When it comes to some of the most fantastical movies or TV shows, the first thing I always think of is the best fantasy movies or the best fantasy series, because those are the best kinds of escape. But this list is for those who want a massive sheet of some of the best fantasy adaptations that are awesome to watch – and will totally transport you to another world.

Harry Potter Franchise

I mean, if you know me, you know I love the Harry Potter franchise and no matter what, I will stand by it until the end of time – even if the author sometimes makes me want to cringe. Either way, the Harry Potter movies are some of the best out there, and the worldbuilding that has expanded from this series has only made it that much better.

The Lord Of The Rings

I don’t think I could do a fantasy adaptation list without mentioning The Lord of the Rings movies. Based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings is the kind of fantasy that only comes once in a lifetime, and the moment you get into these movies, you’ll never be the same.

The Wheel Of Time

Based on the novel series of the same name, The Wheel of Time is the kind of high fantasy that has so much going on with it that you’re going to need an entire glossary of terms to keep up with the worldbuilding. But there’s no denying that this series is a fun one – and one of the best shows to watch on Amazon.

Shadowhunters

Based on The Mortal Instruments novels by Cassandra Clare, Shadowhunters is all about a girl who finds out on her eighteenth birthday that she comes from a long line of Shadowhunters, human-angel hybrids whose job is to hunt down demons. It’s just as wild as you could probably imagine.

His Dark Materials

Based on the novels by Philip Pullman, His Dark Materials is the kind of fantasy drama that truly takes it to another level. It’s the kind of fantasy series that I really don’t want to dive too heavily into because it’ll reveal so much. Still, the main premise is about a teenager looking for a lost friend and finding out things related to her life that she never would have imagined. The fantasy is ever-changing, as they move from several different worlds, which is so cool.

The Sandman

If you’re looking for a fantasy drama with a tinge of the supernatural, then The Sandman is the show for you. The series, hailing from Netflix and based on the comic book of the same name, follows the personification of Dreams, who is captured for a century and then breaks out, aiming to restore his power.

Game Of Thrones

I have to put Game of Thrones on here. How could I not put this series? From the Game of Thrones cast to the heartbreaking deaths we witness, the shocking Game of Thrones moments, this series has it all if you’re looking for an intense fantasy show that will keep you hooked for eight seasons straight – even if the last one isn’t that great.

Outlander

While Outlander isn’t the typical fantasy I would put here, it’s still a fantasy nonetheless. Based on the novels of the same name, Outlander follows the story of a WWII nurse who somehow travels back in time and falls in love with a Highland warrior. Yes, that is the plot, and yes, it’s just as swoon-worthy as you can imagine. It’s one of the best Starz shows, for sure.

A Discovery Of Witches

For all the ones out there who love witches, you have to check out A Discovery of Witches. Based on the All Souls trilogy by Deborah Harkness, A Discovery of Witches follows a historian who must work together with a vampire in order to protect a bewitched manuscript from the hands of evil monsters.

Wicked

Out of every movie I was imagining to put on here, Wicked was one I knew had to appear. This movie, based on the Broadway musical and, in turn, based on a novel about the wicked witch called Wicked, the film follows the life of the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba, and how she was actually once friends with Glinda the Good Witch. Truly such an iconic piece of cinema.

Once Upon A Time

If you love all those incredible Disney movies but want to see them in an adult way, then Once Upon a Time is the series for you. Many of the episodes and characters are based on classic fairy tales. The series is all about a boy discovering that the people who live in this new town they traveled to are actually all storybook characters.

Percy Jackson And The Olympians

While I’m toeing the line between Greek mythology and fantasy, I still believe these novels are more fantasy than anything else, and Percy Jackson and the Olympians are the best adaptations of them. The series is about a young man who finds out he is a demi-god, the son of Poseidon, and must go on a quest to retrieve Zeus’ lightning bolt to prove his innocence and restore order.

Attack On Titan

As much as Attack on Titan has traumatized me with its heartbreaking deaths, at the end of the day, it is a dark fantasy anime because this world most certainly does not exist. The series mainly follows Eren Yeager, a recruit of the Scout Regiment, who aims to explore beyond the three walls of their human civilization and take down humanoid Titans who seek to kill them. But there's A LOT more about this series that you will never expect – so go into it with an open mind. It’s based on the manga with the same name.

The Green Knight

Based on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, this movie is a visual masterpiece, and I need more people to watch it. The film, starring Dev Patel, follows a young man named Gawain who travels to face the titular Green Knight, a giant, green humanoid of a man who challenges those who come across him.

Locke & Key

Based on the novel of the same name, Locke & Key is a fantasy drama that follows the lives of three siblings who discover several keys throughout their new home that lead to mysterious doors. They unknowingly unlock gates that bring in dangerous entities that turn their lives upside down. While it’s not as crazy of a fantasy, it’s still a fun one with some cool visuals.

The Witcher

The Witcher is based on the novels of the same name and primarily follows the story of Geralt of Rivia. This monster hunter is known as a “witcher,” and his time was spent not only protecting the princess of Cintra but also running into horrors you could never imagine. Some of these monsters, man…they are a lot.

Sweet Tooth

Based on the novel of the same name, Sweet Tooth mainly follows a boy who is a deer hybrid after a virus has killed most of the world’s population. In this story, he looks to find his mother after his father passes, taking him on a fantastic journey.

The Hobbit

If you like The Lord of the Rings, chances are, you’re going to like The Hobbit. The movies are a prequel to famous films, and they follow Bilbo Baggins as he travels across the realm to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from a dragon that has overtaken it. This is J.R.R. Tolkien, so you know it’s going to be an intense fantasy.

The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina

While The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina takes place in the modern day, there are plenty of moments in this that make it stand out as a fantastical fantasy series. Based on the comics of the same name, it follows Sabrina, a witch who, on her sixteenth birthday, must decide between leaving her mortal life behind to fully become a witch or leaving that to embrace her friends.

Arcane

Hands down, Arcane is one of the best shows on Netflix to binge-watch. The series, based on the video game franchise League of Legends, takes you into the worlds of both Piltover and Zaun, an overcity and the underground one beneath, where two sisters are separated by years of tragedy and are thrown into a magical conspiracy you could never imagine.

House Of The Dragon

If you liked Game of Thrones, you’ll probably enjoy House of the Dragon. Based on Fire and Blood by George R.R. Martin, the new series follows the life of the Targaryen family tree, mainly during the time of the Dance of Dragons, where two Targaryen heirs fight for the throne and cause thousands of deaths.

Good Omens

Based on the novel of the same name, Good Omens is a hilarious fantasy comedy that follows a demon and an angel who are representatives of heaven and hell – oh, and they just so happen to be friends despite coming from two completely different sides. And now, they must work together to prevent Armageddon and the Antichrist.

My Lady Janes

My Lady Jane, based on the novel of the same name, follows the titular character as she is convinced to marry a lord while also trying to vie for the throne of England – oh, and people in this world just so happen to possess the ability to take animal forms, so…there’s that fantasy twist. Seriously, this show is wacky but fun all the same, and it's a cute fantasy romp.

The Chronicles Of Narnia

I have to put The Chronicles of Narnia movies on here, even if there have only been three, but these films seriously take you to another world on a different level. The series is obviously based on the novels of the same name and follows the lives of siblings who discover that there is a whole other world on the opposite end of their wardrobe back home.

One Piece

Okay, before you get mad, I am not going to recommend the anime to you because trying to catch up with that will take you years. However, I will recommend the Netflix adaptation. The series, based on the manga of the same name, follows Monkey D. Luffy, a wannabe pirate who builds a crew to find a famous treasure in order to become King of the Pirates—oh, and he also has awesome magical powers that are crazy.

The Golden Compass

Based on Northern Lights by Philip Pullman, The Golden Compass is actually another adaptation of His Dark Materials, but it takes a lot more of a deep dive into fantasy. The main character, Lyra, travels by sea to the North in order to search for kidnapped children. It’s an epic fantasy.

Wednesday

While Wednesday certainly took the world by storm when it first came out, it’s still a fun, dark fantasy to watch. Based on the Addams Family franchise, the series follows Wednesday Addams as she attends a fantasy academy with all kinds of beasts, only to find out that her father is connected to a murder that occurred years ago, and now she must solve it herself.

The Princess Bride

Based on the novel of the same name, The Princess Bride follows a farmhand who travels across the land with some friends to rescue his beloved. The film is a comedy at its core, with hilarious moments and fun fantasy aspects, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants something light for an afternoon.

A Series Of Unfortunate Events

Based on the novels by Lemony Snicket, A Series of Unfortunate Events follows the lives of recent orphans Violet, Klaus, and Sunny. They struggle to find a permanent foster home as they are relentlessly hounded by Count Olaf, who seeks to claim their parents' fortune. This fun series has so many twists and turns, and the fantasy aspects are fun.

Warrior Nun

Based on the comic Warrior Nun Areala, this fantasy drama will have you on the edge of your seat. The series follows the life of a former quadriplegic orphan who discovers that she has powers now and must join an order of warrior nuns to fight against demons. Yes, this is a crazy premise and one that is perfect for dark fantasy.

Shadow And Bone

Based on the novels of the same name, as well as Six of Crows, the series follows the story of Alina Starkov, who, after believing herself to be powerless, finds out that she is a Grisha with a powerful ability that could save her world. While there are only two seasons, it’s a fun one to follow.

Cursed

Based on the book of the same name, Cursed is a one-season fantasy series that reimagines the King Arthur story. The series follows Nimue, a heroine who goes on a quest with Arthur to bear an ancient sword to Merlin. Arthur takes her on an adventure filled with beasts and magic.

While these are just some of the most fun fantasy adaptations out there, all of these are great picks, and there are so many others, too, that I didn’t even have the chance to write down. It’s time to escape.

Some of the very best movies and TV shows set in the fantasy genre are based on books, with Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings film trilogy arguably as a standout example of how an adaptation can succeed with the right approach to the source material. On the other side of the spectrum, Game of Thrones had wildly diverged from George R.R. Martins's A Song of Ice and Fire by the end and resulted in the infamous final season. And then we have His Dark Materials.

The His Dark Materials saga has been the source of controversy going back to the content of the first book (called Northern Lights before being brought over to the U.S. as The Golden Compass) of the original trilogy, published by Philip Pullman back in 1995. Throw in a movie adaptation called The Golden Compass that failed to created a film franchise, and the later HBO adaptation starring Dafne Keen and James McAvoy had a lot working against it.

Now, Philip Pullman is set to finish the second trilogy in the saga about Lyra Silvertongue, and the news really makes me want to revisit the seriously underrated TV show.

The Next Book

The novel trilogy following His Dark Materials is technically separate, falling under the title The Book of Dust instead. That said, the second trio of novels still heavily features characters from The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass, and they're set in the same world that was saved by Lyra and Will.

La Belle Sauvage was the first of the sequel trilogy to be published, back in 2017. The Secret Commonwealth was up next in 2019, and then the wait began for the third and final book. While fans like me who are enduring George R.R Martin's lengthy delays in releasing the next A Song of Ice and Fire book might have despaired a bit as the years passed without Pullman's next book, readers can now celebrate.

The Book of Dust: The Rose Field is officially set to be released on October 23, 2025 with a North American first printing of 300,000 copies. The timing couldn't be better, as 2025 also marks the 30-year anniversary of the publication of Northern Lights, which would of course be retitled The Golden Compass for American markets. (Maybe George R.R Martin could take notes on finishing The Winds of Winter, as 2026 will be the 30-year anniversary of A Game of Thrones' release as his first book set in the world of Westeros.)

I won't go deeply into plot details here since the news has me back in a His Dark Materials state of mind, but news of the release date comes with confirmation that The Rose Field will pick up where The Secret Commonwealth left off for Lyra and Pantalaimon. Will Parry of course isn't Lyra's main friend/foil in the Book of Dust trilogy after how His Dark Materials ended, but Lyra does have a cast of post-HDM characters around her... and who knows? Maybe Will will somehow get a cameo.

Adaptations Of His Dark Materials

As an adaptation of fantasy novels, the HBO/BBC joint production of His Dark Materials somehow never quite took off like Harry Potter or Game of Thrones or even The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power with its journey into the world of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic. That's not altogether shocking, as it lacks the magic and whimsy of Harry Potter but never gets nearly as dark and bloody as A Song of Ice and Fire.

Plus, controversies about His Dark Materials and religion became mainstream when the Golden Compass film released in 2007 and failed to launch a franchise. The movie was in fact so widely panned both as a film and an adaptation of Philip Pullman's book that a prevailing opinion about the TV series ahead of its premiere was potential viewers hoping that it wouldn't suck. If this sounds like a lot of naysaying as part of a feature about how I think an adaptation is underrated, bear with me.

The intricacies of the books always meant that a movie would have to cut a lot of the details that make them so engrossing to read and tear-jerking to finish, and television was an ideal way to bring the world of Lyra to life in live-action. My point is that the HBO/BBC series had a lot going against it from the start, and I truly wish more people were talking about it when it aired from 2019-2022.

His Dark Materials TV Show

I can be a bit of a stickler for details when it comes to book adaptations, to the point that I am one of the people who took issue with the Wuthering Heights castings, and the nearly three years since Netflix released its unfortunate take on Jane Austen's Persuasion evidently are not enough for me to get over it. But some adaptations handle the source material with enough care that the changes just work, like Keira Knightley's 2005 production of Pride & Prejudice...and, as it turns out, HBO's His Dark Materials.

The show was faithful in most of the ways that mattered, in my opinion, even if I didn't get my wish for certain moments from The Amber Spyglass not to be cut. Aging up Lyra (Dafne Keen) and Will (Amir Wilson) was a great move for a show that was going to run for multiple seasons with the same two young stars, since teenagers can get away with playing the same age for a few years, whereas there's a big difference between 11 and 19. (See: the Stranger Things kids.)

The series also expanded on the roles of James McAvoy's Asriel and Ruth Wilson's Mrs. Coulter, and a whole episode dedicated to Asriel's off-screen adventures would have been produced if not for COVID production challenges.

Is His Dark Materials a fantastical romp with a happily-ever-after for all the heroes? It is not. (Kudos to the show, though, because I was convinced that I wouldn't cry since I already knew the ending, and Will and Lyra got me at the very end anyway.) It's not as magical as Harry Potter or as brutal as Game of Thrones, and perhaps His Dark Materials would have caught on more as a TV show if it was clearer who the target audience was.

The books probably should be classified as novels aimed at kids, and the two protagonists are kids, but there are certainly adult themes, and I doubt I would have appreciated the show as much when I first read the books as a teen as I did as an adult. On the whole, though, I'm always happy to recommend His Dark Materials to any fantasy fan. So, would I like to see the novels of The Book of Dust adapted into a show like the previous trilogy once The Rose Field is available?

Well, that might be trickier when it comes to the timeline of the books, and characters would likely have to be recast if the two shows were meant to be canonical to each other. At the very least, I can look forward to the final book of Philip Pullman's saga... and perhaps even stop being petty about George R.R. Martin and The Winds of Winter in the process.

If you want to check out the His Dark Materials TV show or just rewatch it, you can find all three seasons streaming with a Max subscription now.

One full year has passed since the series finale of His Dark Materials aired to complete the TV adaptation of Philip Pullman's novel trilogy, deliver the heartbreaking endings for Will and Lyra, and undoubtedly leave plenty of fans in tears. I was certainly one of those fans, even though the final season didn't include all of the book moments I'd been hoping for. On the anniversary of the finale, I thought back to my interviews for the third and final season, and comments from James McAvoy just make me wish all over again that there was a way to get the missing Asriel episode.

