'His Dark Materials' Drops The First Trailer for Season 2
With COVID-19 decimating filming schedules across the world in 2020, the fall TV season is understandably up in the air. However, there are a few shows that fans can look forward to because the productions worked so far in advance. His Dark Materials, a massive hit in the U.K. (and a modest one for HBO here in the U.S.), is one of those, having started work on Season 2 months before Season 1 premiered on BBC One. With so much anticipation riding on the series helping carry fantasy fans through the back half of 2020, the show was one of San Diego Comic-Con's high-profile panels for the first day of the "at home" virtual convention.
The series didn't disappoint either. Much of the panel from last year's Comic Con dialed in for a virtual conversation broadcast on YouTube to talk about the show with moderator Stacey Wilson Hunt. Both producer Jane Tranter and writer Jack Thorne (Harry Potter & The Cursed Child) returned, along with cast members Ruth Wilson (Mrs. Wilson), who plays Mrs. Coulter, Dafne Keen (The Refugees), who plays Lyra, and Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton), who plays Lee Scoresby. Newcomers this year included Amir Wilson (A Letter For The King), who was a surprise part of the first season as Will Parry, as well as Season 1's breakout star Ariyon Bakare who plays Lord Boreal. Also, Andrew Scott (Sherlock), who plays Will's father John Parry, joined the panel. He will appear in person on the show for the first time in Season 2. (His appearances in Season 1 were limited to videos and photographs.)
Both Tranter and Thorne emphasized how grateful they were to the fans for coming along with them on the on-screen journey, and Tranter touted that Sir Philip Pullman, the series' author, had reached out to everyone in the cast to thank them for their performances, and express how pleased he was with the results. Keen talked about how great an experience this has been for her -- her father, actor Will Keen, is also in the show as Father MacPhail, though their paths haven't really crossed. (She is glad her father's character hasn't killed anyone, so far. "That's great!")
