Netflix's Locke & Key will end with Season 3, as confirmed by the fantasy-horror series' co-showrunners.

Carlton Cuse and Meredith Averill broke the news in a joint statement obtained by Deadline. "Once we began working on the series, we felt three seasons was the ideal length to bring the story of the Locke family and their Keyhouse adventures to a satisfying conclusion," they said. "As storytellers, we are grateful that we had the opportunity to tell our version of Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez's incredible story exactly the way we wanted. We're keeping the magical keys, though, for our own personal use."

Related: Locke & Key: Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez Discuss the Horror Franchise's Future

Locke & Key Season 3 will reportedly be two episodes shorter than Seasons 1 and 2, coming in at eight episodes total. Cuse and Averill have previously spoken about how Locke & Key's second season sets up the third, with Averill promising that the Locke family's past would have consequences for the show's future. Cuse went on to say that the entire series benefited from the television medium's relative strength when it comes to exploring history.

Cuse and Averill have also discussed Locke & Key Season 3's main villain Frederick Gideon, played by Kevin Durand. "I love that [Gideon] brings a very different energy than Dodge," Averill said. "One of the things that were important to us is we wanted each season that the villains felt different. Laysla De Oliveira as Dodge in Season 1 feels very different than Griffin Gluck's Dodge in Season 2. When we introduced Kevin Durand's character, he has very different energy as well. I think it gives the show a different feel and a different threat."

Related: Locke & Key Stars Discuss How Tyler and Nina Face Season 2's Sinister Journey

Locke & Key drawing to a close will come as a disappointment to the show's devoted fanbase, especially those holding out hope for a crossover with upcoming Netflix series The Sandman. The two properties have overlapped before, in a comic book story written and illustrated by Locke & Key creators Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodríguez, and produced with Sandman co-creator Neil Gaiman's blessing. In October 2021, Hill expressed doubts that this crossover would ever be recreated in live-action, although he didn't shoot the idea down entirely, either.

Yet only a month later, Hill took to Twitter to definitively quash rumors of a Locke & Key/Sandman mashup. "I’ve seen a few articles now teasing the possibility of a Locke & Key/Sandman crossover on Netflix & thought I'd jump in for a clickbait check. Nope!" he tweeted. "Like most Sandman hardcores I'm looking forward to a big, sweeping, faithful adaptation of Neil's stories. Can’t wait."

Locke & Key Seasons 1 and 2 are currently streaming on Netflix. Season 3 does not yet have a release date but is expected to premiere sometime in 2022.

Keep reading: Locke & Key: Showrunners Break Down Season 2's Magical Mayhem

Source: Deadline