The missing episode actually isn't one that was meant to be part of Season 3, but was cut from Season 2. It was intended to cover what Asriel had been doing between the end of Season 1 and where his story picks up in Season 3, since James McAvoy was absent for almost the entire second season. Unfortunately, the episode was intended to film in March 2020, and COVID production shutdowns meant that Asriel's adventure never made it to screen. Even now, facing the 2024 TV schedule, the plan sounds too epic to never see the light of day.

Asriel's one and only appearance in Season 2 after the standalone episode was scrapped came in the season finale, when he delivered a grand speech to recruit legions of angels to his war against the Authority. When I spoke with James McAvoy and Ruth Wilson, who respectively played Asriel and Mrs. Coulter, for Season 3 in 2022, I asked the Split actor if any elements of the missing episode had been incorporated in the final round of episodes. He shared: 

Honestly, just seeing Cittàgaze again would be a treat! It really sounds like fans missed out on what would have been one of the series' standout episodes when the project had to be scrapped. I can't help but wish that there was a way that it could still be produced. Since Lyra and Will wouldn't be in Cittàgaze at the same time, it wouldn't even matter that the young actors are visibly older! Asriel's speech in the Season 2 finale to the angels was epic, but we could have gotten so much more. McAvoy went on:

How am I supposed to not want to see that?! The final season seemed to fly by, not least because two episodes aired per week once the show returned to HBO in 2022. A bonus episode with Asriel's unseen adventures would have been great if it delivered even part of what James McAvoy described, but alas.

Of course, His Dark Materials did find a way to fill in the blanks of what Asriel was attempting in the third season without having one full episode to set it up. As executive producer Jane Tranter explained to CinemaBlend in 2022, the solution was "having Ogunwe be able to ask Asriel questions like us as an audience member asking."

Viewers learned Asriel's plan just as Ogunwe – played by the excellent Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje – did early on in the third season, so I didn't get the sense while watching that anything in particular was missing. But it really would have been nice to get that planned Asriel episode. 

While I'm not particularly optimistic that a standalone episode of a show that already ended more than a year ago will ever be produced, I do still appreciate that James McAvoy shed some light on what could have been. Plus, it's not hard to revisit every episode of the show that was filmed. All three seasons are streaming with a Max subscription now.

Some movies are lucky enough to become a huge hit with great potential for a sequel, only for those plans to get scrapped for one reason or another. On the other hand, some movies are released with the intention of building an entire franchise, only to be met with poor box office returns, a negative reception from critics and audiences, or other circumstances that ultimately crush those dreams. Either scenario happens more often than Hollywood would like to admit, as you can see from the plentiful examples we have collected here. 

Alex Rider

Younger fans of the James Bond movies got to see what a version of 007 from their demographic would be like with author Anthony Horowitz’s “Alex Rider” series. Unfortunately, the 2006 adaptation of the first novel, Stormbreaker — starring Alex Pettyfer — was also the last of the teen spy’s big screen adventures after it earned a 36% Rotten Tomatoes score and disastrously low domestic earnings, according to Box Office Mojo.

The Amazing Spider-Man

Unmatched box office expectations and dismal critical reception for The Amazing Spider-Man 2, as well as Andrew Garfield being “let go” for his last-minute absence at a Sony event in Brazil (according to The Guardian), led to the discontinuation of the Marvel web-slinger’s second big screen franchise, which was also meant to include multiple spin-offs like a Sinister Six movie. However, there has been recent demand for The Amazing Spider-Man 3 since Garfield reprised the role in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

The Cat In The Hat

The Mike Myers-led The Cat in the Hat actually did make an impressive amount at the box office in 2003 and talk of a sequel was on the table. However, according to Today, Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel’s widow, Audrey, agreed with most critics that it was not one of the best Dr. Seuss movies and, as a result, refused to allow Hollywood to make any more live-action adaptations of her husband’s work.

Chicken Little

There was a time when many of Disney’s greatest animated movies received straight-to-home-video sequels by DisneyToon Studios and 2005’s sci-fi take on Chicken Little, starring Zach Braff, was going to get the same treatment. That was until John Lasseter took over Walt Disney Animation in 2006 and, according to story artist Tod Carter’s interview with Animated Views, canceled all of DisneyToon’s intended follow-ups, ultimately bringing the sky down on Chicken Little 2.

The Chronicles Of Narnia

How an entire alternate dimension exists in a wardrobe is not as big a mystery as why we never saw more Chronicles of Narnia movies past the adaptations of the first three books in the fantasy series. In 2011, Walden Media lost the rights to author C.S. Lewis’ novels, which were passed on to Sony, whose planned Silver Chair movie got lost in development hell.

Dark Universe

Star and producer Tom Cruise’s 2017 update of The Mummy was actually one of several attempts to build an MCU-style revival of Universal’s classic monster movies called The Dark Universe. Yet, after it tanked, the studio went back to the drawing board, and it does not appear to have given up on the concept completely with ongoing projects like Ryan Gosling’s Wolfman reboot and Radio Silence’s secret monster movie.

Divergent

Some YA novel-inspired movie series die after the first or second installment, but the Divergent franchise was one movie shy of completion before the second and third films’ diminishing box office returns prompted the idea of finishing the franchise as a TV special that never happened. In 2021, producer Neil Burger told the ReelBlend podcast that he has little faith in a fourth film, which would have told the second half of the final book in Veronica Roth’s trilogy, Allegiant. 

Ender's Game

Ender’s Game is the first in a beloved coming-of-age sci-fi novel series that was brought to the big screen in 2013, but saw a bitter end following a box office performance that was not so out-of-this-world. According to The Guardian, protests of the film in response to author Orson Scott Card’s homophobic opinions may have sealed its downfall.

Eragon

Fans of Christopher Paolini’s best-selling, four-part fantasy series (The Inheritance Cycle) agreed with most critics that the 2006 adaptation of the first book, Eragon, was a derivative mess. Following the poor reception and underwhelming domestic box office, all planned sequels were scrapped, but Variety reported in 2022 that a Disney+ TV series reboot is in development. 

Fantastic Four (2015)

Tim Story’s Fantastic Four movies from the early 2000s were not widely beloved by any stretch, but they look like Avengers: Endgame compared to the critical and commercial reception of Josh Trank’s 2015 reboot. Forbes reported in November of that year that a follow-up to the behind-the-scenes-drama-ridden comic book movie set for summer 2017 was taken off of Fox’s release schedule, paving the way for Marvel Studios’ upcoming Fantastic Four movie from director Matt Shakman.

Forrest Gump

Director Robert Zemeckis’ Best Picture Oscar winner from 1994 stands just fine on its own, but we almost saw more of Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump. In 2008, Eric Roth told SlashFilm that he submitted a screenplay for Gump &. Co. — based on author Winston Groom’s sequel novel — the night before the tragic events of September 11, 2001, which convinced him, Zemeckis, and Hanks that the material was no longer relevant.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

While proud of his 2011 version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, according to EW, director David Fincher still thinks of it as a “swing and a miss,” given its underwhelming earnings killed plans for two sequels. Sony’s next English-language Lisbeth Salander movie was a 2018 adaptation of David Lagercrantz’s The Girl in the Spider’s Web, but at least the late Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy could be fully realized for Swedish cinema. 

Green Lantern

Before finding a comic book movie sweet spot with 2016’s Deadpool, Ryan Reynolds starred in one of the biggest critical and commercial failures in DC movie history, Green Lantern. Sinestro actor Mark Strong later revealed he was bummed to learn his villainous turn in the post-credits sequence would amount to nothing when Warner Bros. scrapped plans for a trilogy, as ScreenRant recalls.

Hairspray

The beloved 2007 adaptation of Hairspray, the stage musical based on John Waters’ 1988 comedy, was successful enough to warrant a sequel, but, as director Adam Shankman revealed to the U.K. Press Association in 2010, New Line Cinema pulled the plug on Hairspray 2: White Lipstick. Years later, Waters revealed to Variety (via X) that he had written another sequel for HBO that was not picked up either.

His Dark Materials

Before the popular fantasy novel trilogy, His Dark Materials became a hit HBO show, it almost became a film trilogy before New Line Cinema canceled its plans after The Golden Compass’ 2007 release. When speaking to the Evening Standard (via The Guardian), star Sam Elliot blamed the Catholic Church’s criticism of author Philip Pullman's anti-religious stance, while the film’s 42% RT score and underwhelming domestic earnings could have also contributed.

John Carter

While now regarded as one of Taylor Kitsch’s best movies, 2012’s underrated adventure, John Carter, was a failure with critics and audiences at the time, leading to the planned trilogy’s failure to launch. As Collider reported, director Andrew Stanton later revealed his sequels to the adaptation of A Princess of Mars would be called Gods of Mars and Warlord of Mars.

Journey To The Center Of The Earth

Despite Dwayne Johnson’s reputation for giving franchises a boost, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island — his 2012 sequel to 2008’s Journey to the Center of the Earth — was not quite the success he hoped for. As the actor personally confirmed in 2018 on X (then still called Twitter), he had no active plans for a follow-up, which would have taken inspiration from another Jules Verne novel called, From the Earth to the Moon.

Jumper

One of the most famous (or infamous) Hayden Christensen movies outside of Star Wars turned out to be a lesson in not jumping ahead of yourself. As SyFy recalls, Jumper was conceived as a trilogy. However, after not quite making the money it hoped for and getting torn apart by critics, the 2008 sci-fi thriller was forced to stand alone.

King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword

Guy Ritchie’s attempt at a fantasy epic was meant to be the first installment in a shared universe of adventures taking place in Camelot. Unfortunately, as THR recalls, the Charlie Hunnam-led King Arthur Legend of the Sword was one of the biggest bombs of the 2017 summer, both critically and commercially.

The Last Airbender

Because it is often cited as M. Night Shyamalan’s worst movie (let alone an all-time stinker), there are likely quite a few moviegoers relieved that his plans to follow up The Last Airbender — as he described to MTV News — never came to be. Fans of Nickelodeon’s original animated series who are still curious to see the story retold to completion in live-action will get the chance when Netflix’s upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender reboot premieres.

Percy Jackson And The Olympians

There were five books in Rick Riordan’s fantasy novel series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, when the first adaptation — 2010’s The Lightning Thief — hit theaters. However, only two movies were made in total, due to even more diminishing returns, critically and commercially, with 2013’s Sea of Monsters. Thankfully, it appears that Disney+’s upcoming Percy Jackson TV show will be more faithful to the now seven books of source material.

Power Rangers

Dean Israelite shared with EW that Saban had a six-movie arc in mind before he was officially brought on to helm the 2017 Power Rangers reboot. Forbes would report later that the chance of those five sequels was highly unlikely. However, that does not mean we have seen the last of these young, costumed defenders of justice… just not this version of them.  

Sahara

Director Breck Eisner shared in 2005 that he felt good about his chances to helm a Sahara sequel, which was already in active development at the time. Unfortunately, the Matthew McConaughey-led action flick suffered underwhelming box office returns and, according to Den of Geek, author Clive Cussler’s lawsuit against Paramount for using a script without his approval, which has since kept Dirk Pitt from having more big-screen adventures.

A Series Of Unfortunate Events

According to Variety, Paramount and Nickelodeon Films hoped author Lemony Snicket’s (née Daniel Handler) popular YA saga, A Series of Unfortunate Events, could be their answer to Harry Potter. However, no follow-ups to the 2004 film — based on the first three books — ever materialized. Eventually, the Baudelaires’ 13-volume story was adapted into a Netflix original series, which proved to be a more fitting translation of the source material anyway.

Valerian

The French comic that inspired popular sci-fi movies like Star Wars finally came to the big screen with 2017’s Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. Unfortunately, director Luc Besson’s passion project did not break even at the box office making his hope for a sequel seem like a lost cause at this point. 

City Of Ember

Director Gil Kenan’s 2008 adaptation of Jeanne DuPrau’s The City of Ember — the first in a series of YA dystopian novels — was met with mixed reviews, but was also a box office disaster. Thus, the chance for a sequel — which stars Saoirse Ronan and Tim Robbins told iO9 they would open to return for — went out like a light.

Prince Of Persia

As ScreenRant recalls, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time actually became the all-time highest-grossing video game movie in 2010 with more than $336 million worldwide. However, the earnings were unmatched by the $200 million budget and additional marketing costs. That, as well as poor reviews and criticisms of white-washing, sunk Disney’s original plans for Jake Gyllenhaal (who learned a lot from working on the adventure film) to lead a Pirates of the Caribbean-style franchise.

I Am Number Four

Alex Pettyfer’s second attempt at leading a YA adaptation after Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker was the sci-fi adventure, I Am Number Four, which made only $55 million domestically on a budget between $50-60 million. It was also not well received by critics or audiences, according to Rotten Tomatoes. Thus, as screenwriter Marti Noxon told Collider (via Contact Music), plans to adapt the book’s sequel, The Power of Six, were shelved.

Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World

It is surprising enough that Gladiator is getting a sequel, but to learn that there was talk of turning another Russell Crowe-led period epic into a franchise from ScreenRant is equally amusing. The Oscar-nominated Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World did not make quite enough money in 2003 to warrant a follow-up. But, according to Deadline, a prequel has been in the works since 2021.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2010s)

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise continued on the big screen with 2023’s animated Mutant Mayhem, but there was hope to see it continue in live-action in the 2010s. Producer Andrew Ford explained to Collider that the underperformance of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows killed chances for more of the Michael Bay-produced series.

When reviewing these stories, two important lessons come to mind: sometimes, it pays to start things off thinking small and some good things are best left alone.

Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD for the final two episodes of His Dark Materials on HBO, called “The Clouded Mountain” and “The Botanic Garden.”

The three-season saga of His Dark Materials has come to an end with a pair of episodes that not only killed off two important characters, but separated the main pairing and sealed off their worlds forever. Stars Dafne Keen (Lyra) and Amir Wilson (Will) shared their reactions to what Keen described as their characters' “heartbreaking” ending, and Asriel’s relationship with Mrs. Coulter turned out to be even more complicated than the actors previewed. Executive producer Jane Tranter spoke with CinemaBlend about the final two episodes, and explained an emotional change from Phillip Pullman’s The Amber Spyglass, all the work that went into the final battle, and the story that viewers never got to see. 

There is a lot to absorb after these final episodes, so read on for what EP Jane Tranter had to say about what happened!

Bringing The Final Battle From Page To Screen

The action climax of the whole series actually happened in the penultimate episode, following the epic battle between Asriel’s forces and those commanded by Metatron. The action was also over by the end of the penultimate episode, and Lyra and Will had already accidentally killed the Authority with an hour still left in the series. The emotional climax of His Dark Materials happened “The Botanic Garden." Asriel and Mrs. Coulter were dead by the end of Episode 7, and Lyra had fallen as Eve and then been split from Will forever by the end of Episode 8. All in all, a pretty intense way to say goodbye to a saga!

