‘The Bear’ Season 3 Eyes Winter 2024 Production Start; Jeremy Allen White Teases Carmy’s Fridge Escape

The BearChuck Hodes/FX

EXCLUSIVE: Deadline has learned that season 3 of FX/Hulu’s The Bear will commence production in late February-early March.

We caught up with this year’s The Bear Emmy nominee/Golden Globe Best Actor Comedy TV series winner Jeremy Allen White aka young chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto on The Bear. White stars in the new A24 movie, The Iron Claw, as wrestler Kerry Von Erich aka “The Texas Tornado”. The movie about the tragedy-stricken wrestling Von Erich family opens on Dec. 22. At a time when the middle of the country needs more movies, here’s a sports drama that plays straight to the heartland.

‘The Iron Claw,’ Starring Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White.Eric Chakeen/A24

When we last saw Carmy last on The Bear, he was locked in a walk-in fridge during the restaurant’s ‘Friends and Family’ night, an interlude which Allen tells us he “hopes” the character escapes from in season 3. FX/Hulu recently announced a season 3 of the 13-Emmy nominated series.

While Allen still has yet to see scripts, he’s hoping for a season 3 chockful of guest stars, one that rivals season 2 episode 6’s “Fishes” which saw a ton of noted TV and movie stars playing Carmy’s family members, i.e. Jon Bernthal (as Mikey, Carmy’s dead brother), Bob Odenkirk as Uncle Lee, Sarah Paulson as Cousin Michelle, John Mulaney as Cousin Michelle’s partner Stevie, Gillian Jacobs as Richie’s then-wife Tiffany, and Jamie Lee Curtis as Donna Berzatto, Mikey and Carmy’s alcoholic mother, as well as Carmy’s sister Natalie Berzatto (Abby Elliott), Uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt), and Neil (Matty Matheson).

The New York City native would love to see a season 3 episode where “we can get as many (guest stars) to come back for one day” ala “Fishes”. Allen tells us he would love to see Olivia Coleman’s Chef Terry come back. She was last seen in season 2’s “Forks” as the proprietor of one of the finest restaurants in the world where Richie (Ebon Moss-Bacharach), temporarily works. Allen said he also loved to see Curtis return as Momma Donna. Allen’s dream guest stars include Oscar winner Sam Rockwell and Emmy winner John Turturro.

Allen stars in The Iron Claw with Zac Efron (Kevin Von Erich), Harris Dickinson (David Von Erich), and Stanley Simons (Mike Von Erich) as the true-life fraternal family of wrestlers who were pressured by their domineering father and former wrestling legend Fritz (Holt McCallany) to succeed at all costs during the 1980s. Allen’s Kerry was a one-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion and four-time WCWA World Heavyweight Champion. Director Sean Durkin, who also wrote the movie, grew up in the UK as a die-hard U.S. wrestling fan; the Von Erichs’ fate an eerie resemblance of those in his own family.

The Bear was created by Christopher Storer, and also stars Ayo Edebiri, Lionel Boyce and Liza Colón-Zayas. Matty Matheson was upped for season 2, while Edwin Lee Gibson, Corey Hendrix, Platt, Bernthal, José Cervantes, Richard Esteras, Carmen Christopher, Chris Witaske, Joel McHale, Curtis, Gillian Jacobs, Robert Townsend, Molly Gordon, Alex Moffat, Ricky Staffieri, Mitra Jouhari and Maura Kidwell recur.