Multiple sources confirm that the Emmy-winning FX on Hulu comedy, which was renewed for a third season in November, has also been picked up for a fourth season that will shoot back-to-back in Chicago.
A renewal for season four has not yet been officially announced and an FX spokesperson would not comment.
Rumors of filming additional episodes of The Bear after season three began surfacing this past week at local outlets in Chicago.
The move sparked speculation as to whether this could be the final chapter of the hit restaurant comedy — something that also happened with another critically acclaimed FX comedy, Atlanta, which ended after seasons three and four were filmed back-to-back.
According to sources, that has not yet been determined and a season five of The Bear remains a possibility. One explanation for the fact that seasons three and four are filmed consecutively is that the actors' schedules have to be taken into account. Emmy winners Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri are reportedly getting plenty of feature film opportunities. White has already established himself as a leading man with his work in The Iron Claw.
Like The Bear's Emmy-winning actors White, Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Storer's star is also on the rise because of the way the series captured the zeitgeist. Deadline exclusively reported on Wednesday that Storer has signed on to write and direct a film adaptation of Amor Towles' The Lincoln Highway.
Season three of The Bear starts in June. The FX series, which airs exclusively on Hulu, will continue to be available on the streamer.
Production on the comedy's third season began last month. Internet sleuths in Chicago have posted provocative — and possibly spoilery — photos from the series' on-location shooting.
The first season of The Bear won ten Emmys, including Outstanding Comedy and Outstanding Writing. The series has already aired its second season, but last year's writers' and actors' strikes made it difficult as to which year was eligible to compete in the 75th Emmy Awards. Season two won Golden Globes for Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy and stars White and Edebiri in the lead roles.