What we know about His Dark Materials Season 2: cast, trailer, more

HBO/BBC

HBO has recently announced that the second season of His Dark Materials, which is based on the second book in the Philip Pullman-authored series titled The Subtle Knife, will be hitting the network in just over a month. Here’s what we know about the second season.

It’s safe to say that His Dark Materials is a huge show for both HBO and the BBC. The series’ second season had a notably unusual time schedule, with the season getting a renewal and production starting before the first one was even released, which is usually a sign that the studio is extremely confident in the project. Now, a year after the first season hit TV screens, the new season is almost upon fans.

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But who’s in the new season, what could it possibly be about, and when is the first episode actually dropping on HBO and HBO Max? Here’s what you need to know.

Cast and plot

According to HBO, Season 2 of His Dark Materials picks up right where Season 1 left off. The bridge between the multiverse has been made and Lyra has stepped through it and into a “bright new world”. As previously mentioned, it’s going to be based on the second book in the series, The Subtle Knife.

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Most of the cast from the first season is returning, including stars Dafne Keen, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ruth Wilson, Will Keen, and more. There is, however, one notable exception. James McAvoy, who played Lord Asriel in the first season, may not be appearing in the season due to the state of the world.

While almost all of the first season was filmed before everything shut down, it was already confirmed by Deadline back in July 2020, that an episode based entirely around his character, which was planned for Season 2, won’t be released.

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While it’s unclear if this means he won’t be appearing in any capacity, don’t expect him to show up too much.

His Dark Materials Season 2 Trailer

Season 2 Release Date

Given everything going on in the world, it’s almost an unspoken assumption that everything in the entertainment world would be delayed. That being said, given the fact that filming for the series wrapped in December 2019, the production team were more than likely able to work on the visual effects at home, which allowed the series to stay on schedule.

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On October 12, 2020, HBO announced that His Dark Materials Season 2 will be making its debut on November 16, 2020, almost a year exactly after the release of the first season.

We’ll be updating this article as more info comes out, however, given the fact we’re so close to the premiere, there may not be any new info for a while.