A lot was similar to the book – with much of Lyra’s speech to Will lifted directly from the pages of The Amber Spyglass – but an epic battle as written on the page isn’t easy to recreate on screen, just like how the mulefa had to be changed from page to screen. In fact, the show cut two elements from The Amber Spyglass that I’d originally put on a list of book moments that needed to be adapted for the show. The finished product worked for television, however, and EP Jane Tranter opened up about the process of picking and choosing what to bring to the final battle. She said:

Jane Tranter credited senior visual effects supervisor Russell Dodgson (who also directed the action sequences for “The Clouded Mountain”) with choreographing the battle, which was no small task. There were important story and character moments that the show needed to hit for the war that was more or less promised at the end of Season 2. That said, Asriel making noise and serving as a decoy also meant that there had to be a whole lot of action happening if it was going to be believable that Lyra and Will were able to live long enough to reunite with their daemons. Tranter went on to describe the challenges of striking a balance, saying:

The battle couldn’t just be action for the sake of action or fighting for the sake of fighting; everything had to serve that story that still had to continue for the finale that would tear Will and Lyra apart, after the war had been won. So, the show made a key change from the book to give Lyra a special character moment, and establish some of what was on her mind about her parents in the finale. The executive producer explained the change when it came to Lyra finding out about her mother’s death:

As if Lyra wasn’t already heartbroken enough by “The Clouded Mountain” (and headed for even more heartbreak by the end of “The Botanic Garden”), she had a moment of caring and reaching out to the golden monkey daemon who had once attacked Pan, only to see him fade away into dust as a sign that her mother was dead. Lyra never found out that her parents died sacrificing themselves to eternal oblivion to save her, but the change to the book let Lyra know that her mother had died, and the moment with the monkey showed that she has grown up a great deal.

Lyra would even mention that she should be relieved that her mother was dead, and that might have even been the case earlier in the series, but not anymore. Believing that Asriel was gone as well, she also admitted that she didn’t hate her father anymore, although she couldn’t forgive him. The action sequence set up the teens’ surprisingly adult emotional breakthroughs of the final episode, and possibly sent viewers everywhere reaching for tissues by the time that Lyra and Will were visiting their bench in their own worlds, once every single year.

What Fans Didn’t See From The Missing Extra Episode

As it turns out, the swan song for Mrs. Coulter and Asriel to set up Lyra being free to fall in the finale could have had very different context if the full story had been told as intended. The seven-episode second season was originally intended to run for eight, with an Asriel standalone episode that would have filled in the blanks for what he was doing between the end of Season 1 and when he suddenly popped up again at the end of Season 2, before appearing in most episodes of Season 3. 

The Asriel standalone story had to be scrapped because of COVID production shutdowns and was never filmed, although it was written. When I spoke with Jane Tranter about His Dark Materials, I asked if any elements of that episode were folded into Season 3, and she shared:

Asriel had enough of a head start on Lyra between Seasons 1 and 2 that Cittàgazze was empty of almost all functioning adults by the time she arrived, with no reveal of what exactly had happened other than that the spectres had arrived. The Asriel standalone episode would have filled in those blanks. If his actions had been despicable to the people of the city, or heroic, might we have seen him differently by the time he was finally showing that he cared for Mrs. Coulter and Lyra? 

That’s not to say that the show just abandoned any kind of transition between Asriel’s one scene in Season 2 and leading armies from multiple worlds to war in Season 3, of course. Jane Tranter continued:

While viewers didn’t get an hour-long episode to follow Asriel’s journey to show how he got to the point of his grand speech at the end of the Season 2 finale, Season 3 did include some exposition from Asriel. His Dark Materials didn’t have time to show, but it made the time to tell. The executive producer explained how they reorganized the story to make it work:

It’s a shame that the standalone Asriel episode couldn’t be produced, but the exposition did serve to strengthen the on-screen relationship between Asriel and Ogunwe, which paid off as the season continued. Plus, unlike Asriel, Ogunwe survived and reunited with his daughters while Asriel is doomed to eternal oblivion with Mrs. Coulter and Metatron. 

So, is this the end of His Dark Materials? Just like The Amber Spyglass, the series finale didn’t end in a way that left hope for Will and Lyra to ever see each other again before they pass through the land of the dead, but did set them up to live full lives in their own worlds, and their decision to let each other go saved the multiverse. Of course, the show did end with the tease that Lyra and Pan have more adventures in store, and Phlip Pullman does have a second novel trilogy featuring Lyra. Perhaps more of her journey will come to the small screen someday!

For now, you can always revisit the three seasons of His Dark Materials streaming with an HBO Max subscription. If you’re anything like me after watching that finale and have not yet recovered, you may want to start with one of the more lighthearted episodes and ignore that foreshadowing from Season 2 about the bench! You can also start planning ahead for the new year with our 2023 TV premiere schedule. 

Light spoilers ahead for Philip Pullman’s The Amber Spyglass.

His Dark Materials has spent three seasons building to what’s shaping up to be an epic conflict uniting fighters from multiple worlds against the forces of the Authority, but Lyra and Will have been fulfilling prophecies without taking part in Asriel's war so far. With the series concluding after two more episodes on December 26, the two teens’ stories will come to a close, and actors Dafne Keen and Amir Wilson weighed in to CinemaBlend with their thoughts on their characters’ endings. 

Now, readers of Philip Pullman’s The Amber Spyglass already have a pretty good idea of what’s likely to happen, but – as executive producer Dan McCulloch said – changes have been made from book to show in Season 3, so nothing is guaranteed. When I spoke with Dafne Keen and Amir Wilson, I asked for their spoiler-free reactions to how the story ends for Lyra and Will. They didn’t drop the details that will reveal exactly what’s on the way, but it sounds like viewers will want to prepare themselves. 

When asked for their spoiler-free reactions to the end for Lyra and Will, Dafne Keen said:

Well, beloved shows releasing their series finales can always be heartbreaking for fans regardless of how the story ends, simply by virtue of being the last time we see the characters. That said, fans are evidently in for something sad by the time the final credits roll on Lyra and Will. Dafne Keen didn’t lay out precisely what happens, but Amir Wilson agreed with his co-star that the ending is going to be “sad." He continued:

There’s still time to stock up on some tissues, but it seems that viewers can also expect some closure for at least some characters, if questions are going to be answered. There are definitely a lot of questions heading into the final two episodes, with Asriel’s war on the horizon and Will and Lyra presumably heading to follow Will’s father’s dying wish as best they can. 

Amir Wilson opened up about what viewers may have missed in Will’s reunion with his dad in the land of the dead. Meanwhile, both teens are still separated from their daemons, and Dafne Keen had already previewed that they’ll be feeling “the separation” and “the pull” for as long as they’re not together. Both characters have even already gone through some fresh traumas in Season 3. Dafne Keen did preview why Lyra and Will's endings happen the way they will:

His Dark Materials planned ahead for a 2022 release of Season 3 so that it could have “a more adult feel” in adapting The Amber Spyglass after letting the young stars “grow up that little bit more,” according to EP Dan McCulloch, to “really tackle those quite more difficult, darker themes.” The land of the dead was certainly darker than Will and Lyra getting to know each other in Cittàgaze; will the story get darker still before the very end?

Fans will have to tune in to get all the details! Find out what’s left for Lyra and Will with the series finale of His Dark Materials in the last two episodes, starting at 9 p.m. ET on HBO. You can also find the episodes streaming with an HBO Max subscription at the same time, as well as all the episodes that came before. If you’re ready to start planning ahead for the new year, you can do so with our 2023 TV premiere schedule. 

Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS ahead for Episodes 5 and 6 of His Dark Materials Season 3, called “No Way Out” and “The Abyss.”

The end is nigh for His Dark Materials, with only a two-parter left before the saga comes to a close. Lyra and Will took a massive risk in parting from their daemons to go down into the land of the dead on a very long shot. After some near-death experiences, a few emotional reunions, an ominous warning, and plenty of tears, the two kids accomplished their goal and freed the dead from the terrible land to go and rejoin the living in a new way. Stars Dafne Keen and Amir Wilson opened up to CinemaBlend about the final episodes (including what fans may not have noticed) before the end comes on December 26.

These two episodes featured the returns of Lin–Manuel Miranda, Andrew Scott, and even Lewin Lloyd after their characters’ deaths, and Lyra and Will freeing their loved ones and so many others set the stage for conflict and growth before the end. So, read on for what the young stars had to say!

Did Lyra Actually Get Closure?

Lyra’s top goal all season was finding Roger in the land of the dead and setting him free, after dreaming of him while being drugged by Mrs. Coulter and about a season and a half’s worth of guilt over how he died. She didn’t even know that Lee had died until they crossed paths in the land of the dead, but they had one last adventure together before parting forever. When asked if saying goodbye to Roger and Lee gave Lyra closure or just piled on more hurt for her, Dafne Keen weighed in:

Considering that Lyra grew up thinking that she was an orphan whose only family was a distant (at best) uncle in Asriel, is it any surprise that she sees Lee and Roger as members of her family who were only ever there for her? The time in the land of the dead fulfilled a prophecy and gave her some closure, but didn’t put a stop to her grief. 

What Was It Like To Reunite With Lin-Manuel Miranda?

Readers of Philip Pullman’s The Amber Spyglass had a pretty good idea of how Lee would return in Season 3 (even though EP Dan McCulloch revealed that some “fun extra details” were added for the adaptation), and viewers were treated to him reuniting with Lyra, meeting Will, bringing the Parrys back together, and helping guide the dead to freedom before moving on himself. I don’t want to say that I cried when he mentioned going to be with Hester, but Lyra wasn’t the only one feeling emotional! 

When I spoke with the stars and asked about Miranda’s return, Amir Wilson said that “Lin’s just great” and “like a walking talking jukebox.” Dafne Keen, who shared a lot of screentime with him in Season 1, had more to say: 

Two of Lyra’s most important relationships back in Season 1 were with Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Lee and Lewin Lloyd’s Roger, so it’s fitting that they got to appear one last time before the final credits roll on the finale. Plus, having Miranda on set as a ray of sunshine might have been particularly nice when filming for the very grim land of the dead!

What Did Viewers Miss With Will And His Father's Reunion?

Lyra wasn’t the only one to experience a powerful reunion in the land of the dead episodes, as Will got to see his father one last time, with Andrew Scott reprising his role as Jopari, a.k.a. John Parry. Will got a few minutes alone with his dad to get some closure of his own, telling John that he still hadn’t fulfilled his dying wish of taking the subtle knife to Asriel and that he didn’t believe that he was a warrior. Not even Lyra was present to witness the exchange, and it turns out that there’s a good reason why Amir Wilson and Andrew Scott were the only ones featured in the scene. 

Although fans may not have noticed, the young actor was older when he filmed the scene between Will and his dad than he was in the rest of the episode, because the scene was shot months later. When Amir Wilson spoke with CinemaBlend about the episodes at a press day in November, he revealed what wasn’t apparent on screen:

Most of the land of the dead may have filmed back in late 2021, but Amir Wilson and Andrew Scott evidently reunited to play father and son well into 2022! It’s no wonder that no other characters interacted with John on screen, and that ultimately didn’t matter. Will speaking to his dad is what was important… and a certain reveal from his dad could be very important in the finale. 

John told his son not to try and live in a world not his own, no matter how tempted he might be, because he wouldn’t survive it. He warned his son not to make the same mistake that he made and stay too long in a world not his own, then mentioned Will reuniting with his mother, which has been a very sensitive subject for Will all along, and contributed to the knife breaking as yet another trauma for him earlier in Season 3. 

So, Will knows that people can’t live in worlds not their own, but Lyra does not. According to Amir Wilson, it’s also not something that Will will forget. He said:

Thanks to HBO releasing two episodes each week, viewers will find out the importance of what John told his son sooner rather than later. Considering that the executive producers wanted to delay Season 3 to 2022 so that the subject matter could become more “adult” for Dafne Keen and Amir Wilson as Lyra and Will, it seems safe to say that the finale will be intense. 

Watch the final two episodes of His Dark Materials on Monday, December 26 starting at 9 p.m. ET on HBO as one of the last big releases of the 2022 TV schedule, and revisit past episodes streaming with an HBO Max subscription. To start planning ahead for television without His Dark Materials, check out our 2023 TV premiere lineup. 

Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS are ahead for Episode 3 (“The Intention Craft”) and Episode 4 (“Lyra and Her Death”) of His Dark Materials’ third season.

His Dark Materials has officially hit the halfway point of the third and final season, and Lyra and Will’s mission to find Roger in the land of the dead has already cost them dearly. Even after getting a win in persuading Iorek to repair the all-important subtle knife in “The Intention Craft,” the price to cross to the land of the dead was separation from their daemons, which meant leaving Pantalaimon on the shore and Will losing something he didn’t even know he had. Dafne Keen, who plays Lyra, spoke with CinemaBlend about how this loss will continue to affect them, and the impact of Kit Connor’s performance as Pan.

How Lyra Lost Pantalaimon

But let's start with what happened! Perhaps even fans who haven’t read Philip Pullman’s The Amber Spyglass before the adaptation could have guessed that something tragic would happen in an episode called “Lyra and Her Death,” but meeting her death ultimately wasn’t what caused the immeasurable pain. Lyra and Will learned from the boatman who was the only means of getting to the land of the dead that daemons could not cross, and Lyra had to say a heartbreaking goodbye to Pan (voiced by Heartstopper’s Kit Connor) while Will tried to convince the boatman to break the rules. 

Despite Pan desperately trying to talk her out of it, Lyra tearfully went onto the boat with Will… and without her daemon. The episode ended with Lyra screaming in agony about her heart as they were separated, Pan standing at the edge of the dock while she crumpled into Will’s arms. Fans have seen what can happen when people from Lyra’s world are forcibly cut from their daemons; she still seemed aware of her surroundings even while she was in pain, but that doesn't mean she won't be changed.

Dafne Keen Shares Thoughts On Lyra's Decision And Working With Kit Connor

So, moving ahead into the second half of the season with an exciting two episodes per week, how will losing that bond with Pan affect Lyra in the land of the dead? And how will Will be affected, since the boatman said he’d lose something as well, even without a visible daemon like Lyra's? Is this a pain they’ll continue to deal with, or move past the initial pain like ripping off a bandage? Dafne Keen weighed in:

While the split between Pan and Lyra certainly wasn’t fun for either of the characters, Dafne Keen revealed that it was a “very, very fun” scene for her as an actress. Viewers can evidently expect to keep seeing the effects of the separation on Lyra, and feeling a pull may be the last thing that she needs while in the land of the dead. Interestingly, “Lyra and Her Death” gave Keen the opportunity to actually work with Kit Connor for the first time.

Connor has been voicing Pantalaimon from the very beginning, before he became a big streaming name due to Netflix’s Heartstopper, which has been renewed for Season 2. That said, prior to Season 3 and the scene of Lyra and Pan being split, the actor was never actually on set to work with Dafne Keen. She confirmed that it was a first, and explained how his on-set performance affected her in the pivotal scene: 

I think fans can agree that she definitely didn’t do a bad scene in the break between Lyra and Pantalaimon. Even though Kit Connor didn’t appear on screen as Pan, his voice performance was heartbreaking as Lyra’s daemon had to deal with the sense of betrayal that she was willingly leaving him with no guarantee of a return. 

At this point, it’s almost hard to imagine what their reunion could be like, assuming Pan even believes it could happen. Nobody other Lyra and Will themselves seem at all confident that they’ll return from the land of the dead. Readers of The Amber Spyglass have an idea of what’s next after the split, although the show already made changes to a traumatic event for Will, so nothing is guaranteed.

Of course, Lyra being split from Pan (and however the journey will affect Will) is only part of the larger conflict of Season 3, with Asriel getting ready to start a war with the Authority and the relationship with Mrs. Coulter only getting more complicated. Still, there’s a reason why the executive producers wanted to wait until Dafne Keen and Amir Wilson were older for some more “adult” stories for Lyra and Will, so be sure to keep tuning in! 

