‘His Dark Materials’ Season 2 Renewal: When Will the Show Return?

His Dark Materials

HBO/YouTube "His Dark Materials" was picked up for a second season shortly after its Season 1 premiere. Here's what we know about Season 2.

His Dark MaterialsHBO’s breakout new fantasy series based on the trilogy by Philip Pullman, concludes tonight, December 23, 2019. The Season 1 finale will air at 9 p.m. EST/8 p.m. CST on HBO after an eight-episode run.

Fans of the series will be excited to learn that the show was renewed for a second season shortly after the first season aired. According to Digital Spy, rather than risk Dafne Keen (who plays Lyra Belacqua) growing up too fast between seasons, BBC and HBO committed to both seasons up front, ensuring the fourteen-year-old star wouldn’t age too much in between seasons.

Here’s what we know about the second season of His Dark Materials:


There is No Release Date Scheduled for Season 2 Just Yet

His Dark Materials producer Jane Tranter confirmed that a second season was given the green light by HBO and BBC, according to Express. Tranter explained that the show got a “commitment for a second season because of the fast turnaround,” despite some mixed reviews and a small decline in ratings following the series premiere.

There is no premiere date set for Season 2 just yet, but according to Digital Spy, the entire second season has already been filmed, so the show will likely return by the end of 2020 at the latest. Season 1 launched in early November, so unless the network decides to bring it back earlier in the year, fans can likely expect a similar release date for the second season.

Season 2 will serve as an adaptation for the second novel, The Subtle Knife. There will be at least eight episodes in each future season of the show because Tranter felt that the show needed at least eight hours per season to do justice to the books, according to Express. IMDb already shows another eight episodes for the new season on the site, although there are no episode descriptions or plot details available at this time.


There Will Likely be a Third Season, According to Tranter

Expess noted that Season 2 was filmed in Wales, and that Season 3 might already be in the works. According to Express, Tranter suggested that Season 3 had already been commissioned, which would round off the trilogy with The Amber Spyglass.

On filming season three, Tranter said, “We’re probably giving her [Keen] a year off between season two and season three but season one and season two we had quite a fast turnaround and eight episodes felt about right.” She added, “The Amber Spyglass is a magnificent beast that will need some time to be wrestled to the ground and it might need – brace yourselves guys – it might need more than eight episodes.”

According to Digital Spy, fans can expect to see the following cast members return for the second season:

  • Dafne Keen as Lyra Belacqua
  • Ruth Wilson as Marisa Coulter
  • Clarke Peters as The Master
  • James Cosmo as Farder Coram
  • Ariyon Bakare as Lord Boreal
  • James McAvoy as Lord Asriel
  • Lin-Manuel Miranda as Lee Scoresby

Fleabag star Andrew Scott will also be joining the cast for season two, Digital Spy reports. He’ll be playing Colonel John Parry, the father of Will Parry (Amir Wilson), a boy who will “play an important role” in future episodes of the show alongside Lyra.

Tune in Monday, December 23 at 9 p.m. EST to catch the Season 1 finale of His Dark Materials. In the meantime, don’t forget to check out this author’s profile for more entertainment news and TV coverage.

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