Mom and Dad are still fighting in the first teaser for His Dark Materials season three
The BBC and HBO series will close out its adaptation of the Philip Pullman novels later this year
HBO has announced that the third and final season of His Dark Materials will begin airing in December, right on time for when you’d want to watch something that involves a giant polar bear running around. Co-produced by the BBC, the show has been praised for its thoughtful adaptation of Philip Pullman’s beloved trilogy of fantasy novels—a proposed film series starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig failed to take off after its first and only installment was released in 2007.
His Dark Materials stars Dafne Keen as Lyra Belacqua, a young girl who finds out that her parents (James McAvoy and Ruth Wilson) are on opposing sides of a multi-dimensional battle. In the first teaser for season three, which adapts the book The Amber Spyglass, the series’ rich world is on full display, hinting at plenty of action for angels, daemons, witches, and, of course, the armored bear Iorek Byrnison.
McAvoy is making his first major appearance since the debut season. While his character was not a significant part of the second novel The Subtle Knife, the show intended to focus on him in a standalone episode that had to be cut when the pandemic shut down filming. The third season is now back up to a full eight episodes.
Another familiar face also returns: Lin-Manuel Miranda as Lee Scoresby, who had seemingly met his demise in the second season. (Sorry, Hot Priest fans: it looks like Andrew Scott’s John Parry is gone for good.)
His Dark Materials also co-stars Amir Wilson, Simone Kirby, Will Keen, Jade Anouka, Ruta Gedminstas, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, and Jamie Ward.
Season three of His Dark Materials will air on HBO and HBO Max beginning on December 5, with two episodes available weekly.