His Dark Materials returns with two new episodes on Monday, December 19 at 9 p.m. ET, with the entire series so far available streaming with an HBO Max subscription. 

Warning: light spoilers ahead for The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman. 

The third and final season of His Dark Materials is underway on HBO, and it’s already clear that the show is remaining faithful to Philip Pullman’s The Amber Spyglass in important ways while making some changes (like Will’s latest trauma) from what happened on the page. Readers know that the stakes will only get higher as the episodes continue in the build to what is bound to be an emotional series finale, and executive producer Dan McCulloch opened up to CinemaBlend about adapting the book into the show… and adding some details.

The first two episodes didn’t waste any time in getting the story moving again after nearly two years of hiatus, and some characters are in much better positions than others. While Will and Lyra have to deal with the subtle knife being broken, Asriel has been amassing an army, and Mrs. Coulter seemingly will go from being captor to captive. The plot is only going to thicken as the final season continues, so when I spoke with Dan McCulloch about His Dark Materials, he shared how closely they had to map out the season to adapt The Amber Spyglass:

Any adaptation has to make cuts in what it brings to the screen and what just wouldn’t translate well into a script, so some of Philip Pullman’s world-building didn’t make it into His Dark Materials. The characters are quite fleshed out, however, which should make the emotional punches from the book hit very hard when they happen in the show. 

It’s not clear which key book moments have been adapted for Season 3 just yet, though! Asriel is already getting some more attention than he did in The Amber Spyglass, giving James McAvoy some screentime to make up for the Asriel standalone episode that had to be cut from Season 2. 

Given what McAvoy and Ruth Wilson said about Asriel and Mrs. Coulter’s relationship, Season 3 is going to be complicated for Lyra’s parents. Executive producer Dan McCulloch continued:

Earlier in the series, Mrs. Coulter would be more likely to don her armor to capture Lyra than help her. In Season 3, apparently she’ll need that armor to protect her daughter instead. Surprises are in store for readers and non-readers alike, with the promise of “fun” details that didn’t originate from the pages of Philip Pullman’s The Amber Spyglass. Past changes have really paid off, particularly with the decision to include Amir Wilson as Will in Season 1’s adaption of Northern Lights, despite the character not appearing in Pullman’s trilogy until The Subtle Knife. 

Only time will tell what new details are introduced to go along with moments that readers will recognize from The Amber Spyglass, but it’s safe to say that the story isn’t going to get any more lighthearted for Lyra and Will. Dan McCulloch also shared that there was always a plan for a long break between Seasons 2 and 3 so that young stars Dafne Keen and Amir Wilson could “grow up that little bit more” for the “more difficult, darker themes” in this adaptation. 

Fellow executive producer Jane Tranter also explained why fans should be excited to get two episodes per week on HBO (or via an HBO Max subscription) instead of just one. With the series finale airing on December 26, the adaptation of The Amber Spyglass will officially wrap before the end of the year. New episodes debut on Mondays starting at 9 p.m. ET on HBO. 

If you want to look ahead for some viewing options after the His Dark Materials saga ends, be sure to check out our 2023 TV premiere schedule. 

Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS are ahead for the first two episodes of His Dark Materials Season 3. 

His Dark Materials is officially back for the third and final season, with a two-part premiere that paid off on the Season 2 finale cliffhangers and finally reunited Lyra and Will, after Mrs. Coulter tried (and failed) to keep hold of her daughter and Asriel assembled his armies to take on the Authority. Of the major characters who were actually conscious for both hours, Will was the only one to accomplish his top priority and rescue Lyra, but it came at a cost: the subtle knife is broken, and if that wasn’t enough, he suffered a fresh trauma to go on top of all the others. 

It was a twist that readers of Philip Pullman's The Amber Spyglass could have seen coming, but it didn't go down exactly like it did in the book, and actor Amir Wilson shared his thoughts on it.

What Will Did In The Show

After recruiting allies in the form of the angel Balthamos and armored bear Iorek Byrnison, Will managed to locate where Mrs. Coulter was drugging Lyra and holding her captive. Unfortunately for all of them, Father Gomez caught up with them, and Mrs. Coulter had to distract him (and ultimately crack him over the head with a rock) while Will used the knife to cut through to Lyra, pick up Pan, and try to escape. 

Mrs. Coulter apparently thought that Will was there to rescue both of them, and her attempt to manipulate him by mentioning his mother distracted him enough that he broke the knife. She then showed her true colors and pulled the unconscious Father Gomez’s gun on Will, before Lyra stepped between them. 

It wasn’t clear how exactly the confrontation would resolve until the Gallivespian spy Lady Salmakia stung Mrs. Coulter, who fell to the ground and dropped the gun. Will picked it up, and unknowingly set himself up for his next trauma. With Lyra still sluggish from being drugged, they were confronted by a soldier with a very big gun pointed at both of them, and Will shot him dead. 

He looked appalled for a few moments, but he and Lyra had to flee, so he dropped the weapon and they made a break for it into another world. Although he seemed more or less okay, he was clearly very emotional at night when they were trying to sleep, and she took his hand to comfort him. Will has killed again, and he never wanted it. 

Amir Wilson Breaks It Down: 'It Was Self-Defense'

Although this was not the first time that Will caused somebody’s death, Amir Wilson played his character in a very different headspace than Will back before he even met Lyra. It was clear from his performance that Will didn’t just shake off what he’d done with the gun, but is this something that is going to stick with him in the remaining six episodes? 

Amir Wilson and Dafne Keen spoke with CinemaBlend about His Dark Materials as well as their characters’ priorities in the final season. When I asked if this death was going to stick with Will as the season continues, Keen was quick to note that he didn’t do it “in a homicide way,” and Wilson broke it down

Even though Will blamed himself, he killed the intruder back in Season 1 by accident, when the show made a huge (and excellent) change from Philip Pullman’s book trilogy by including him in the adaptation of The Golden Compass. This time, he picked up the gun and deliberately used it to kill another person, and the fact that it was self-defense wasn’t exactly making Will sleep any easier. Amir Wilson had a lot more fun with it as an actor than his character did! He went on:

Well, executive producer Dan McCulloch did say that the show planned ahead for a more “adult” final season for Will and Lyra! Both have already gone through the wringer just two episodes in, and they haven’t even gone to the land of the dead (which was teased in the trailers) just yet! Will’s shock that he killed somebody and then the emotion that he tried not to show at the end got the final season off to a traumatic start for one of the young heroes. 

But is this how it happened in the book? Well, readers of Philip Pullman’s trilogy know that there have been plenty of changes from the very beginning, but there were some very specific differences worth noting in this case.

Warning: spoilers are ahead through Chapter 13 of The Amber Spyglass, and no further. 

How His Dark Materials Changed Will's Kill From The Amber Spyglass

Although there were changes in the lead up to the confrontation between Will and Mrs. Coulter and how he got the gun, he still took it from Mrs. Coulter when he and Lyra made their escape in the book. On the page, while Lyra was “still-dazed” from the drugs, they ran into some soldiers, and this is how it went down:

How Will killed the man in the book isn’t actually all that different from how it was adapted into the show, with the exception of facing down a soldier with a crossbow vs. facing down a soldier with a very big gun. In both tellings, Will killed out of self-defense with no other choice if he was going to get himself and Lyra away, and the two kids immediately ran to the window and escaped to another world as quickly as they could.

And that’s where the similarities more or less end. While show Will seemingly kept calm and carried on and only started to show his emotions in the dark when Lyra might have been asleep, book Will couldn’t hold his feelings in. Philip Pullman wrote: 

Will “heaving with a mortal horror” while “Lyra watched helpless” are definitely not what happened in the show, as he seemed to more or less successfully bottle up his feelings until it was dark, and she took his hand. It’s not the first (nor will it be the last) time that the show has changed a key character scene from the book, and the show version arguably makes more sense for how old the two characters are in Season 3. 

In The Amber Spyglass, both kids are about 12-13 years old. His Dark Materials hasn’t given their ages in Season 3, but it seems safe to say that Dafne Keen and Amir Wilson aren’t playing 12. An older Will might try to hold in an extreme reaction more than a younger Will. What’s true in both cases is that he killed a man because he had to, but feels guilty because of it. This wasn’t a twist that I included on my list of book moments that shouldn’t be cut from Season 3, but still pretty important for Will’s character. 

Find out how much the kill continues to affect Will (or doesn’t) with the next two episodes of His Dark Materials, airing on Monday, December 12 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO. Executive producer Jane Tranter weighed in on why fans should be excited about getting more than one episode per week, and there’s a lot more in store for all the characters. James McAvoy and Ruth Wilson opened up about Asriel and Mrs. Coulter’s relationship, which is a whole different level of complicated compared to Lyra and Will.

Sadly, His Dark Materials will end with the series finale on December 26, but you can always revisit past episodes streaming with an HBO Max subscription, and plan ahead for the new year with our 2023 TV premiere schedule.

His Dark Materials is on the verge of returning for the third and final season to pick up where the Season 2 cliffhangers left off, with war on the horizon, multiple worlds to travel, and Will and Lyra exploring some more adult storylines. Readers of Philip Pullman’s The Amber Spyglass will know that the show has a lot to pack into the remaining episodes, but fans watching on HBO won’t have to watch just one per week to see how the story ends. The network will air two episodes per week, and executive producer Jane Tranter has explained why that’s an exciting prospect. 

Season 3 of His Dark Materials is comprised of eight episodes, and HBO is departing from how the first two seasons were released and airing two episodes per week. So, instead of having to go through eight weeks to get to what is bound to be an epic conclusion, viewers will only have to go through four. 

It’s an atypical way to release a series that’s not produced for a streaming service (although it will be available streaming with an HBO Max subscription). When executive producer Jane Tranter spoke with CinemaBlend about His Dark Materials Season 3, she weighed in on how two episodes every Monday in December will affect the viewing experience:

With HBO airing two episodes every Monday this month, viewers will actually get movie-length installments of His Dark Materials if they watch both together. There are also other options for how to watch, as Jane Tranter said. Fans who prefer to wait and binge-watch the full season won’t have to wait as long as usual! 

Of course, based on what stars Dafne Keen, Amir Wilson, James McAvoy, and Ruth Wilson had to say about their characters’ priorities in the final season, fans may have a hard time waiting and not watching the two episodes per week ASAP. Still, television has changed in the era of streaming services releasing full seasons at once, so His Dark Materials is going the extra mile yet still not dropping all eight episodes on December 5. 

Jane Tranter elaborated on why this release schedule is so exciting, saying:

HBO will release two episodes of His Dark Materials every Monday night at 9 p.m. ET this month, starting on December 5 and ending on December 26. The show has a lot to resolve by the end of that final pair of episodes (not the least of which is Asriel and Mrs. Coulter’s complicated relationship), and only time will tell if the final season incorporates all the key book moments. Readers at least don’t need to worry about the mulefa being cut! 

With the end nigh for the fantasy series, however, you may be ready to start planning ahead for what will be available in the new year. Be sure to check out our 2023 TV premiere schedule to see your options!

War is coming to His Dark Materials in the third and final season with Lord Asriel amassing his forces to fight the Authority, while Mrs. Coulter was last seen going on the run after kidnapping her daughter. While Asriel and Mrs. Coulter haven’t actually shared any scenes since the end of Season 1, the two characters are linked as Lyra’s parents who may or may not still love each other. Now, with Season 3 premiering in less than a week, stars James McAvoy and Ruth Wilson opened up about Asriel and Mrs. Coulter's complicated relationship in HBO’s adaptation of Philip Pullman’s The Amber Spyglass. 

McAvoy and Wilson (as well as young stars Dafne Keen and Amir Wilson) spoke with CinemaBlend about their characters’ priorities in the final season. McAvoy cited “multiversal domination” as Asriel’s #1 goal when His Dark Materials returns, while Wilson shared that Mrs. Coulter’s goal is now to "keep hold” of Lyra, who has a knack for escaping. After noting that their characters' priorities aren’t exactly in sync, I asked the two actors if there is any common ground left for Asriel and Mrs. Coulter. Ruth Wilson immediately said that Lyra will “eventually” be their common ground, and James McAvoy elaborated:

After two seasons, the closest that His Dark Materials has come to portraying Asriel as a caring father was him preferring to murder Roger over Lyra in order to open the door to another world. Based on what the IT Chapter Two alum had to say, Asriel will still be focused on the war that he was ready to begin at the end of Season 2… to start, at least. 

Asriel still has time to step up and become a father in some way or other, and Lyra may need all the help she can get with multiple powerful people believing that she’s Eve. Ruth Wilson – whose character has tried to step up as a mother in her own twisted way – weighed in with her own thoughts:

Mrs. Coulter’s focus has been on her daughter rather than anything multiversal from almost the beginning of the series, and for two seasons, that involved trying to hold onto Lyra (whether Lyra liked it or not) rather than getting out of her way.

The absentee Asriel, on the other hand, might finally have his interest in his daughter piqued if he discovers that her destiny is the one that truly matters. After agreeing with Ruth Wilson’s point, James McAvoy explained how Asriel’s belief in his own importance is going to be a problem:

If Asriel having a serious ego wasn’t clear by the end of the first season, could he really have made a grand speech to recruit angels to join his cause at the end of Season 2 if he didn’t fully believe in his own importance? McAvoy did previously say that “complete subservience of everybody” would be Asriel’s second priority after multiversal domination, after all! Maybe Mrs. Coulter would have been on board with Asriel’s ideas once upon a time, but Ruth Wilson previewed how Asriel’s ego will affect her character: 

All things considered, it seems that His Dark Materials fans should prepare themselves for a pretty intense final season! Executive producer Dan McCulloch already revealed how the show had to plan ahead to make Season 3 more “adult” for Dafne Keen and Amir Wilson as Lyra and Will. It remains to be seen whether the show will incorporate all of the most notable moments from The Amber Spyglass, but the wait is almost over. 

Season 3 of His Dark Materials will premiere on Monday, December 5 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO with the first of the final eight episodes. The season will end before the conclusion of the 2022 TV schedule as well, as fans can look forward to two episodes per week until the series finale on December 26. If you need a refresher on where Season 2 ended (or just want to revisit how the other two seasons adapted Philip Pullman’s books), you can do so streaming with an HBO Max subscription!

His Dark Materials will return to HBO for the third and final season nearly two years to the date since the Season 2 finale aired back in 2020. Like many other shows that year, production was affected due to the COVID pandemic, which resulted in the planned Asriel standalone episode for James McAvoy being cut from the second season. Now, two years later, executive producer Dan McCulloch opened up to CinemaBlend about how the show always planned to start Season 3 after a longer break so that young stars Dafne Keen and Amir Wilson would be more adult.

The cliffhanger of Season 2 for the two teens saw Lyra hidden in a trunk after being kidnapped by her mother and Will with a new mission based on his father’s dying wish. When CinemaBlend recently spoke with Dan McCulloch for the His Dark Materials press day, I asked if there is any kind of time jump in Season 3 due to the long break from filming. The executive producer shared: 

Even though Season 2 lost an episode due to COVID, the wait until 2022 for Season 3 was always part of the plan and not due to the pandemic. In fact, a first look at the third season revealed that the two young stars were filming the premiere back in May of 2021. Plus, readers of Philip Pullman’s The Amber Spyglass likely have a pretty good idea of why the executive producers would have wanted to let Dafne Keen and Amir Wilson “grow up that little bit more” before tackling Lyra and Will’s final adventures on His Dark Materials. 

