The final season of HBO and BBC One’s His Dark Materials has begun production, according to HBO’s press release. The series starring Dafne Keen (Logan, The Refugees) and Amir Wilson (The Letter to the King, The Secret Garden) is based on Philip Pullman’s (Northern Lights, La Belle Sauvage) trilogy of fantasy novels. The third season will be adapted from Pullman’s third book, The Amber Spyglass.
“The moment we started season one of His Dark Materials, we had mapped out all three novels to know the direction in which where we were heading,” executive producer Dan McCulloch (Endeavor, The Comedian) said via the press release. “Every detail and character within this incredible work of fiction has been analysed and discussed for four years now, and to finally arrive in the many worlds of ‘The Amber Spyglass’ is thrilling,” McCulloch stated via the press release.
The official longline states: “Season three will see “Will” (Amir Wilson), the bearer of The Subtle Knife, and “Lyra” (Dafne Keen), the prophesied child, travel through multiple worlds to find and protect each other,” via the press release. Keen and Wilson are joined by Ruth Wilson (Oslo, Luther), James McAvoy (X-Men: First Class, Split), Simone Kirby (Jimmy’s Hall, Rebellion), Will Keen (Victor Frankenstein, Love And Other Disasters), Ruta Gedminstas (The Tudors, The Strain), and Jade Anouka (Trauma, Cleaning Up).
In addition to the main cast, a slew of new characters will appear in the eight-episode season. The press release lists Simon Harrison (No Man’s Land, Everest), Jamie Ward (Tyrant), Chipo Chung (Into the Badlands), Amber Fitzgerald-Woolfe, Kobna Holbrook-Smith (Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Mary Poppins Returns), and Adele Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Suicide Squad, Lost) as joining the third season.
Newcomer Fitzgerald-Woolfe will portray Ama while Chung, Holbrook-Smith, and Harrison will play a trio of rebellious angels. Ward has been cast as Father Gomez. Akinnuoye-Agbaje rounds out the cast as Commander Ogunwe via the press release.
“It has been a joy watching audiences embrace this incredible journey of self-discovery, friendship and purpose with Lyra over the past two seasons,” Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President, HBO Programming said via the press release. “Jane, Dan and everyone on the Bad Wolf team have done such a tremendous job bringing Philip’s beloved world to life, and I cannot wait for the fans to get a front row seat to all that is in store in this gripping and poignant final chapter,”Orsi stated.
According to the HBO presser, His Dark Materials is produced by Bad Wolf with McCulloch, Jane Tranter (Casualty, Bramwell), Joel Collins (Outside the Wire, Black Mirror), and Julie Gardner (Doctor Who, Torchwood). Pullman also serves as a producer under New Line Cinema with Carolyn Blackwood (The Hobbit, The Women), Deborah Forte (Clifford’s Really Big Movie, Goosebumps), Toby Emmerich (Frequency, Wonder Woman 3), Jack Thorne (Bunny, Harry Potter and the Curse Child), and Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech, Cats). Ben Irving (The Duchess, Paddington) is attached via BBC.
The first two seasons of His Dark Materials are available on HBO Max.