No, the BBC nor AMC have not officially announced there will be a second season of the critically-acclaimed miniseries The Night Manager with Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie. But a spokesperson for the BBC may have given us hope to expect one in the coming years.
A BBC spokesperson revealed to the Hollywood Reporter:
The Ink Factory, BBC and AMC are in the early stages of developing a potential second series of The Night Manager, but nothing is definite yet and we have nothing to announce.
On Thursday, the BBC did confirm that a second season was in the early stages of development, but because they are not yet sure of the script, they did reportedly emphasize that it very well could not come to fruition. But the fact that they are even considering the revival is no doubt encouraging news for fans.
It is no surprise that the series, originally intended to be a single season, six-part adaptation of the 1993 novel by John Le Carre, wants to capitalize on the popularity and success found with the first season. Filming took place in multiple locations, including the UK, Morocco, Switzerland, Spain, and Egypt, and the series reportedly cost around $30 million for the entire season, meaning $5 million per episode. The Night Manager attracted 6.14 million viewers for its British television premiere on BBC, and total US viewership of 1.6 million for the US television premiere, the highest ratings ever for an AMC premiere.
And there’s no doubt AMC and BBC are also considering future awards seasons, given that The Night Manager was not only a ratings machine, but also was an awards shows favorite, garnering nominations at both the Golden Globes and the Emmys. At the Golden Globes, Hiddleston took home Best Actor in a Limited Series, while Laurie and Olivia Colman got Best Supporting Actor and Actress in a Limited Series, respectively. It was also nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Limited Series on TV, but lost to American Crime Story: The People v. O. J. Simpson. The Emmys also recognized The Night Manager with 12 nominations, including wins for series director Susanne Bier for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, as well as composer Victor Reyes for Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited Series. The other nominations included recognitions for casting, writing, main title design, original main title theme music, sound editing and sound mixing.
If the second season does happen, this will not the first time a limited series has been extended to become an actual series. Downton Abbey and Fargo are just a few of the miniseries in the last few years that found new stories to tell. The only foreseeable problem would be to pin down their main stars, but at the moment, that seems to not be an issue. Hiddleston is currently lending his voice to the Aardman Animation’s upcoming stop-motion film Early Man, which will also stars Eddie Redmayne. Meanwhile Laurie is set to join Stephen Fry and Freddie Highmore in the animated film The Canterville Ghost, an adaptation of a Oscar Wilde short story. With neither actors having any demanding projects set for the near future, the second season of The Night Manager may indeed become a reality. Stay tuned for more updates.