The trailer shows that both actors look noticeably older than they did when viewers last saw them, and that the passage of time in real life was deliberate. Dan McCulloch continued:

The executive producer’s comments are particularly interesting in light of what Dafne Keen, Amir Wilson, James McAvoy, and Ruth Wilson said about their characters’ priorities when Season 3 picks up. While Lyra and Will’s priorities in this more adult season will be each other, according to Keen and Wilson, McAvoy shared that “multiversal domination” is on the top of Asriel’s list. 

Asriel’s big speech at the end of Season 2 proved that he had his eye on a much bigger picture than the other characters, and based on Dan McCulloch’s comments, fans won’t have to wait too long into Season 3 to get to see what Lyra’s father has been up to. Between his war with the Authority, Mrs. Coulter’s mission to protect Lyra, and WIll and Lyra seemingly caring more about each other and their goals than any republics or kingdoms, the stage is set for what could be an intense final season. 

Fortunately for fans in the U.S., the wait for the first episode in almost two full years is almost over in the 2022 TV schedule. Season 3 of His Dark Materials premieres on HBO on Monday, December 5 at 9 p.m. ET. Two episodes will air each Monday until the series finale on December 26.

Hopefully viewers will still be feeling some holiday cheer before the December 26 finale, because – based on The Amber Spyglass and some book moments that I hope aren’t cut – I think it’s safe to say that the end of the story will be emotional! If you want to revisit the first two seasons ahead of the premiere, you can find all the episodes so far streaming with an HBO Max subscription. 

His Dark Materials is on the verge of returning for the third and final season, after the second season ended on cliffhangers for all of the major characters. With Will and Lyra separated following the death of his father and her kidnapping by her mother, Mrs. Coulter on the run with her sleeping daughter, and Asriel ready to start a war with the Authority, the stage is set for a dramatic end to the story. Fortunately, with so much at stake, stars Dafne Keen, Amir Wilson, James McAvoy, and Ruth Wilson spoke with CinemaBlend about their characters’ priorities… and those priorities are definitely not all the same. 

Dafne Keen and Amir Wilson play Lyra and Will, and their characters were torn apart at the end of Season 2 after spending seven episodes growing their bond. When asked about Lyra and Will in the third season, both immediately agreed that their characters’ priorities will be “each other.” The first look at Season 3 revealed that they will reunite, and the trailer proved that there are some adventures in store for them before the end. 

Will and Lyra both have some additional priorities, however, as Amir Wilson said: 

Will’s whole life changed in the few minutes that he spent with his father after their reunion and before John Parry’s death (which was different from Philip Pullman’s book), and he was given the task of taking the knife to Asriel to destroy the Authority. For her part, Lyra also has a second priority in light of the post-credits sequence from the Season 2 finale, as Dafne Keen shared: 

Given that Roger died way back at the end of Season 1, helping him undoubtedly presents quite a challenge for Lyra… and not necessarily one that matches with what Will wants to do to honor the dying wish of his father. Especially since Lyra may not be inclined to do anything that could help Asriel, in light of what he did to Roger! 

As for Asriel, James McAvoy opened up about what his character’s #1 priority will be when Season 3 picks up, and it’s definitely not a heartfelt reunion to make amends with his daughter. It certainly is in line with the grand speech he made to recruit angels for a war across multiple worlds at the end of last season, however! The IT Chapter Two actor said:

Let it not be said that Asriel doesn’t aim high for himself! As the human who managed to open a door to another world without the subtle knife or any special powers and then recruited some celestial help, perhaps the Authority should take him seriously. Whatever happens, fans can look forward to seeing more of Asriel than Season 1, after his standalone episode had to be cut from Season 2. 

So, what about Mrs. Coulter? She once had larger ambitions that might have almost rivaled those of her former lover, but according to Ruth Wilson, her focus has changed by Season 3. The actress said of her character’s priorities: 

Lyra has fled pretty much every encounter with Mrs. Coulter once she was able to get away back in Season 1, so none of the grand plans to keep her have worked. Will finding somewhere isolated work, after she was able to get Lyra away from Will and the witches? Her daughter has a knack for escaping and a friend who considers her a priority, so it presumably won’t be easy. Ruth Wilson confirmed that Mrs. Coulter isn’t exactly focused on multiversal domination like Asriel:

Lyra, Will, Asriel, and Mrs. Coulter seem to be the main players of His Dark Materials’ third and final season, and only Will and Lyra seem to be on the same page with at least one of their priorities to start. As for who comes out on top and whose priorities might have to shift… well, fans will just have to tune in and find out!

Season 3 of His Dark Materials (with some mulefa on the way) will premiere on Monday, December 5 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO, and will air two episodes per week until the series finale on December 26. You can revisit the first two seasons streaming with an HBO Max subscription during the final days of hiatus, and check out our 2022 TV schedule for other options that still have yet to premiere before the end of the year. 

Warning: spoilers ahead for Philip Pullman’s The Amber Spyglass novel. 

His Dark Materials will return to HBO for the third and final season in just over a month, as the adaptation of Philip Pullman’s The Amber Spyglass. Readers have a pretty good idea of the big highs and lows that are likely on the way with Season 3, and the full trailer shed some light on the fallout from how Season 2 ended. While the footage provides a first look at the angels, the harpies, and even the Gallivespians, His Dark Materials is seemingly hiding the mulefa from sneak peeks. And that may be great for Season 3! 

Unlike the angels, harpies, and Gallivespians, the mulefa aren’t key to the majority of Lyra and WIll’s storylines, but are essential to Mary Malone’s. She spends a lot of time with them when she travels to their world, and Philip Pullman devotes a lot of pages in The Amber Spyglass to developing them. After the Season 2 finale aired, I counted them on my list of book elements that better not be cut from Season 3, and I doubt that I’m the only one who wants to see what this species actually looks like.

After all, Philip Pullman gave them a description so unconventional that the mulefa almost defy imagination. In The Amber Spyglass, Mary Malone describes them as “gray-colored, with horned heads and short trunks like elephants.” Then the details get a lot wilder with the reveal that they “had the same diamond-shaped structure” as other creatures in that world, but “somehow they had evolved, on their front and rear single legs, a wheel.”

The book goes into more detail about what this sentient species (with wheels!) looks like, but with no adaptations of The Amber Spyglass to this point, it’s anybody’s guess what the mulefa actually look like. As somebody who has been spoiled rotten on the HBO show by virtue of reading the His Dark Materials trilogy, I’m perfectly fine with the reveal of the mulefa waiting until the episodes actually air. We don’t need everything spoiled ahead of time, especially when there are only so many secrets for book readers. We know they're coming, so we can wait to see the specifics.

Plus, the appearance of the mulefa in a trailer might be a bit of a shock to the system for non-readers, especially without the context of where they are and how Mary Malone encounters them. It’s a good thing for both readers and fans of just the show to wait for a look at this unique species. The trailer is packed with plenty of other moments to dissect without seeing the mulefa yet, beyond what appears to be a tiny peek at the world at around 1:27 below: 

Fortunately, the wait to see the mulefa (and all of the others who will make the jump from page to screen with the adaptation of The Amber Spyglass) is nearly over. Season 3 of His Dark Materials will debut on Monday, December 5 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO, nearly two years to the date since the second season concluded. Two episodes will release every Monday until the series finale on December 26. You can also spend the last few weeks of hiatus revisiting the first two seasons streaming with an HBO Max subscription.

Of course, even readers can’t be positive that everything from the book will happen on screen, and what changes will be made. After all, Season 2 killed off John Parry as expected, but not for the reason that he died in The Subtle Knife, and His Dark Materials will undoubtedly need to make some cuts to fit The Amber Spyglass into just eight episodes of television. For more clues of what to expect, check out some quick things we know about Season 3. 

In the last decade, we have entered into a new world when it comes to the best fantasy shows. While they were always around, with big hits such as Charmed bringing families together in front of the television screen, it wasn’t quite until the 2010s where shows really began to hit their stride. I’m talking mega-hits like Game of Thrones, or Netflix’s The Witcher, or even House of the Dragon, which was a part of the 2024 TV schedule. 

No matter what kind of fantasy you’re into, there’s sure to be a show that will draw you in. So, if you’re in need of a new show to binge on soon that takes you to a world filled with fantasy, look no further than some of the best fantasy shows that are streaming right now, all of which you can watch on some of the best streaming services.  

Game of Thrones (Max)

I mean, we can’t have a fantasy list without Game of Thrones. This classic HBO show that began in 2011 tells the long story of Westeros and several people who are vying to sit on the Iron Throne and rule over the land. Except there are darker enemies approaching, some that the rest of the world has no idea about.

Okay, let me say something quickly – is Season 8 a bit of a let-down? Yes, completely, but the rest of this show is absolutely amazing. There’s a reason why Game of Thrones ended up becoming one of the biggest -- if not the biggest -- shows on television. The story was fantastic, the acting phenomenal, the characters believable (until Season 8) – even the CGI was film-quality for a television show. While it may not have ended the way everyone wanted, there’s no denying its legacy. Winter is truly coming.

Stream Game of Thrones on Max.

House Of The Dragon (Max) 

We already talked about Game of Thrones, but how about we go back about two hundred years before that? House of the Dragon is all about the Targaryen dynasty, specifically the Dance of Dragons, known as the Targaryen civil war, where brother against brother and family member against family member were fighting for the chance to sit on that Iron Throne. 

I recall that when House of the Dragon was first announced, I wasn’t that excited for it because I was turned off by the Game of Thrones ending, but I can openly say now that it’s one of my favorite fantasies and a great prequel to the original show. The House of the Dragon cast is so talented, and the story truly captures you from the first episode onwards. With two full seasons out and a third that will be here (eventually), now is the time to watch the first two seasons and engage in the battle of dragons. 

Stream House of the Dragon on Max.

The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power (Amazon Prime)

The Lord of The Rings is possibly one of the best fantasy series of all time, if not the best, so it would make sense that a TV show regarding the franchise would also be on this list. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power takes place years before the Lord of the Rings novels, and follows the time of Middle-Earth's Second Age, and the battles that were won and lost, as well as characters that we know and come to meet. 

I really can’t get into this without exposing too much about the story, but if you’re a fan of Lord of the Rings, I think you’ll enjoy this series. Now, don’t get me wrong – there are certainly some moments in this show that might make you go ‘huh?’ when it comes down to lore-accuracy, but if you can separate yourself from it, here lies a great fantasy show that has fun characters and well-executed magic and battle scenes. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 is coming very soon, so might as well check out the first season’s eight episodes. 

Stream The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on Amazon Prime. 

Buffy The Vampire Slayer (Hulu)

I don’t think you can get more fantasy than Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The classic fantasy series mixed with the supernatural follows the story of a teenager who becomes a Vampire Slayer, a person chosen by fate to kill forces of darkness that threaten the lives of those who can’t protect themselves. 

For some, they might consider this show a little more horror than anything else, but for me, I’ve always found this series to be more like a fantasy. The more you watch, the more you’ll understand, and honestly, the series was hugely impactful in modern-day television and with seven seasons to binge, there’s plenty here to love. 

Stream Buffy The Vampire Slayer on Hulu. 

Percy Jackson And The Olympians (Disney+)

Based on the novels of the same name, Percy Jackson and the Olympians follows the titular character, Percy Jackson, as he enrolls in a camp that is made for Half-Bloods – i.e. children of Gods and humans. While discovering who he truly is, he goes on a quest to prove his innocence to the gods, who accuse him of stealing Zeus’ thunderbolt. 

Personally, I’m a huge fan of Percy Jackson and have been for years, and I loved the heck out of the TV adaptation. The Percy Jackson & the Olympians cast is talented, and there’s no denying the fun fantasy aspects that are included within this franchise, like magic, minotaurs and more. Percy Jackson & The Olympians Season 2 is confirmed so now is the perfect time to watch the first season. 

Stream Percy Jackson and the Olympians on Disney+. 

His Dark Materials (Max)

In another big HBO show, His Dark Materials, we follow Lyra, a young woman who is from another world, and is on a quest to find her kidnapped friends. But in doing so, she uncovers the sinister plans of a secret organization, and now has to somehow protect her own life along with the ones she loves.

Based on Philip Pullman's trilogy of novels, His Dark Materials is another example of what television can do if they are given a film’s budget. The His Dark Materials cast is top-notch, with plenty of acting talent to spare, and the effects are amazing. The story itself is also very compelling. It doesn’t take long for this show to pull you in and get your attention – I promise you, you’ll be attentive from the very first episode. With three complete seasons, this is a great one to binge for a weekend. 

Stream His Dark Materials on Max.

The Witcher (Netflix)

Oh, The Witcher, one of the most popular shows on Netflix so far. Based on Andrzej Sapkowski's books, in The Witcher, we follow Geralt of Rivia, a witcher who hunts down monsters for coin, as his path crosses with many different and interesting faces, such as Ciri, the Lion Cub of Cintra, Yennifer, the sorceress, and Jaskier, the bard.

While I do feel there are aspects from the books that could have been better adapted into the series, I think that this is still well done and they’ll only continue to do better. Henry Cavill as Geralt was perfect casting, and the rest of The Witcher cast is compelling and works incredibly well together. Keep in mind that now, with The Witcher Season 4, Liam Hemsworth will be playing Geralt, but I’m willing to give it a shot. 

Stream The Witcher on Netflix.

The Magicians (Netflix)

Another long show with plenty of seasons, The Magicians is based on Lev Grossman's books and follows Quentin Coldwater, who enrolls in Brakebills University for Magical Pedagogy to be trained as a magician, but there he learns that the fantasy worlds he grew up with as a child are extraordinarily real, and are a danger to humanity.

What I like about The Magicians is that it takes almost a practical look at magic compared to some of the other shows here, or magic shows in general. While most shows seem to look at magic with almost a sense of wonder, The Magicians really goes over how it could seriously harm the human race, and the severity that magic can cause, all while still keeping that same sort of feeling of magic. It’s a great show to watch if you haven’t seen it yet. It's a shame it ended, even after five seasons.

Stream The Magicians on Netflix.
 

Charmed (Peacock)

In the original Charmed series, the viewers get to follow a trio of sisters known as “The Charmed Ones,” the most powerful good witches of all time. Together, they use their combined powers to combat the evils of the world, including demons, warlocks, and more.

Is Charmed as serious as some of the other sorcery/fantasy shows on here? Heck no. That’s why this is considered more of a family/chill show out there for magic fans. But that doesn’t mean it’s still not a great show to watch with so many seasons to binge on. The Charmed cast works well in their roles, but their chemistry is what really saves the day and makes this series so likable. You have to love the Charmed sisters.

Stream Charmed on Peacock.

Arcane (Netflix)

This show is fantasy and more and I stand by that. Arcane is based off of the popular game League of Legends, and follows the story of Jinx and Vi, two sisters who are split apart after a horrible tragedy and end up on different sides of a conflict, only to wind up facing each other down the line. 

Arcane is absolutely heartbreaking in so many ways, but it’s also so DAMN good. I will gladly cry and take all the pain that it gives me because it’s beautifully animated, with really cool fantasy aspects that blend both magic and futuristic tech. It’s a show that I really, truly love and I’m so sad that it’s only getting one more season at Netflix. Either way, it’s a great series, and one you should certainly check out. 

Stream Arcane on Netflix. 

The Sandman (Netflix)

This series exploded in popularity on Netflix. The Sandman tells the story of Morpheus, a literal personification of dreams, but one day in 1916, he is captured in an occult ritual and isn’t let out until 106 years later, only to find that his realm has fallen apart. Now, he takes it upon himself to restore it to its original power once he is free. 

