Star of HBO's Succession, Kieran Culkin, teases that season 4 is going in a surprising new direction. Culkin is known for past roles such as Igby in Igby Goes Down, Wallace Wells in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and Rye Gerhardt in television series Fargo. In Succession, he plays the loudmouthed and sardonic Roman Roy, brother to his other cutthroat siblings, Shiv (Sarah Snook) and Kendall (Jeremy Strong).
Succession follows Roman and his siblings as they vie for power of Waystar RoyCo, the global media and entertainment conglomerate that their father, Logan (Brian Cox) currently owns and runs. Season 3 saw Roman getting closer than he ever has before to potentially being the likely successor to Logan, although by the end of the season, Logan seems dead set that he is not ready to relinquish power. Roman also continues to confront the past physical abuse from his father in season 3, and although for most of the season himself, Shiv, and Kendall are at odds with each other, they come together in season 3, episode 9 in order to stop Logan from selling the company to buyer Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård). Their efforts ultimately fail, in part due to Shiv's husband, Tom (Matthew Macfadyen), leaving them more powerless than ever.
Now in an interview with Deadline, Culkin shares that the direction that Succession season 4 goes in is not one that he anticipated. Culkin shares that filming for season 4 has begun, and that it's going well, with each new script he reads bringing him excitement as a fan of the show himself. Culkin also notes that the episodes beyond season 4, episode 1 feel different from previous seasons,= different in a way that is satisfying due the show continually trying to make sure that it defies its audiences' expectations. A full quote from Culkin can be read below:
“[Shooting] is going well. I think it’s actually going quite well. It’s awesome because I’m also just like a fan of the show, so when the scripts come in I just get excited, like what’s going to happen. And it’s great, because the first episode we got, it felt like, ‘ah this is the show again.’ It’s like we’re back. And then in the next couple it just feels like ‘oh it actually kind of feels different.’ Which is great. It’s like it’s a great different. It’s like not resting on its laurels or whatever. It’s still very much the show, but it feels like it’s going in a direction that I did not anticipate.”
Although season 3 ends with the Roman, Shiv, and Kendall on the same page, whether this bond will hold due to the company seemingly being sold to Matsson, and therefore them all having to now vie for his power and attention, will remain to be seen. The siblings fighting against each other has been a running through line in most seasons, and is more expected than them sticking together due to each one of their selfish and cunning dispositions. Since Culkin is teasing that Succession season 4 is taking a different direction than past seasons, perhaps season 4 will see Roman, Shiv, and Kendall deepen their trust in each other both for the show to continue shaking things up, and also so that they can take the company back from Matsson.
Beyond whether Roman, Shiv, and Kendall remain on friendly terms with each other, how they are going to deal with Tom's betrayal in season 4 is also an anticipated confrontation. In particular, whether Tom's actions in season 3 will mark the end to Shiv's and Tom's marriage is a question that will have to be answered in season 4, and if their marriage does dissolve, a divorce is sure to be volatile. Viewers will have to continue following updates regarding potential plot details, as well as when an official premiere date is announced for Succession season 4.
Sources: Deadline