Tom Hardy slips back into James Keziah Delaney’s mud-caked coat for Taboo season two, set to roll cameras in 2026 after nearly a decade on ice. The actor, fresh off wrapping his Venom trilogy, spilled details in a LadBible chat while hyping his new Paramount+ gig, MobLand, confirming scripts are flying off the pages right now.
Hardy’s passion project, cooked up with dad Chips Hardy and Peaky Blinders mastermind Steven Knight, first gripped viewers in 2017 with its raw take on a presumed-dead explorer clawing through London’s underworld after inheriting a contested trading post from his old man.
That debut run pulled almost six million U.S. eyeballs per episode and snagged quick renewal buzz from BBC and FX, only for scheduling snarls and Hardy’s blockbuster slate to stall the train.
Now, with Hardy barking that the writing room is humming, fans see real momentum. Knight echoed the heat in recent Radio Times remarks, stressing he and Hardy nailed down the blueprint ages ago, just waiting on calendar clears.
The shift feels seismic because Hardy teased wild ideas back in 2021 Esquire talks, floating quantum leaps through 19th-century chaos instead of straight-ahead plotting.
Picture Delaney zipping between pre-London Africa flashbacks and post-season one power grabs, dodging the East India Company’s knives in a fractured timeline that matches his fractured psyche.
This tweak promises to crack open the cryptic antihero wider, building on season one’s slow-burn reveals of his voodoo-tinged scars and Nootka Sound obsessions.
Production gears up in Belfast, same as the original, with Hardy locked to reprise his growling lead alongside holdovers like Jonathan Pryce as scheming Sir Stuart Strange and Oona Chaplin as fiery Zilpha Geary.
Knight’s vision stretches to a full trilogy, per his long-standing pitches, meaning this pivot sets up epic corporate wars laced with supernatural grit. Critics who griped about Delaney’s elusive arc in the first go might eat this up, as time-hops force sharper peeks into what drives the guy’s relentless vendettas.
Social media lit up post-Hardy’s drop, with Reddit threads hailing it as peak TV redemption after COVID delays and superhero detours sidelined the show.
Time-Bending Plot Cranks the Stakes
Forget linear grudges; Taboo’s next chapter warps chronology to keep Delaney’s enemies guessing, and viewers hooked. Hardy floated this in old chats, pitching drops into his pre-London years or leaps forward, turning the series into a historical fever dream.
Season one left him sailing off after torching Strange’s schemes and bedding his half-sister in a gut-punch finale, but scripts now scramble that endpoint with flashbacks to his African horrors and jumps to untapped eras ripe for East India clashes. Knight backs the chaos, having mapped three seasons from jump, and recent updates confirm they’re syncing on this bold flex to sidestep stale sequels.
This story change amps the personal toll. Delaney’s Nootka grudge stemmed from dad Horatio’s secrets, but time jumps let Hardy unpack the cannibal-shaman vibes he joked about, blending real 1810s trade wars with feverish visions.
Fans split on it: some crave the moody straight shot, others crave the mind-bend to match the show’s witchy pulse, per Digital Spy fan polls and Hello Magazine buzz.
Business-side, Hulu and BBC smell blood with Hardy’s post-Venom heat and Knight’s Peaky track record; expect eight episodes again, banking on that cult 87% Rotten Tomatoes nod. Casting whispers hint at fresh blood to fill timeline gaps, maybe fleshing out Delaney’s feral siblings or Company rivals in new eras.
Tom Hardy (Credit: BBC)
The shift reflects Hardy’s long-held vision for the role. Chips Hardy helped shape the series as a consultant, fostering a best-idea-wins approach that gave rise to Delaney’s hybrid threat. With the scripts now finalized, the move may distance fans drawn to the show’s gritty realism, but it also broadens the mystery and deepens the character in new, unexpected ways.
Social impact ripples too: Taboo’s take on colonial greed and outsider rage hit harder in today’s trade war echoes, and this format lets it punch across decades without losing that chokehold atmosphere. Hardy stays TV-tied post-MobLand, signaling Delaney owns his small-screen soul.
Why Fans and Studios Bet Big Now
Hardy’s confirmation lands like a gut punch in a dry spell for prestige drama, with studios circling fast. BBC iPlayer and Netflix stream the original globally, racking up streams that justify the greenlight despite nine years’ wait.
Knight’s 2022 tease of late-2023 cameras never panned out, but 2026 feels locked with scripts advancing and Hardy’s Venom wrap freeing his slate. Fan outcry on Reddit and Facebook fueled it, calling the delay criminal after season one’s “brilliantly written” run, per user rants.
Controversy brews around the wait: some blast Hardy for prioritizing Marvel cash grabs, but he owns it, citing seven Venom years as the culprit while swearing undying love for Taboo.
Studios gain from the hype machine; Peaky’s end left Knight hungry for period grit, and Taboo’s renewal smells like a streaming war ploy against Netflix’s historical slate.
Future seasons loom large if this lands, with Knight plotting arcs that drag Delaney through imperial rot, maybe hitting real events like the Opium Wars via time skips.
Personal stakes hit home, too. Hardy’s dad, Chips, poured family lore into Delaney, making the pivot feel like legacy work. Viewers connect via Delaney’s survivor rage, mirroring modern grudge culture, and this format lets the show evolve without reboot fatigue.
Production eyes summer shoots, teasing first-look teases by fall if scripts wrap tight. Hardy stays glued to TV post this, with MobLand proving his small-screen muscle, setting Taboo up as his passion anchor amid blockbuster noise. The story change doesn’t just revive it; it redefines gritty revivals for 2026’s crowded field.
MGM+ nails down From season 4 for spring 2026, right after wrap on Nova Scotia shoots late last year, keeping the nightmare town’s grip tight on fans starved since the November 2024 finale.