While the premise sounds wacky, this show is honestly one of the best fantasies that Netflix has produced in a long time. The Sandman cast is magical and wonderful in every possible way, and every part of this fantasy series makes me feel as if I am in a dream. The cinematography is astounding, and the set pieces are incredible. Definitely check this one out. The Sandman Season 2 is confirmed, so now is the best time to watch it. 

Stream The Sandman on Netflix.

The Wheel Of Time (Amazon Prime)

Moving on, we now take a look at a fantastic Amazon Prime original series, The Wheel of Time. In this amazing fantasy series, we mainly follow Moiraine, a sorcerer, who takes it upon herself to find a group of five villagers when she finds out that one of them might be the Dragon - no, not a mythical beast, but someone who is the reincarnation of a powerful channeller that once ruined the world they walked on, and is now prophesied to either save the world, or end it all over again. 

When I think of The Wheel of Time, I think of it as something that is very high fantasy with a lot of lore, something that might take some time to learn the characters and the storylines properly. But once you do, it’s seriously some amazing fantasy. The Wheel of Time cast is full of talent, including a stellar lead performance from Rosamund Pike.

Stream The Wheel of Time on Amazon Prime.

Avatar: The Last Airbender/The Legend Of Korra (Netflix)

Avatar: The Last Airbender is a classic Nickelodeon show that follows the story of Aang, the last-known Airbender. He is the Avatar, who is supposed to be the master of all four elements, and must go on a journey to learn them to face the Firelord. The sequel series, The Legend of Korra, follows another Avatar named Korra, and her time facing off against dastardly villains while the spirits of the Spirit World run free in later seasons. 

I adore these two shows so damn much that it almost hurts. I know that Avatar: The Last Airbender already has a live-action adaptation and I really do enjoy that, but there’s nothing quite like the animated series. Both shows have equal amounts of awesome in it, with some incredible bending elements that will have you on the edge of your seat. The animation is steller, and the fantasy aspects are always fun to watch. 

Stream Avatar: The Last Airbender on Netflix.
Stream The Legend of Korra on Netflix. 

Sweet Tooth (Netflix)

This Netflix fantasy needs to be on this list. In Sweet Tooth, we follow Gus, otherwise known as “Sweet Tooth,” a young boy who is half-human, half-deer, where he steps out of his home to try and find the truth about his missing mother, Birdie, and the world beyond where he’s stayed his whole life.

Sweet Tooth is absolutely wonderful. The acting of the Sweet Tooth cast is brilliant, the effects are entertaining, and the story will have you laughing, crying, and everything in-between. Gus is the most adorable protagonist you could ever meet, and Tommy Jepperd, Gus’ reluctant companion, is a great counter-protagonist to the young boy, creating some awesome chemistry. With three complete seasons, this is a show to watch that you will end up loving no matter what. 

Stream Sweet Tooth on Netflix.

Fantasy has always been one of my favorite genres, and I hope that after you binge some of these shows, it will be one of yours, too. And maybe you’ll want to fly away on a dragon too. 

Every time a new show arrives on TV or any one of the various streaming services like Hulu and HBO Max, something has to get cut to make room for the new growth. It has happened before and will continue to happen as long as the medium is alive or until the lights finally go out. And 2022 is no different, as some of the biggest shows of the past decade (or longer) like Better Call Saul, Peaky Blinders, and The Walking Dead Season 11 will all air their final episodes at some point this year.

Below is a rather comprehensive list of all the TV shows that are ending or cancelled in 2022. There’s a lot to go over here, so let’s get started before another show is giving the axe or added to the list of titles leaving Netflix.

4400

The CW’s reboot of 4400, which followed a group of people who suddenly return after going missing with no memory of what happened, was one of the numerous series cancelled in May 2022. The show only lasted one season after premiering in October 2021.

A Discovery Of Witches

In December 2021, Digital Spy reported that the third and final season of the popular romantic drama A Discovery of Witches starring Matthew Goode and Teresa Palmer would start up January 7, 2022. The series, which debuted in the UK in 2018 can be watched in its entirety on the AMC+ streaming platform.

Animal Kingdom

In April 2022, TNT finally announced the release date of the sixth and final season of the drama series Animal Kingdom, which is set to kick off Sunday, June 19, bringing an end to the epic saga of the Cody crime family.

Archive 81

Fans of the supernatural horror series Archive 81 were in for a shocker when Netflix announced the show, which was based on the podcast of the same name, would not be returning for a second season.

Arthur

The PBS Kids series Arthur, which is based on the collection of children’s books of the same name, has been releasing new episodes on a fairly consistent basis since September 1996. That run ends in 2022 when the show’s 25th and final season debuts, per the New York Times. However, PBS is leaving the door open for more Arthur content in the future.

After Life

The Ricky Gervais black comedy series After Life has called Netflix home its entire run dating back to March 2019, but that comes to an end when the third and final set of episodes debuted on the streaming service on January 14, 2022. The show’s final season was confirmed by the Netflix UK & Ireland Twitter account in December 2021.

Atlanta

Although it’s not one of the shows that got the ax, Donald Glover’s beloved FX series, Atlanta, will be ending its run following the release of the fourth and final season, which is slated to premiere at some point in fall 2022.

B Positive 

The Thomas Middleditch- and Annaleigh Ashford-starring CBS sitcom, B Positive, never really took off with audiences throughout its two-season run, which resulted in the network pulling the plug after the Season 2 finale in May 2015.

Batwoman

Gotham lost one of its protectors in April 2022 when The CW announced that Batwoman would not be returning for a fourth season, making the Season 3 finale also the final episode.

Better Call Saul

Since 2015, Vince Gilligan’s Better Call Saul has been one of the best shows, not just on AMC but TV in general. But everything must come to an end at some point, and that time has come for the the Bob Odenkirk-led dark comedy series. Better Call Saul Season 6 debuted April 18, 2022.

Better Things

The FX comedy series Better Things will come to an end when the show’s fifth and final season premiered on February 28, 2022. The series, which followed single mother and working actress Sam Fox (Pamela Adlon, who also co-created the show alongside Louis C.K.) first debuted back in September 2016, and was called a “frank and funny look at womanhood” in the CinemaBlend review.

The Big Leap

The Fox musical comedy-drama, The Big Leap, which followed a group of people who put it all on the line in a reality dance competition, won’t be returning for more episodes after Fox cancelled the series following one season, in March 2022.

Black-ish

Kenya Barris’ successful and influential comedy series black-ish kicked off its eighth and final season on ABC on January 4, 2022, starting the final chapter in the story of sitcom that has spawned multiple spinoffs and received numerous awards over the years including a Golden Globe, a Primetime Emmy, and more than two dozen NAACP Image Awards.

Black Market With Michael K. Williams

The Vice TV docuseries Black Market with Michael K. Williams will come to an end after its second and final season premiered January 10, 2022 on the network, per Variety. The series, which originally premiered back in 2016, was forced to come to an end following the shocking and untimely death of host Michael K. Williams in September 2021.

Bull

The popular CBS legal drama series, Bull, which centered on Michael Weatherly’s tenacious psychologist and jury expert, is not returning for a seventh season, though it got a chance to wrap things up with a two-part series finale in May 2022.

Charmed

After four seasons, The CW cancelled the Charmed reboot series in May 2022, alongside several other of the network’s notable shows.

Claws

The final episode of the TNT dramedy series Claws will air its final episode when Season 4 concluded February 6, 2022, a little less than five years after it debuted on the cable network. The fourth and final season of the hit series was announced back in October 2019, per Deadline, and premiered in December 2021.

Cooking With Paris

Just a few months after it made its Netflix debut in August 2021, Cooking with Paris was cancelled by the streaming service. The Paris Hilton-led cooking program, which featured a number of guest stars and hilarious culinary situations, was not renewed for a second season, per Deadline.

Dead To Me

After three seasons, the Linda Cardellini and Christina Applegate-led dark comedy Dead to Me came to an end on Netflix. The finale, which offered closure, aired in November 2022.

The Dr. Oz Show

The Dr. Oz Show, the daytime talk series hosted by Dr. Mehmet Oz ended after 13 seasons and nearly 1,700 episodes on January 14, 2022. The talk show ended its run after Oz announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, per Variety.

Dynasty

The 2017 revival of Dynasty was another series that was cancelled by The CW in May 2022, bringing an end to the show’s five-season run that was just four episodes away from hitting the 100-episode mark.

The Ellen DeGeneres Show

The Ellen DeGeneres Show will complete its historic daytime run when the syndicated talk show completes its 19th and final season at some point in 2022. The announcement to end things came from DeGeneres herself in 2021, when she said she needed something new to challenge her.

Endeavour

After nearly a decade on the airwaves, the British detective series Endeavour will finally come to an end following the conclusion of its ninth and final season, according to TV Line.  

The Endgame

The Morena Baccarin and Ryan Michelle Bathé-led The Endgame joined the list of cancelled NBC shows in May 2022, according to Variety, bringing an end to the drama series after just one season on the network.

The Expanse

After six seasons (and two different homes), the popular sci-fi series The Expanse aired its final episode on January 14, 2022, on Amazon a little less than six years to the date of its debut on SyFy. 

The Good Fight

The Paramount+ (and CBS All Access before that) legal drama The Good Fight will come to an end following the conclusion of its sixth season, which premiered in September 2022.

Good Sam

In May 2022, CBS pulled the plug on the freshman medical drama series, Good Sam, that saw Jason Isaacs and Sophia Bush play a father-daughter doctor duo. According to Deadline, the series was the lowest-rated scripted program on CBS in the 2021-2022 season.

Grace and Frankie

Grace and Frankie, the long-running Netflix comedy series starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin as two women who become friends when their husbands announce they are in love with one another, came to an end with its seventh season. The first crop of episodes premiered in August 2021 with the second following on April 29, 2022.

His Dark Materials

The fantasy drama series His Dark Materials (BBC One in The U.K.; HBO in The U.S.) will be back for a third and final season in December 2022

How We Roll

Not even two months after Pete Holmes’ bowling-centric CBS comedy series, How We Roll, made its debut, the network decided to give the show the ax in May 2022, according to Deadline.

I Know What You Did Last Summer

The Prime Video series I Know What You Did Last Summer, the remake series of the 1997 teen slasher of the same name, won’t receive a second season after Amazon decided to give the series the axe in January 2022, according to Deadline.

In The Dark

The fourth and final season of The CW’s police procedural series, In the Dark, will premiere on the popular network on June 6, 2022, per Deadline.

Kenan

Kenan Thompson may be the longest-running Saturday Night Live cast member, but his return to the world of sitcoms will be short-lived, as NBC cancelled his Kenan series following two seasons, in May 2022, according to Variety.

Kevin Can F**K Himself

The AMC dark comedy series Kevin Can F**K Himself starring Annie Murphy concluded its brief, two-season run in 2022.

Killing Eve

Killing Eve Season 4 premiered February 27, 2022 on BBC America, started the final set of episodes following the complicated lives of intelligence agent Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh) and skilled assassin Villanelle (Jodie Comer). The eight-episode final season was announced in 2021, per The Hollywood Reporter.

Legacies

When the Legacies Season 4 finale aired on June 16, 2022, it was also the final episode for The CW’s fantasy drama series, which was among the numerous shows cancelled by the network in May 2022.

Legends Of Tomorrow

The Arrowverse got a little smaller in April 2022, when it was announced that Legends of Tomorrow would not be returning for an eighth season on The CW, bringing an end to the long-running and popular superhero series.

Locke And Key

The Netflix fantasy horror series Locke & Key will came to an end in August 202 when the show’s third and final season premiered on the streaming service.

Love, Victor

In February 2022 it was announced that Hulu’s romantic comedy-drama series, Love, Victor, would be coming to an end following the conclusion of the show’s third season, which premiered on June 15, 2022.

Made For Love

The Cristin Milioti-led tech dramedy Made for Love was cancelled by HBO Max after two seasons in June 2022, according to EW.

Magnum, P.I.

Fans of the Magnum P.I. reboot series on CBS will have to find another way to spend their Friday nights, as the long-running action crime drama was cancelled just days after the Season 4 finale in May 2022, per Deadline.

Maury

After 30 seasons and more than 3,600 episodes, the daytime talk show Maury aired its final episode in May 2022, just a few months after host Maury Povich announced he would be retiring.

Mr. Mayor

Ted Danson’s NBC sitcom Mr. Mayor, which followed a former ad executive played by the beloved actor as he ran and became the mayor of Los Angeles, was cancelled by NBC in May 2022, per The Hollywood Reporter, bringing an end to its two-season run.

Naomi

The superhero drama series, Naomi, was another show cancelled by The CW in May 2022, a decision that was announced just days after the Season 1 finale aired.

New Amsterdam

The popular medical drama series, New Amsterdam, was cancelled by NBC in March 2022, but the show starring Ryan Eggold as a medical director who comes up with a revolutionary way of caring for patients will return for a fifth and final season, per Deadline.

Nick Cannon

In March 2022 it was announced that another daytime talk show would be closing up shop, as Nick Cannon was cancelled after just one season on TV.

Ordinary Joe

The NBC drama series Ordinary Joe, which debuted in September 2021, was cancelled by the network in March 2022, according to Variety. 

Ozark

The popular crime drama series Ozark, which has been one of the best shows on Netflix since its 2017 debut, ended things with a two-part, 14-episode final season in 2022. The first part of Ozark Season 4 premiered January 21, 2022, with the second half following in April.

Peaky Blinders

The worldwide sensation that is Peaky Blinders will completed its run with the sixth and final season in April 2022. But it’s not the end of the road for Steven Knight’s crime drama as a film adaptation is set to enter production in 2023.

Queen Sugar

Ava DuVernay’s OWN drama series Queen Sugar is another show that will end things in 2022. In November 2021, Deadline reported that the series, which debuted in 2016, wrapped up in November 2022.

Raised By Wolves

The science-fiction series Raised By Wolves, created by Ridley Scott, David W. Zucker, and Aaron Guzikowski, was cancelled by HBO Max in June 2022, according to Variety. The series, which debuted in 2020 on the streaming service, completed its second and final season in March 2022.

Roswell, New Mexico

When Roswell, New Mexico Season 4 starts up on The CW in June 2022, it will be the final set of episodes for The CW’s sci-fi drama series, which was cancelled alongside several other scripted programs in May 2022.

Search Party

The HBO Max dark comedy series Search Party returned for a fifth and final season on January 7, 2022, bringing an end to the Alia Shawkat-led show that originally started out on TBS back in 2016. 

This Is Us

One of the most successful runs on broadcast TV in recent memory will come to an end with the conclusion of This Is Us Season 6, which officially got underway January 4, 2022 on NBC. 

The Walking Dead

Perhaps the biggest TV show that came to an end in 2022, The Walking Dead concluded its 11-season run on AMC. The decision to bring the long-running series to a close was first announced in 2020, when it was revealed that the supercharged season would consist of 24 episodes.

United States Of Al

Just one week before United States of Al Season 2 was set to conclude on CBS, the Chuck Lorre-produced sitcom was cancelled by the network, according to EW.

TV Shows Expected To Be Ending In 2022

There are several other TV shows that are expected to be ending in 2022 but don’t have a release date or window at this point. Take a look at some of those series down below.

