi (Hailee Steinfeld) and Jinx (Ella Purnell).
The final episode of season one was certainly explosive, with Jayce, Mel, Viktor, Cassandra, Hoskel, Bolbok, Shoola and Salo's fate hanging in the balance.
But this means they left lots of plot threads to be explored in season two.
Silco has been killed, so Zaun no longer has a leader and it's not clear who could take over. Potential candidate Jinx is out of control, so it may be Vi who has to step up, especially as she is the adopted daughter of Zaun's late leader, Vander.
Jinx, meanwhile, caused a big problem at the end of the episode, as she pointed a rocket launcher at the Council building – just as those inside were voting to pass a law to give Zaun independence.
Her act of anger could cause a war between Piltover and Zaun, and it remains to be seen whether there are any survivors from the blast who can confirm that the vote for independence was indeed passed.
It's not very likely Jinx will be reunited with her sister Vi any time soon, either. Vi initially wanted to repair her relationship with Jinx, but watching your sibling launch a rocket at a building full of people may be hard to get past.
Reed Shannon has some plot hopes for future seasons, telling CBR: "I would love to see Ekko and Mel interact. That would be crazy...There's one thing about Arcane that I was very interested in, because of the poverty difference, because of the difference between the top city and the Undercity, race isn't a thing that is discussed between the characters.
"So I would love to see how people that look the same interact. Is there that sort of thing, or is everybody just there? I would also love to see them interact just because Ekko is so smart, and she might be like, 'Oh, you could be used... We could take you back to Noxus and you could build a big anything.' That would be pretty interesting."
It certainly would. And there's a chance Shannon could see his wishes come true on the big screen.
"We want to tell more stories," co-creator Christian Linke told Superpixel. "There's going to be more things we want to explore whether or not it's going to be a TV show or movie.
"I think similar to Arcane, we didn't say from the beginning that we want it to be a TV show or something. We just went with, 'Okay, we love these characters. Here's a story that we're going to tell.'
"And then over time, we found out we need the time of a TV show to go as deep as we want to – Vi and Jinx, Victor and Jayce, etc. But there could be a story at some point where it's gonna be a movie format."
Meanwhile, Caitlyn and Vi's relationship will be explored further, as confirmed by the team while speaking at the BAFTAs.
"We have always wanted to tell an organic story about Caitlyn and Vi that feels like it's really true to how we see them, you know, and how they've been seen," said co-creator Alex Yee.
"The way in which we wanted to roll that story out has always been sort of determined. What you will see in season two will be part of the big picture that we've had all along."
Consider us curious! Whatever happens, it sounds like it'll be exciting.
One thing's certain – the show will continue to explore diverse stories, with representation at its core.
"We wanted to be true to the diversity that exists in Runeterra," writer Amanda Overton said (via Yuri Mother). "It just didn't make sense to us that there would be stigmatization against sexuality or gender expression in a world like that.
"And, it's a fantasy world. Why should we carry the same systemic societal baggage from our world into a world that is completely different, with a completely different power structure and history?"
Executive producer Jeremy Lee has already seen some of the episodes and, while he remains pretty tight-lipped about the contents of them, he did tease that they're "really exciting".
"I have seen [some] episodes, and it is really good, as I think you might expect," he told PCGames. "It takes time to create the unique visuals for Arcane with our partners at Fortiche, but it's coming along well, and I think it's going to be really exciting."
Arcane season 2 trailer: Any new footage?
While we might not have those episodes yet, we do have a first-look trailer now and it teases a dark and terrifying second season.
The clip just above gives viewers a first glimpse at Warwick, the human-turned-werewolf that hunts the streets of Zaun, in the lab of the mad chemist Singed.
Sisters Vi and Jinx are absent from this first look, as is Jayce and the rest of the cast from season one of Arcane – we will have to wait for the first official trailer for more.
Arcane season one is available to stream on Netflix.
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Freelance film & TV writer, Digital Spy
Critic and writer Jo Berry has been writing about TV and movies since she began her career at Time Out aged 18. A regular on BBC Radio, Jo has written for titles including Empire, Maxim, Radio Times, OK!, The Guardian and Grazia, is the author of books including Chick Flicks and The Parents’ Guide to Kids’ Movies.
She is also the editor of website Movies4Kids. In her career, Jo has interviewed well-known names including Beyonce, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Kiefer Sutherland, Tom Cruise and all the Avengers, spent many an hour crushed in the press areas of award show red carpets. Jo is also a self-proclaimed expert on Outlander and Brassic, and completely agrees that Die Hard is a Christmas movie.
Freelance writer, Digital Spy
Tilly is Gold-Standard NCTJ accredited journalist with eight years of experience in entertainment journalism.
She has been heard giving her insight on the latest TV stories on BBC Radio across the country and on BBC News.
Previously working with The Sun Online, Yahoo, Metro.co.uk and Independent IE amongst others, she joined the Digital Spy team from 2021-2023 as Deputy TV Editor (Maternity cover).
With a speciality in TV drama and true crime, Tilly has been praised for her exclusive content with A-list stars ranging from Sir David Attenborough to the lawyers behind Making A Murderer.
She’s happy to report her mum now takes her seriously as a journalist as she got to interview George Clooney once.
