Ever since Apple's Severance returned with another strong season in January and ended in March, with developments that took the show in a certain direction, fans have been wondering whether there will be another season. A third season was apparently planned much earlier, with director Ben Stiller and creator Dan Erickson involved.
However, the former has revealed that he is not going to direct any episodes on Season 3, in an interview with LA Times. "I'm at the point in my life where I'm like, 'The clock is ticking," said the actor-filmmaker who will turn 60 in November. Age is a key factor for the decision not to direct at least in long format.
"Sixty sound old. It's hard to get around it," he added. "And of course, it's that other thing of, like, you know what the next one is."
Stiller revealed that he and Erickson took a year to plan the entirety of Season 3 in such a thorough manner that would make it possible for the former to pursue other directing assignments, in cinema. The Tropic Thunder director is currently working on a war survival drama based on the true story of a downed pilot in occupied France who later joined the French Resistance movement.
"These things take time to come together, and the older you get, the more you realise that you only have so much time," said Stiller, who also directed The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, starring himself.
Earlier, in an interview with The New York Times, Ben Stiller drew comparisons between the helplessness and disorientation of the main characters in Severance and the professional and psychological woes experienced by creators working in the entertainment industry.
Stiller, who served as the show's executive producer and director, referred to the decision-making process in Hollywood as one that creates much angst because the individuals might say one thing and mean something else.
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"At a certain point, there’s always somebody making a decision who is not making it to your face or you don’t even know who that person is. Why a decision is made is never explained to the creative person. Or, if it is, it’s usually not the truth. It’s a cliché in Hollywood, but it’s kind of true that everybody will say yes and it doesn’t mean yes. It means no or let me think about it — more than ever, honestly," he had said.
The first season of Severance got viewers hooked to an intriguing cross between a unique sci-fi concept and a relatable corporate drama swirling around a group of characters who had opted for a surgical procedure to separate their work and home memories. The work selves are named 'innies' and the home selves, 'outies'.
Headlined by Adam Scott, Britt Lower, John Turturro and Zach Cherry, the first season saw the characters slowly waking up to the reality that their lives are being controlled by some sinister forces.