Family Reunion
Happy Valley
Hilda
Kid Cosmic
Motherland: Fort Salem
The Owl House
Wu-Tang: An American Saga

Although all of these shows will be coming to an end at some point in 2022, there are still of plenty of new and returning series coming out throughout the year. If you want to stay in the know check out CinemaBlend's list of all the 2022 TV premiere dates.

If we’re talking about some of the best actors of the last couple of decades, one I want to point out is James McAvoy. From starring in an M. Night Shyamalan hit to having roles in big-time TV shows, McAvoy has continued to prove that he can do anything from play crazy killers to kind love interests. 

These are some of the best James McAvoy movies and TV shows that are streaming right now, or are available to rent.

Split (2016)

First up, we have Split. This horror/thriller released in 2016 tells the story of Kevin Crumb, someone who has twenty-six different personalities and ends up locking a trio of teenage girls in his basement. Now, these girls must try and find a way out to save themselves before he ends up harming them even more. 

Not only is this film one of Anya Taylor-Joy’s best movies, but it’s certainly one of James McAvoy’s best films. To be honest, I never thought I could ever be afraid of McAvoy, because before this, he never really played a role that was truly terrifying. But, him as Kevin Crumb genuinely haunts me and I feel that he was the perfect choice, showing just how horrifying he can be, with a classic M. Night Shyamalan twist in there as well. 

Rent/buy Split on Amazon.

Wanted (2008)

If you want an action thriller, check out James McAvoy in Wanted. This movie follows the story of an accountant who finds out an intense secret about his father - that he was an assassin. Soon after, he decides to join the same secret society that his father was a part of and work the same job.  

James McAvoy is a badass in this role. There's nothing quite like McAvoy in an action movie where he gets to show off his skills not only as an actor, but as a fighter as well, and it's great introduction to how he is as an action star prior to his role in X-Men: First Class in 2011. The story is a ton of fun, and McAvoy really brings in a lot of joy through his part.

Stream Wanted on IMDb TV (through Amazon).
Rent/buy Wanted on Amazon.

His Dark Materials (2019 - Present)

In this fantasy series from HBO, His Dark Materials tells the story of Lyra, a normal girl living as an orphan who goes on a crazy adventure in order to find her missing friend, discovering secrets about the world along the way. 

As a part of the His Dark Materials cast, James McAvoy plays Lord Asriel Belacqua, who is actually Lyra’s father, and he was, honestly, the best person to cast in this role. Lord Asriel is fierce and a leader, but also smart in so many ways, and I feel that only McAvoy could portray that combination so well within this complicated fantasy world. I especially enjoy his scenes alongside lead Dafne Keen. They have such great chemistry together. 

Stream His Dark Materials on HBO Max.

Arthur Christmas (2011)

In this fun holiday adventure, Arthur Christmas tells the story of the titular character, Arthur Christmas, a descendant of the Claus line who has to take it upon himself, with the help of others, to save Christmas for a little girl when she doesn’t get her present delivered one year. 

Thinking about this movie always makes me upset because it deserved so much more praise than it got. James McAvoy was literally the perfect casting for Arthur, as his calm and soothing voice was the right choice for someone as good-natured as Arthur and makes him such an easy protagonist to follow. Arthur Christmas is also one of the best movies about Santa Claus, because it gives a new twist to the age-old tale that we’ve never quite seen before. If you’ve never seen it, be sure to check it out. 

Stream Arthur Christmas on Netflix.
Rent/buy Arthur Christmas on Amazon.

X-Men Films (2011 - 2019)

I already mentioned this role earlier, but for some time James McAvoy played the younger version of Professor X, starting in X-Men: First Class and holding onto that role until X-Men: Dark Phoenix, covering the character’s younger years. 

For many, I’m sure this is probably where you first saw James McAvoy, as this was the case for me, and I can see why he was picked for this role. He’s able to capture that mysteriousness that Professor X always carries around him, that air of ambiguity, while still remaining one of the most powerful mutants. If you’ve never seen any of the these films, be sure to watch the X-Men movies in order.

Stream the X-Men movies on Disney+.
Rent The X-Men movies on Amazon.

Starter For 10 (2006)

If you’re looking for a great comedy-drama, check out Starter for 10, starring James McAvoy. This British film follows an incredibly smart young man in his first year at Bristol University, but his world changes when he wins a spot on the University Challenge quiz team, having the chance to show just how smart he is. 

In my eyes, Starter for 10 has always been a more under-the-radar college film, but I personally enjoy the heck out of it, and that’s mainly due to the charming charisma that James McAvoy brings to the screen. I mean, he is so perfect for this coming-of-age role, even when the film starts to turn a little darker towards the end, and makes you want to root for him to succeed. It’s definitely a fun one that I’m sure you would enjoy. 

Stream Starter for 10 on HBO Max.
Rent/buy Starter for 10 on Amazon.

The Last King Of Scotland (2006)

Starring Forest Whitaker and James McAvoy, The Last King of Scotland follows the real-life story of the Ugandan President, Idi Amin, who ruled as a dictator, through the eyes of a young doctor who begins to get closer to him and realizes just how dark and brutal the leader is.

Forest Whitaker actually won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Idi Amin, but James McAvoy was also fantastic in his role as Dr. Nicholas Garrigan. I personally believe he should have gotten even more awards recognition because he was absolutely amazing in this film, and I loved every single scene he was in alongside Whitaker. Not only is it an intense story that will captivate you from the very beginning, it’s beautifully performed by both leads. 

Rent/buy The Last King of Scotland on Amazon.

Atonement (2007)

In this drama-filled film with plenty of stars, Atonement stars both Kiera Knightley and James McAvoy in this tragic romance when the daughter of an upper-class family ends up falling in love with the housekeeper’s son, causing their lives to turn upside down. 

Not only is Atonement one of Kiera Knightley’s best movies, but it’s also one of James McAvoy’s best acting performances to date. His role in the film earned him his first Golden Globe nomination, as well as his second BAFTA nomination for his performance as Robbie Turner. He and Kiera Knightley are literally the best in this film, and their tragic romance tugs at my heart so much. I wish they were in more movies together because their chemistry was off the charts. 

Stream Atonement on HBO Max.
Rent/buy Atonement on Amazon.

Shameless (2004 - 2005)

Before one of Showtime’s best shows, Shameless, was remade for the U.S., the first version was actually done in the United Kingdom. This show is what you would expect it to be if you’re familiar with the American version - following the Gallagher family and all of their crazy and dysfunctional adventures, except this time it's set in Manchester, England.

James McAvoy actually portrayed Steve McBride, Fiona’s boyfriend and later husband in the show, and while there is a Steve in Showtime's version of Shameless, McAvoy’s character is much better, in my opinion. He was sweet with the Gallagher family, a great boyfriend to Fiona, and an all-around good guy. James McAvoy proved just how great he was in a comedic role and made me not only laugh, but cry at certain moments. It was a shame he was only in the show for two seasons. 

Stream Shameless on Pluto TV.

Atomic Blonde (2017)

Next up, we have Atomic Blonde, which stars Charlize Theron. This action thriller tells the story of a spy who is working to find several double agents, written on a highly secretive list, who are actively being smuggled into West Berlin before the wall collapses. 

James McAvoy portrays David Percival, an MI6 Berlin station chief who has a couple of twists of his own, and let me say to Hollywood - please put McAvoy in more action roles like this. He’s just so freaking good as an agent and as a potential villain. His screen presence is perfect, and everything about him is just ugh in the best way possible. While I don’t think he’s going to be showing up in any Atomic Blonde sequel, I can still hope he’ll be in something similar in the future. 

Rent/buy Atomic Blonde on Amazon.

The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe (2005) 

Last but not least, we have the fun fantasy movie, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. This first installment in the Narnia series follows the story of a group of siblings who discover the world of Narnia, a place that is hidden within their wardrobe, and are thrown into a war between good and evil. 

You want to know how I know this is one of James McAvoy’s best films? As a child, I had never read the Narnia series, but I did see the movie. You want to know what I remembered all those years later? Not the plot of the film - James McAvoy’s portrayal of Mr. Tumnus. 

Obviously, as an adult I know what the heck is going on in the series, but as a kid I was in love with Mr. Tumnus and his warm heart, and I know it was because McAvoy was the perfect choice. His smile, interactions, and everything else always defined the Narnia series for me as a kid, and to this day, I still think he’s one of the best parts of the first film. 

Stream The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe on Disney+.
Rent/buy The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe on Amazon.

I’m sure we’re only going to see more and more of James McAvoy, but until then, we at least have some awesome movies and TV shows to check out before his next big hit. Now, I’ll go and re-watch Split for the millionth time. 

When it comes to fantasy series, we are living in a day and age where there are so many, it’s almost hard to focus on just one, and His Dark Materials on HBO is one of the best. With a star-studded cast, a wonderful story, and effects that rival those of movies, His Dark Materials has everything you could possibly need and more for a fantasy show that could be as big as Game of Thrones.

But with a cast as large as the one in His Dark Materials, fans of the show might be wondering where exactly they might have seen the cast before. Are they in any of the shows that are on the 2021 fall TV schedule? Are they in any other HBO TV show? Truly, this is cast filled with talent, and if you’re wondering where they could have been seen before, look no further than here.

Dafne Keen (Lyra Belacqua)

As the lead character of His Dark Materials, Lyra is a young girl with a lot of heart and bravery packed deep within her, and that could only be played by the wonderful Dafne Keen. While she is young, she is extremely talented, and has had a couple of film and TV roles prior to His Dark Materials.

Her biggest thus far has been playing Laura, her debut feature role, in the X-Men film, Logan, alongside Hugh Jackman. Other than that, she’s had roles in another film, the comedy-drama, Ana, and made an appearance in The New Mutants. She also had a recurring role on The Refugees, playing Ana Oliver. With a part in a series as big as this one, I can’t wait to see where her career goes from here on out.

Ruth Wilson (Marisa Coulter)

Lyra's mother, Marisa Coulter, is a powerful woman, and she shows it constantly throughout the show. Ruth Wilson, who plays Maria Coulter, has appeared in several films and TV shows prior to her role in His Dark Materials. This includes films like the drama movie, Anna Karenina, the western, The Lone Ranger, the biographical film, Saving Mr. Banks, the Netflix film, I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House, the drama film, Dark River, and many more.

Wilson has also had several roles in TV, such as a part in the miniseries, Jane Eyre, as Alice Morgan in Luther, Alison Lockhart in The Affair, and played the titular character in Mrs. Wilson, a miniseries.

Anna-Marie Duff (Maggie ‘Ma’ Costa)

Ma played an important role during Season 1 of His Dark Materials, as the woman who has previously nursed Lyra when she was a baby, and she was played by the wonderful Anna-Marie Duff.

In terms of film, Anna-Marie Duff has had several roles, including parts in Enigma, The Magdalene Sisters, Notes on a Scandal, The Last Station, Nowhere Boy, Before I Go to Sleep, and several others in her long career. She’s also done plenty on television. Her biggest role was playing Fiona Gallagher in the British version of Shameless, but has also had parts in The Virgin Queen, The History of Mr. Polly, From Darkness, The Salisbury Poisonings, the Netflix original series, Sex Education, and many more.

James Cosmo (Farder Coram van Texel)

Farder Coram van Texel was another prominent figure in the first season of His Dark Materials, and was played by the amazing James Cosmo. For those who don’t know, James Cosmo has done plenty in the fantasy realm prior to his role in His Dark Materials, including having a part in the fantasy film, Highlander. Cosmo has also had roles in films like Braveheart, Trainspotting, Troy, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Ben-Hur, and the superhero film, Wonder Woman.

Cosmo has also had a very prominent career in TV that has also included a big fantasy role, playing Jeor Mormont on the fantasy series, Game of Thrones. He’s also had recurring and guest roles in shows like Sons of Anarchy, Roughnecks, The Name of the Rose and more. It’s no surprise that someone who’s had this much practice in fantasy has come over to another fantasy series to shine.

Ariyon Bakare (Lord Carlo Boreal)

I think all of us are a little bit jealous that Lord Carlo Boreal can just cross between two worlds - wouldn’t that be so cool if we could all do that? In His Dark Materials, Lord Carlo Boreal is played by Ariyon Bakare, whose been in some big-time films and TV shows.

In terms of movies. Bakare has appeared in Jupiter Ascending, Life, Frankie, and more. But Bakare has also had some main, guest and recurring roles in TV, including the Amazon original miniseries, Good Omens, Carnival Row, Doctor Who, and plenty others. I’m eager to see what he does after getting a lead role in a show as big as His Dark Materials.

Will Keen (Father Hugh MacPhail)

There are plenty of Magisterium officials in His Dark Materials, but I don’t think anyone is quite as big as Father Hugh MacPhail. Played by Will Keen, he is actually the real-life father of Dafne Keen, the star of the series. It’s always fun to see family act together in shows like this.

In terms of his career, it seems that Keen has focused his career more on television, with plenty of roles in big series prior to His Dark Materials. He has a part in Wolf Hall, THe Impressionists, a role in the Netflix original series, The Crown, Silk, Titanic, The Musketeers, and even had a role alongside his daughter in The Refugees as well.

Gary Lewis (Thorold)

Asriel’s assistant in His Dark Materials, Thorold, is played by Gary Lewis, and I couldn’t picture anyone else playing him besides Lewis himself. Lewis has had several roles in film, but some of his most notable have been parts in Billy Elliot, Joyeuz Noel, Gangs of New York, Eragon, Three and Out, and The Vanishing.

Lewis has also had some bigger roles in TV as well. He’s had parts in miniseries’ such as Gunpowder, Treason and Plot or Prime Suspect 7: The Final Act, a recurring role in the fantasy series, Outlander, a part in docudrama, Supervolcano, a spot in the Netflix original series, Frontier, and many more.

Lewin Lloyd (Roger Parslow)

As Lyra’s best friend in His Dark Materials, I think we all have a special soft-spot for Roger Parslow. He’s a sweet kitchen boy who deserves the world, and could only be played by the wonderful Lewin Lloyd. Like his other young co-star, Lloyd hasn’t had the chance to be in several films and TV shows just yet, but in the few he has been in, he’s made himself known.

In terms of film, Lloyd had a part in The Aeronauts, as well as the drama film, Judy. With television, he had a recurring role on the TV series, Taboo, and one in the series, The Alienist, while also having guest roles in shows like Doctor Who and Fortitude. With how amazing his acting was in His Dark Materials, I have a feeling we’ll be seeing this young actor a lot more in the future.

James McAvoy (Lord Asriel Belacqua)

To be completely honest, I don’t think I could ever picture another person more perfect to play Lyra’s father, Lord Asriel Belacqua, than James McAvoy in His Dark Materials. The actor has been prominent in both film and TV for some time now, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve seen him before.

For just a sampling of all the films James McAvoy has starred in, he’s had roles in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, played Charles Xavier in the X-Men series, did voice work with films like Gnomeo and Juliet and the classic Christmas film, Arthur Christmas, had the lead role in the thriller film, Split, which he reprised later in Glass, and has had several other roles.

In terms of TV, he’s also been in plenty shows as well, including a role in the British version of Shameless, State of Play, Frank Herbert’s Children of Dune, Watership Down, and more.

For someone as talented as James McAvoy, it’s not a shocker that he decided to take his talents to a big-time HBO show, and I can’t wait to see him more in His Dark Materials Season 3.

Lin-Manuel Miranda (Lee Scoresby)

Starring as one of the Aeronauts in His Dark Materials, Lee Scoresby, Lin-Manuel Miranda has had quite the career in the last decade. He was very prominent in the theater industry, having created two Tony Award-winning hits - Hamilton: An American Musical and In the Heights. Both musicals have gone on to have their own film versions. Hamilton was taped for Disney+, and the feature adaptation of In the Heights came out on HBO Max and in theaters in 2021.

