‘Primal’ Season 3 Gets Massive Update From Creator Genndy Tartakovsky [Exclusive]

Over two years have come and gone since viewers last saw Spear and Fang on Adult Swim after a gutwrenching, yet hopeful Season 2 finale. Genndy Tartakovsky‘s Emmy-winning prehistoric sci-fi fantasy animated series Primal earned a renewal for a third season back in June last year, yet there’s been little word since then about when fans can expect to return to the Samurai Jack creator’s brutal anachronistic world. In a recent interview with Collider’s Steve Weintraub, ahead of his attendance at SCAD AnimationFest where he’ll receive an Award of Excellence, Tartakovsky offered a Tyrannosaurus-sized update on how far along the next batch of ten episodes is in production. He also offered a tease of when everyone will finally be able to sink their teeth into the next chapter, and it’s not too far off.

“It’s coming,” the creator assured when asked about the show. “I’m finishing up the 10th episode right now. And so we got 10 more half hours. We’re in production, and it’s gonna blow everybody’s socks off, I think.” When asked for clarification about whether the team has nearly wrapped writing or animation, Tartavosky revealed “We’re halfway done with animation,” further teasing that the storyboards for all episodes are almost all lined up. “Yeah, I’m just finishing up the last episode, and yeah half of it already is… because it’s all overlap. Half of it is already animated. We’re doing post on the first two episodes already. So we’re over the hard part. We’re in the heat of production.”

Animation is a time-consuming medium, especially for a more complex animated program like Primal, but the fact that the team is now moving full-speed ahead downhill on production means a return can’t be far off. All indications point to a 2025 release and, when asked by Weintraub if that prospect is realistic, Tartakovsky confirmed, adding “I would say yes.” By the time the series airs, it will likely match the lengthy gap between Seasons 1 and 2, though there’s no confirmation of exactly when in 2025 new episodes could start airing. Such a wait is a bit more understandable given the exciting things Tartakovsky has teased and how drastically the series is set to change after Season 2.

What Can We Expect From ‘Primal’ Season 3?

The previous finale left Primal off on a bittersweet note following a climactic battle between Spear and the Chieftain. Although the fiery warlord was pulled back to the underworld, he mortally wounded the Neanderthal, bringing a tragic end to his story. However, as time went on, his companion Mira gave birth to their child, who was already following in her father’s footsteps by riding with Fang and her now-grown T. rex children. To this point, the series had followed Spear and Fang’s journey of survival and encounters with civilizations after the loss of their respective families, but Tartakovsky has teased that, with that journey essentially over, the show may go in a new direction. Although he couldn’t divulge any details during the interview, he’s indicated in the past that the show could become more of an anthology series exploring other facets of the world, even if they ultimately decide to return to Spear and Mira’s daughter.

The only things for certain about Primal Season 3 are that Tartakovsky will be back at the helm and Studio La Cachette will handle the animation once again. Thus far, they’ve managed to weave a tense and vicious tale that has scored five Emmys and earned boundless critical praise with a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Even among Tartakovsky’s crowded resume including Samurai Jack, Dexter’s Laboratory, and the Hotel Transylvania series, it’s hailed as one of his best and is part of the reason he’ll be honored at the upcoming SCAD AnimationFest this weekend.

Stay tuned here at Collider for future updates and the rest of our conversation with Tartakovsky. The first two seasons are available to stream now on Max.

Watch on Max