The BBC and HBO Announce Premiere Date For 'His Dark Materials' Season 3
His Dark Materials got lucky and unlucky in the BBC's decision to speed greenlight the series and start filming Season 2 before it debuted in November 2019. It meant Season 2 was nearly done when the pandemic hit, with only the final episode altered to make it work. But that meant fans have waited over two years between Seasons 2's 2020 debut and 2022's Season 3 arrival. At the New York Comic-Con panel, executive producers Jane Tranter and Dan McCulloch promised multiple brand-new locations, many of which had to be built from the ground up, to make up for it.
Tranter also said the third book proved super challenging to adapt, and the series strived to make it the most grounded emotionally because the worlds they spend time in are so outlandish. Author Philip Pullman actually apologized at one point, for leaving them "a lot of problems with The Amber Spyglass." Not meaning the fantastical stuff, mind you, but Asriel not having enough to do on the page. James McAvoy admitted he was really glad to be back for Season 3, especially since season 2 was such a truncated role.
However, the two years that have passed were most reflected in Amir Wilson and Dafne Keen, the latter of whom appeared with satellite video. Wilson had a full beard, while Keen looked post-college. Unfortunately, Ruth Wilson couldn't attend but appeared via recording thanking everyone for waiting for so long, before the series debuted the trailer and surprise release date that will come in December.
