Fallout season 3 is filming much sooner than expected

While Fallout season two is still airing on Amazon Prime, it turns out the wasteland is gearing up for another trip far sooner than anyone expected. Against the usual glacial pace of prestige TV, Fallout season three is already lining up cameras, crew and locations, with filming scheduled to begin in early May.

That’s a noticeable jump forward from what we’d previously heard. Just weeks ago, executive producer Jonathan Nolan suggested the team was hoping to start shooting sometime this summer. Instead, production is now locked in for the 1st of May, with cameras rolling in Santa Clarita, California, a familiar location for the show after season two shifted filming west from New York.

The early start is another sign that Amazon and Bethesda are keen to keep Fallout moving. The show was renewed for a third season all the way back in May last year, months before season two even premiered, and Bethesda boss Todd Howard has since confirmed that the scripts are already being written. In other words, the wheels have been turning behind the scenes for a while now.

Returning for season three is director Frederick E.O. Toye, who’s already played a major role across the first two seasons. His continued involvement is expected to maintain the show’s visual identity and narrative rhythm, no small task given Fallout’s sprawling world, tonal shifts and ever-expanding wasteland mythology. Toye’s CV also includes work on Shōgun and Westworld, making him a natural fit for another ambitious project.

Cooper Howard's Deathclaw Encounter | Fallout Season Two | Clip | Prime Video - YouTube

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Santa Clarita’s return also makes practical sense. Sets, landscapes and large-scale builds were already established there during season two, and production notes suggest the art department will now be expanding those environments further, pushing deeper into classic Fallout territory while introducing new locations.

All of this feeds into Nolan’s openly stated desire to speed things up. Speaking previously, he’s criticised the growing trend of multi-year gaps between seasons, arguing that shows shouldn’t lose momentum just because production has become bloated. Considering his experience on Westworld, where gaps stretched longer with each season, Fallout appears to be a conscious attempt to do things differently.

As for when season three might actually land, there’s no official release window yet. That said, Fallout season one arrived in April 2024, with season two following in December 2025, a gap of around 20 months. If season three continues moving at this faster pace, a 2027 release feels realistic, and possibly sooner than fans might expect.

For now, season two is still unfolding weekly on Prime Video, with its finale set to land in early Feb. But with cameras rolling in May and scripts already in progress, Fallout’s future is looking refreshingly fast-moving, at least by modern TV standards.

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