The HBO and BBC series His Dark Materials, based on the novels by Philip Pullman, was renewed for its third and final season, according to Deadline. The news of renewal was announced just as the second season is set to conclude on Monday, December 28. Despite being renewed for a final season, His Dark Materials is not being ended early due to the series, and its seasons were adapted from three respective novels from Pullman.
According to its description on HBO, His Dark Materials “follows Lyra, a brave young woman from another world. Lyra’s quest to find her kidnapped friend leads her to uncover a sinister plot of a secret organization, encounter extraordinary beings and protect dangerous secrets.” The second season, consisting of seven episodes, centered around Lyra, played by Dafne Keen (Logan), as she grieves the death of her best friend which leads her to embark upon a new journey in an abandoned city where she meets Will, played by Amir Wilson (The Letter for the King). Season two of the series features Ariyon Bakare (Life), Andrew Scott (Spectre), Will Keen (Titanic), and Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton).
Each season of the series follows the respective plot of each novel in the trilogy. Pullman’s first book in the trilogy, entitled Northern Lights or The Golden Compass in North America, began Lyra’s journey in search of her missing friend, Roger Parslow, in a parallel universe. The next book, released in 1997 and entitled The Subtle Knife, follows Lyra’s uncovering of “Dust,” the mysterious substance that her uncle, Lord Asriel, experiments with which was initially revealed in the first book. Her friend Will Parry is also introduced in this book. The third novel, entitled The Amber Spyglass and released in 2000, follows Lyra and Will as war wages across the universe and their lives become endangered.
Executive Vice President of HBO expressed her excitement for His Dark Materials’ return: “Bringing Phillip Pullman’s epic, intricate and culturally resonant body of work to television has been a tremendous privilege. We thank our incredible partners at the BBC and the entire Bad Wold team, led by the indefatigable Jane Tranter, for their exceptional work on the first two seasons. We look forward to completing the trilogy with this final chapter in Lyra’s journey,” via Deadline.
BBC Drama Commissioning Editor Ben Irving agreed, stating, “It’s been a joy to see how His Dark Materials has brought British TV audiences of all ages together on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Fans of Phillip Pullman’s incredible books, and newcomers alike, have been enthralled by adventuring with Lyra and Will through multiple worlds. We are thrilled that they will be able to continue their journey in the third series of this beautifully realized drama,” via Deadline.
The final season of His Dark Materials is set to begin production in Cardiff, Wales in 2021.
Image Credit: Raymond Flotat