What We Know About "HIS DARK MATERIALS" Season 3 - So Far

With His Dark Materials set to have a third and final season, The BBC & HBO are set to adapt The Amber Spyglass and complete Lyra and Will's story. With Season Three set to begin production this spring into November, we've got a bit of time to kill before we can watch the final season.

In the meantime, here's the top six details we know about the production so far:

War is on its way... What is happening?

The upcoming season is based on the third and final book in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials book series, The Amber Spyglass. The rebellion against the Authority becomes open warfare, with Asriel working to build a new Republic of Heaven. But to achieve his ends he needs the Subtle Knife, which is currently in Will's hands.

Lyra has been captured by Mrs Coulter, who is determined to stop her daughter from fulfilling the witches' prophecy and becoming the second Eve, in turn saving humanity.

The main cast are reprising their roles - with more James McAvoy!

The BBC has confirmed that the following characters will all feature: Lyra (Dafne Keen), Will (Amir Wilson), Mrs Coulter (Ruth Wilson), Dr Mary Malone (Simone Kirby), Serafina Pekkala (Ruta Gedmintas), Ruta Skadi (Jade Anouka), and Lord Asriel (James McAvoy).

McAvoy had an entire episode dedicated to him for Season 2 - which would have explored his arc between the end of Northern Lights/Golden Compass to the beginning of Amber Spyglass, but due to production delays (thanks to the virus pandemic we shall not name) the episode had to cut. However, a monologue that was dedicated to his solo episode was rewritten into Season 2's finale where McAvoy gave a surprise reprisal.

According to screenwriter Jack Thorne through a Twitter Q&A, McAvoy is set to return with a bigger role alongside the main cast.

Time Jump! Three years to be exact:

Producer Jane Tranter confirmed in an interview on the Her Dark Materials podcast, there will be a time jump between Season Two and Three, aging up the characters along with the actors Amir and Dafne. There have always been plans to age up the characters for the final season since series one and that is understandable, considering how dark the story gets - so this would make Lyra sixteen and Will seventeen/eighteen by the time they are reunited.

This raises a lot of questions about the timeline, especially since Will would be determined to save one of the few people he cares for and Lyra is comatose during her captivity. However, this should be a great chance to explore the characters' fledging relationship with them older and also give these talented actors the chance to deliver some moving performances.

Eight Episodes - Yep, Eight

Although there were eight episodes in Season One and unintentional seven episodes in Season Two - There were early talks of Amber Spyglass being split into two seasons or having a ten episode arc.

However, the BBC have ordered eight episodes based on Bad Wolf's scripts and outlines pitched and from his Twitter post, Thorne seems confident the story can be told in eight episodes. So far, it looks like Jack Thorne is penning all the scripts of the final season himself.

A Love Story Between Gay Angels - I ship it!

Actors Oliver Monaghan and I-Kay Agu were originally cast to play the angels lovers Baruch and Balthamos ahead of Season 2's premiere. It turns out, though, the pair were later cut and, consequently, won't appear on the show until Season 3 - According to CBR.

In Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials book trilogy, Baruch and Balthamos are lovers who play a significant role in the events of the third novel, The Amber Spyglass. The two initially approach Will at the end of the second book, The Subtle Knife, in hopes of convincing him to follow them and bring the subtle knife to Lord Asriel. However, Will refuses to do so until he's found Lyra, who's only just been kidnapped by her mother, Mrs. Coulter, after she tracked Lyra and Will to the mountains near Cittagàzze.

During a Twitter Q&A with His Dark Materials showrunner Jack Thorne, it was revealed a scene had originally been written for Baruch and Balthamos in Season 2. However, according to Thorne, "the mechanics of series 3 (when we started discussing it) for lots of complicated reasons meant it was best to end without them." He went on to assure fans the two are featured "very heavily" in the scripts for the show's recently confirmed Season 3, describing them as "magnificent to write."

Although it makes sense that they wanted to focus on the father/son reunion and those subsequent tragedy that follows for Will, I did miss these characters in the show's final moments - although we DID get our first glimpse of the angels. This was my first time reading a queer romance in a book when I was younger and I cannot wait to see Oliver Monaghan and I-Kay Agu play out this relationship on screen.

The Story May Continue...

With His Dark Materials chronicling Lyra's growth from childhood into adolescence, Pullman has written two books set before and after these events, with a third planned in the Book of Dust trilogy. The first novel in The Book of Dust series, La Belle Sauvage, begins with Lyra as a baby, and gives some backstory on Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter, played by James McAvoy and Ruth Wilson on the BBC show. The second book, The Secret Commonwealth, is set after the original trilogy, with Lyra as a 20-year-old undergraduate.

Jane Tranter has expressed interest in tackling these books in the future, with La Belle giving a chance for Wilson and McAvoy to delve into Asrial and Mrs. Coulter's past and Secret Commonwealth exploring Lyra as an undergraduate suffering with depression:

“The Secret Commonwealth is one of the best books I’ve ever read,” Tranter said. “I just don’t think there is a better study of depression, in some ways, in a fantasy landscape. It’s the most exciting story but, like everything Philip does, it has many levels to it. And it’s an extraordinary piece… so huge and ambitious. But if anyone ever gave us the opportunity to do it, we’d be there.”

His Dark Materials has actually already adapted a bit of The Book of Dust, with a scene from the end of La Belle Sauvage making its way into the first season. And writer Jack Thorne has hinted that there may be more scenes like that coming in the future. “I’m not going to name anything particularly, but I’ll tell you what we did do, and what we do all the time,” he said. “We’ve got the sort of encyclopaedia in our heads. And we are constantly referring to that. So you pull bits of character from stuff.”

If Bad Wolf Productions get the rights to adapt this trilogy, this would be a great opportunity for Wilson and McAvoy to take centre stage - as for the two other books, I assume they would want Keen to reprise her role as Lyra and therefore, would most likely wait a few years till she's old enough to play Lyra in university.

Hope this article is useful to any fans who like me, is eagerly waiting for more news for the final season. I think 2021 will be a year to Dust off (pun intended) my His Dark Materials paperbacks and delve into Pullman's fantastical writing.