Amazon has confirmed that new episodes of The Expanse season 4 will be dropping on the streaming platform globally on Dec. 13, 2019. Along with the announcement of its release date, Amazon has also renewed the show for a fifth season for 2020.
At the Comic-Con last July, the cast and executive producers also released a teaser to The Expanse season 4. Actor Cas Anvar (as the Rocinante pilot Alex Kamal) told the press that this new installment would see the show, which is based on a book series, transitioning its storylines.
"The first three seasons, the first three books, are like the first movement of an opera, Anvar said. "Book four represents the beginning of the second movement, and it's almost poignant that we've transitioned from one network to another broadcaster in season 4 because it is starting a new page of the journey for The Expanse family."
The first three seasons of The Expanse ran in the U.S. via the cable channel Syfy. The network canceled the show, but Amazon Prime took over its rights for the global airing.
The Expanse season 4 will open with the Roci crew on a U.N. mission to explore what's out there in the Ring Gates. The plan is to find Earth-like planets for the future of humanity. Characters will also have new journeys and tension among each other, which will shift the tone of the series.
At the center of the fight is Ilus, one of the first Earth-like planets discovered, which has rich natural resources. Groups will try to colonize the land while risking their lives against the unknown dangers they will encounter.
"The rings have opened up, there's an imminent gold rush, and what that does to the balance of power in the system, in the macro sense, is completely change the entire chessboard," actor Steven Strait said during the Television Critics Association panel. "And all this tension starts to build, in the macro and the personal sense, everywhere, and it just changes everything."
Meanwhile, Amazon was positive about renewing The Expanse for a fifth season, given its quality of storytelling and popularity among the subscribers. It is believed that showrunner Naren Shankar will remain as the person for bringing this show together, which will be set for a 2020 return.
Aside from Anvar and Strait, The Expanse also stars Steven Strait, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Wes Chatham, Dominique Tipper and Frankie Adams. The previous seasons of the series are still accessible on Amazon Prime.
