Severance Season 3 will welcome an acclaimed filmmaker to the fold to replace Ben Stiller as the Apple TV show’s primary director.
Who is replacing Ben Stiller as the director of Severance Season 3?
According to World of Reel, Kogonada will direct “most, if not all, of the episodes” in Severance Season 3.
Kogonada broke out with 2017’s Columbus before following that up with 2021’s After Yang. Kogonada directed 2025’s A Big Bold Beautiful Journey starring Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell. His latest film, Yi, recently premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.
Kogonada has experience in television, having directed four episodes of Apple TV’s Pachinko and Disney+’s Star Wars: The Acolyte.
Stiller has been the show’s leading director through two seasons. However, Stiller is stepping back from directing Severance to helm a new World War II survival movie. Stiller will remain an executive producer on Severance.
“Yes! It’s been full time the last 8 months working on season 3 and I’m not going anywhere. We have incredible directors and a team that creates the show,” Stiller wrote on X about his involvement in Severance Season 3. “I love directing it and look forward to at some point again for sure. I feel like season 3 is going to be the best yet as we continue to evolve.”
Created by Dan Erickson, Severance is a sci-fi drama that follows the severed employees of the mysterious Lumon Industries. These specific employees have two distinct identities — one inside Lumon (“innies”) and one outside Lumon (“outies”) — with their own memories.
Severance’s cast includes Adam Scott, Zach Cherry, Britt Lower, Tramell Tillman, Jen Tullock, Dichen Lachman, Michael Chernus, John Turturro, Christopher Walken, and Patricia Arquette.
Severance premiered to a positive reception in 2022. Season 2, which aired in the first quarter of 2025, garnered 27 Emmy nominations, notably winning Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Lower) and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Tillman).
Stream Severance Seasons 1-2 on Apple TV.
(Source: World of Reel)