The Philip Pullman adaptation will draw to a close as it adapts ‘The Amber Spyglass’.
The long awaited third run of His Dark Materials is nearly upon us, with the BBC dropping a trailer.
The show, drawn from the works of Philip Pullman has reached the final part of the trilogy; ‘The Amber Spyglass’ 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.
Here’s the synopsis for Series 3:
At the end of series two we saw Lord Asriel call upon the angels to help him wage a war against the Kingdom of Heaven, as Mrs Coulter abducted her daughter Lyra to take her to ‘safety’ in their own world.
Series three opens with Lyra unconscious, having been given a sleeping draught by her mother, as Will, still carrying the Subtle Knife, continues his quest to find her. Will is tracked down by two angels – Balthamos and Baruch – who wish to take him to join Lord Asriel’s campaign against The Authority with Commander Ogunwe. But Will is not the only one after Lyra, with Father President MacPhail continuing his mission to destroy the child of the prophecy, employing the help of his most committed follower, Father Gomez.
Meanwhile Oxford physicist Mary Malone reaches another parallel world – that of the Mulefa, a strange animal-like species. They tell her of a cataclysmic phenomenon in their world.
With multiple new worlds, including the Land Of The Dead, returning characters and featuring strange new creatures the Mulefa and Gallivespians, the third series will bring Philip Pullman’s masterpiece to a dramatic conclusion.
Along with Amir Wilson and Dafne Keen, returnees include Ruth Wilson (Mrs Coulter) Simone Kirby (Mary Malone) and James McAvoy (Lord Asriel). Plus, Will Keen (Father President MacPhail), Jade Anouka (Ruta Skadi), Ruta Gedmintas (Serafina Pekkala). Oh, and as the trailer reveals, Lin-Manuel Miranda as Lee Scoresby.
New faces
Joining the cast for series three are Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Commander Ogunwe and Jamie Ward as Father Gomez. Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Simon Harrison and Chipo Chung are the rebel angels Balthamos, Baruch and Xaphania, while Amber Fitzgerald-Woolfe plays Ama.
Also, as previously reported, Sian Clifford as Agent Salmakia and Jonathan Aris playing Commander Roke.
Amit Gupta directs the first two episodes, followed by Charles Martin and Weronika Tofilska. The show comes from Bad Wolf Productions and its executive producers are Jane Tranter and Dan McCulloch. Writers Jack Thorne and Francesca Gardiner also executive produce, with Amelia Spencer also writing and acting as a consulting producer. Also, executive producing are Ryan Rasmussen, Julie Gardner and Joel Collins for Bad Wolf; Philip Pullman; Deborah Forte; Toby Emmerich and Carolyn Blackwood for New Line Cinema; and Ben Irving for the BBC.
His Dark Materials lands in the US on HBO beginning December 5th. The UK date is unconfirmed as yet.
If you need to catch up before Series 3’s launch, both previous series are available on BBC iPlayer.