Harold Perrineau’s Boyd Stevens claws out of that gut-wrenching well, facing fresh monstrosities that devour outsiders at night while unraveling why escape stays impossible.
The show, from John Griffin, blends folk horror with puzzle-box dread, earning near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes love across three seasons for Perrineau’s raw leadership and Elizabeth Saunders’ chilling Fatima visions. Renewed pre-finale, it proves viewer pleas moved the needle, dodging cancellation axes that felled peers like 30 Coins.
Paired with The Institute season 2, Stephen King’s telekinetic kid saga gets an official 2026 greenlight via MGM+ social teases blending from clips with Institute flashbacks. Ben Barnes’ scheming Ms. Sigsby and Mary-Louise Parker’s icy Director stack cruelty at the secret lab, snatching psychic youth like Luke Ellis for ruthless tests.
Season one burned through the novel by the finale, but showrunner Ben Cavell chats up King for sequel fuel, probing hinted “precognitive track” branches worldwide that amp the conspiracy.
Jack Bender’s Lost pedigree links both: he directs and exec produces, recycling From’s eerie isolation sets for Institute’s sterile hell, making MGM+’s horror feel like a shared universe of confinement panic.
Fans flood Reddit with hype, calling the one-two punch a “genre lifeline” after mid-tier streamers ghosted scary staples. From pulled top MGM+ numbers, while the Institute’s solid subs despite critic shrugs secured round two, signaling smart bets on slow-burn scares over jump-cut slop.
Production whispers point to Bender’s moody frames emphasizing trapped despair, from foggy town perimeters to lab bunks buzzing with esper kids plotting breakouts.
Business smarts shine: MGM+ leverages a smaller scale for quality retention, unlike bloated Netflix hauls. This duo cements the platform’s underdog edge, rewarding loyalists with answers dangled just out of reach.
Mystery Boxes Echo King and Lost Vibes
From’s town curse deepens in season 4, with Catalina Sandino Moreno’s Tabitha Matthews chasing symbols and faraway daughters, while David Alpay’s Jim chases radio signals hinting at outside worlds.
Perrineau’s Boyd rallies survivors against shape-shifting night fiends that mimic loved ones, building on season three’s box ritual reveals without spilling all beans. Griffin’s script holds back big lore drops, mirroring Lost’s island enigmas that hooked millions, a tactic that sparked From’s cult status despite early Epix obscurity.
Social buzz thrives on weekly theory threads, from angler worms as talismans to Victor’s childhood flashbacks unlocking 1953 roots.
The Institute flips psychic horror, stranding Luke and pals in a rear annex for telepathy drills, expanding past King’s pages into rival global sites teased in finale files. Cavell flags King’s blessing for those leaps, with Barnes’ Sigsby unleashing darker experiments on escapees like Tim Blake Nelson’s Stackhouse.
Psychological chills dominate over gore, evoking Firestarter vibes but grounded in lab coats and kid alliances, much like From’s family units forging pacts against unseen overlords. Shared Bender touch gives visual kinship: dim corridors, flickering lights, characters whispering breakout codes under guard watch.
From (Credit: MGM+)
Critics note the Institute’s season one stumbles on pace, but renewal bets on tweaks for snappier reveals amid From’s shadow.
Controversy nips at both for dragging mysteries, with From dodging “Lost 2.0” jabs by delivering cyclical progress, like season two’s tree cicada payoffs. Fans split on Institute going original: purists fear dilution, but King’s social nod and Cavell’s conspiracy web promise payoff.
Personal hooks land hard; Perrineau draws from real grief for Boyd’s burdens , while Barnes channels Shadow and Bone smarm into villainy.
Horror thrives on isolation fears post-pandemic, and these series tap that vein without zombie tropes. MGM+’s push quiets doubters, proving niche streamers can sustain scares through shared DNA and fan faith.
Horror Haven Bets on Dual Threats
MGM+ grabs horror throne with From and Institute tag-team, shunning King saturation for fresh confinement tales that echo his spirit minus direct clones.
From’s 95% audience scores and steady subs make it the streamer’s crown jewel, pulling eyeballs from Shudder castoffs, while Institute’s renewal despite mixed 70% critics shows sub data trumps snark. Spring 2026 drops for From Edge Out Institute’s vague window, smart spacing to maximize dual hype without overlap fatigue.
No exact dates yet, but wrapped filming hints quick post tweaks for Boyd’s crew facing music box horrors and angler evolutions.
Business wins stack up. MGM+ eyes growth versus bloated giants, banking on shorter gaps, From’s annual-ish cadence versus multi-year waits plaguing The Walking Dead spin-offs. Institute’s beyond-book risks pay if precog globetrotting hooks, with Cavell teasing “much bigger” stakes King endorsed.
Fan outcry post-From season three fueled quick renewal, Reddit alive with pleas for Tabitha’s NYC links and Ethan’s music box origins. Social ripples hit too: both shows spark chats on control systems, from corporate cults to kid exploitation, mirroring real-world distrust.
Controversy over From’s answer stinginess fades against plot teases like Sheriff Boyd’s box visions cracking town rules.
Future glows bright. Multi-season plans for From promise Victor’s full backstory and monster mimicry lore, while the Institute eyes spin-off sites if season two pops. Production shifts to Nova Scotia wilds for From’s foggy nights, Institute back to Atlanta labs, sharing set scraps.
Stars like Perrineau and Parker amp draw, Perrineau’s Emmy nods lifting prestige. Horror fans win big in a glut of reboots; MGM+’s pair delivers original chills with King flavor, proving small screens snag big scares. As 2026 looms, these trapped tales lock in the genre’s pulse, one locked door at a time.