Besides that, however, Miranda also wrote all the songs for Moana, the Disney film, and was part of the Vivo cast on Netflix, voicing the titular kinkajou character. While His Dark Materials is one of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s biggest acting gigs on TV, he’s had several guest roles in series before, including BoJack Horseman, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and has done various voice roles on Ducktales.

To be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if Miranda’s character randomly started to rap in His Dark Materials with how musically-talented he is, but at the same time, that sounds like an awesome addition to Lee Scoresby.

Ruta Gedmintas (Serafina Pekkala)

Witches have always been some of my favorite characters in film and TV - I grew up loving the Harry Potter movies, so are you surprised? - and Serafine Pekkala is definitely one of the greats, in my opinion.

Played by the wonderful Ruta Gedmintas, the actress has mainly kept her focus on TV, with roles in series such as The Strain, Spooks: Code 9, The Borgias, The Tudors, Lip Service, The Innocence Project, Do No Harm and more. Hopefully after her role in His Dark Materials, we can get to see her in many more projects.

With such a talented cast that far surpasses even this list, His Dark Materials is definitely building up to be an awesome series with Season 3 coming out soon. I can’t wait to see all my favorite characters again, in a fantasy world that we can escape into one more. Hopefully, Season 3 can arrive sooner rather than later.

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The popularity of the His Dark Materials books has translated very well for HBO. The show has overall been well-received by fans of Philip Pullman’s original material, critics, and families--achieving respectable viewership. The series had two dynamic seasons so far but His Dark Materials Season 3 may be the best one yet.

His Dark Materials Season 3 will continue the adventure of Lyra Belacqua (Dafne Keen) and Will Parry (Amir Wilson) as they explore new worlds and find their way back to one another. The upcoming season will have plenty of action, surprises, and exciting reveals. We can’t wait for His Dark Materials Season 3. It may be several months before the new season hits HBO, but we now know quite a bit about His Dark Materials Season 3. Let’s examine some of the quick things we know so far about the new season of this HBO series.

Warning: minor His Dark Materials spoilers ahead.

His Dark Materials Season 3 Is The Final Season

In October 2020, before His Dark Materials Season 2 even premiered, Deadline reported that HBO and the BBC renewed the series for season 3 and it would be the final season. The announcement of His Dark Materials Season 3 being the last shouldn’t have come as a shock to many, as originally the His Dark Materials books were a trilogy.

However, in November 2019, His Dark Materials producer Jane Tranter told Deadline that she would have liked to split the events of the third book into two seasons. She believed the third His Dark Materials book had enough material to flesh out over the course of two seasons.

She also mentioned the possibility of His Dark Materials team also adapting Philip Pullman’s other books set in the world of His Dark Materials, such as The Secret Commonwealth and La Belle Sauvage. The books go more into Lyra’s history and follow her as an adult. Because of the time jump, there is still a possibility that these books could eventually be adapted by the BBC and HBO.

His Dark Materials Season 3 Follows The Events Of The Amber Spyglass

His Dark Materials Season 3 follows the event of the third book in the original trilogy: The Amber Spyglass. The other two previous seasons followed the events of the first and second books, The Golden Compass/Northern Lights and The Subtle Knife. Like previous seasons, we're expecting His Dark Materials Season 3 to be a fairly faithful adaptation with a few changes.

The Amber Spyglass is the largest of the three books, so there is a good chance that some storylines and details will be omitted because of limited episodes. His Dark Materials Season 3 will follow Will and Lyra as they travel across worlds to find each other.

His Dark Materials Season 3 Has Eight Episodes

His Dark Materials Season 1 had eight episodes and Season 2 was supposed to have eight episodes, but one episode couldn’t finish filming due to the COViD-19 production suspensions. Therefore, it makes sense for His Dark Materials Season 3 to have eight final episodes as well.

This means the series will have a lot to cram into each episode to offer Philip Pullman and His Dark Materials fans an ending that satisfies and stays true to the books.

Dafne Keen, Ruth Wilson, Amir Wilson, And Others Return For His Dark Materials Season 3

Many of the main characters from His Dark Materials' previous two seasons return for the final one. Stars Dafne Keen and Amir Wilson return to reprise their roles as Lyra and Will. Ruth Wilson will also be back as the devilish Mrs. Coulter. James McAvoy will return as Lord Asriel.

Simone Kirby makes her return as Mary Malone, a character that was introduced in Season 2. Also returning are Will Keen as Father President MacPhail, Jade Anouka as Ruta Skadi, and Ruta Gedmintas as Serafina.

One character that’s unclear if he will return is Lee Scoresby (played by Lin-Manuel Miranda). Lee makes an appearance in The Amber Spyglass, so there is an opportunity for Miranda to return but any future appearances on His Dark Materials depend on how the writers’ approach the book and Miranda’s availability, but in December 2020 he told Variety that he would be open to a return.

His Dark Materials Season 3 Introduces Plenty Of New Characters

His Dark Materials will add several new cast members to the final season. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje will play Commander Ogunwe. Jamie Ward will play Father Gomez. Amber Fitzgerald-Woolfe plays Ama. Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Simon Harrison, and Chipo Chung are the rebel angels Balthamos, Baruch, and Xaphania.

Ogunwe is part of Lord Asriel’s military forces, Father Gomez will be part of the twelve members of the Consistorial Court of Discipline, and Ama will likely have a role in Lyra’s third season storyline. The three angels play a major role in the rebellion against the Authority.

His Dark Materials Season 3 Began Filming In May 2021

In June 2021, Bad Wolf Productions released an image of the first day of filming His Dark Materials Season 3. Though the image wasn’t released until June 2021, the clapperboard shows a date of May 24. His Dark Materials is mainly filmed throughout Wales and England.

Filming on His Dark Materials Season 1 wrapped in December 2018. Season 1 didn’t premiere until November 2019. Production on the second season began before the first season aired. Filming wrapped on Season 2 before July 2020 because they weren’t able to film the stand-alone eighth episode that focused on McAvoy’s Lord Asriel. His Dark Materials Season 2 premiered in November 2020.

It’s a safe bet to assume that His Dark Materials Season 3 will premiere in November, but whether that’s November 2021 or November 2022 is yet to be determined.

His Dark Materials Season 3 Will Be “Down And Dirty”

It’s still unclear how faithful of an adaptation His Dark Materials Season 3 will be to the book, but we do know Lord Asriel will continue his war and battle against the Authority. James McAvoy spoke to The One Show and gave very basic details on the upcoming season of HBO’s hit series.

We’re definitely in for an exciting His Dark Materials Season 3. We may have to wait until the fall to see His Dark Materials Season 3, but there are plenty of 2021 Summer TV Shows to keep you busy. The first two seasons of His Dark Materials are available to stream on HBO Max. Stream it here.

His Dark Materials' second season finished airing on HBO back in late 2020 on some intense cliffhangers, and fans were lucky enough to get the renewal for a third and final season that will adapt Philip Pullman's The Amber Spyglass ahead of the finale. No premiere date for Season 3 has been announced just yet, but production has officially begun on the third season, and a first look at stars Dafne Keen and Amir Wilson on set reveals some details about what's on the way.

The first look reveals the actors playing Lyra Silvertongue and Will Parry on set for the third season's adaptation of The Amber Spyglass, which will close the His Dark Materials story inspired by Philip Pullman's novel trilogy of the same name. Assuming that we're not dealing with a dream sequence (although more on that lower), check out a breakdown of what the first look probably tells us about the beginning of Season 3, starting with some details that are spoiler-free for the books before moving into book spoilers!

Will And Lyra Reunite Early

Dafne Keen and Amir Wilson are together in this first look at Season 3, and all signs point toward them on location together about to get to work. The clapperboard that Wilson is holding reveals that this is quite literally the beginning of production on the first take of this scene in the Season 3 premiere – a.k.a., Episode 301 – and Wilson at least is in costume, based on how the fingers that Will Parry is missing are covered up.

Will and Lyra were separated at the end of Season 2, with the distance between them growing and the odds stacked against them. TV shows regularly film episodes out of order, so the premiere may not open with Will and Lyra together, but the first look indicates that they'll be back together early on! Of course, Dafne Keen's makeup shows some serious bags under Lyra's eyes, so we shouldn't rule out this scene involving either Lyra dreaming or waking up, which would be bad news for Mrs. Coulter!

A Time Jump Is Probably Coming

Dafne Keen's hair seems to be significantly longer in the first look at the first episode of Season 3, which suggests that His Dark Materials is going to deliver a time jump from where Season 2 ended. Lyra has also had a change of clothes, which really does seem like something Mrs. Coulter would have done once she had her hands on her daughter again. Will isn't wearing the coat he got from his dad after his death (which came with a change from the books), but Keen's hair is really what sells me on the time jump.

And a time jump would make sense from a practical standpoint. His Dark Materials finished filming Season 2 in 2019, and the teen actors may look visibly older with Season 3 production beginning in spring 2021. That's not to say that an in-universe time jump will match how much time has passed in the real world, but I'm guessing some weeks or even months will have passed before Will and Lyra reunite.

Season 3 Has Already Been Filming For A While

Although the news that His Dark Materials has begun filming the third season adaptation of The Amber Spyglass only just broke, the clapperboard reveals that Dafne Keen and Amir Wilson actually began filming for the Season 3 premiere almost a full month ago on May 24. While that doesn't reveal any details about the plot, it could at least mean that fans will have one month less to wait for the show to return to HBO.

My fingers are crossed for a 2021 release at least. Seasons 1 and 2 both premiered in November and wrapped in December, so assuming no production shutdowns like the one that resulted in an episode being cut from Season 2, perhaps His Dark Materials will be back in the fall. Now, let's break down what this first look says about Season 3 based on details from Philip Pullman's The Amber Spyglass, with BIG BOOK SPOILERS ahead!

Will Probably Meets The Angels Quickly

Will actually encounters a pair of angels at the end of The Subtle Knife, but Balthamos and Baruch didn't appear in the second season of the show. The angels in the book want to guide him to Asriel, but Will wants to find Lyra and rescue her from Mrs. Coulter first. Balthamos in particular becomes key to Will's journey to find Lyra, and the photo of Amir Wilson and Dafne Keen suggesting an early Will/Lyra reunion indicates that Will meets and joins forces with the angels quickly in Season 3.

Will's two angel allies have both been cast, with Kobna Holdbrook-Smith of Zack Snyder's Justice League and Simon Harrison of Everest playing Balthamos and Baruch, respectively. Notably, the angel Xaphania has also been cast, to be played by Into the Badlands veteran Chipo Chung, but Xaphania has a different and arguably more heartbreaking role to play if Season 3 follows The Amber Spyglass to the end.

Lyra Probably Escapes Quickly

Dafne Keen is sporting some serious bags under her eyes thanks to her makeup job for the Season 3 premiere, which fits with how The Amber Spyglass handles her story early on with Mrs. Coulter keeping her drugged, asleep, and dreaming until Will and Co. come to the rescue and she wakes up. Keen's makeup combined with apparently sharing a scene with Amir Wilson indicates that she escapes Mrs. Coulter relatively quickly, even if she's not going to bounce back to herself right off the bat.

It Could Be A Dream Sequence

All of this said, I can't ignore the possibility that the first look is from a dream sequence, which would mean that it gives away far fewer clues than it seems. Lyra was dreaming of the world of the dead at the end of Season 2, where she "met" Roger again. In The Amber Spyglass, Lyra's dreams are ongoing, and ultimately prompt her to make the journey to that world of the dead herself.

While Will obviously isn't in the world of the dead until he travels there with Lyra, she could well dream of him as well, resulting in a Season 3 premiere scene between Dafne Keen and Amir Wilson without reuniting their characters so early on. A dream sequence is definitely possible, but I'm leaning toward the first look genuinely showing Will and Lyra back together for real for one key reason: The Amber Spyglass is pretty long.

Season 3 Will Move Through The Book Plot Quickly

The Amber Spyglass is by far the longest of Philip Pullman's three His Dark Materials books, and arguably the most dense and complicated. Season 3 will run for the same amount of episodes as the first season's adaptation of Northern Lights/The Golden Compass and just one episode longer than the second season's adaptation of The Subtle Knife. The idea Will and Lyra reuniting in the Season 3 premiere in the flesh rather than via dream sequence might seem fast, but there is a lot that the show needs to pack in from the book.

There will of course be cuts and tweaks in bringing the book to the screen, but His Dark Materials absolutely can't just leave out the world of the dead or what's happening with Asriel and Mrs. Coulter or Mary Malone and the mulefa, although I'm guessing Mary and the mulefa might get the short end of the stick compared to some other huge plots. Plus, His Dark Materials was already foreshadowing Will and Lyra's emotional ending back in early Season 2 with the Oxford Botanic Garden bench, so I highly doubt that the show is going to shortchange how their stories conclude.

If a major storyline is going to be condensed to make room for the show to do justice to The Amber Spyglass as a whole, the long journey to rescue Lyra makes the most sense in my mind. I do hope that Will crosses paths with Iorek during his quest to find Lyra, but if something's gotta give in one of the big Amber Spyglass arcs, I'm guessing it will be some of the beats of this particular story. Is that a lot to guess based on the first look behind-the-scenes? Maybe, but I'm sticking with it!

Unfortunately, it may be a while before we get much more than this first look. Still, if the lead up to Season 3 is similar to the lead to Season 2, then the trailer could release sometime this summer. The first of a few Season 2 trailers released during San Diego Comic-Con's virtual presentation in 2020. For now, you can always rewatch the first two seasons streaming on HBO Max, and check out our 2021 summer TV premiere schedule for some additional viewing options.

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Netflix has been having a ball the last several of years dropping some TV shows which have really taken the world by storm. I’m talking about shows like Stranger Things or the TV series that seemed to capture the whole world’s attention last year, Bridgerton. But, one of the latest shows to really blow up in the last couple of weeks is Netflix’s newest series, Shadow and Bone.

Shadow and Bone on Netflix, based on the Shadow and Bone books, captures the fantasy and dystopian genres through the eyes of war and has been applauded by audiences for its breathtaking visuals and beautiful storytelling. However, since there are only eight episodes of this series, and we probably won’t see a Season 2 for quite some time, fans are most likely looking for replacements to fill the void in their heart once their binge is done. Look no further than here for eleven other shows that you might like if you enjoyed Shadow and Bone.

Game of Thrones (HBO Max)

We are talking the epitome of fantasy here, folks. If you loved Shadow and Bone, Game of Thrones is the way to go. This famous fantasy series follows several characters through their journeys after a monarch dies and, all of a sudden, it’s a competition to see who can claim the Iron Throne for themselves.

The show is one of the most popular TV series in modern-day history and has won several Primetime Emmy Awards. It’s launched the careers of some of its previously unknown stars like Emilia Clarke and only made careers bigger for established actors like Peter Dinklage. The story is great, the visuals are amazing, and it’s truly a spectacle for one to see – but maybe skip out on the last season, in my opinion.

Stream Game of Thrones on HBO Max.

Lucifer (Netflix)

Who knew the devil could look this good?

Lucifer is all about exactly whom you would expect, the devil himself. However, it’s not quite the story you’d believe, as Lucifer grows tired of his life in Hell and decides to abandon it and move to Los Angeles, where he runs a nightclub called LUX and becomes a consultant for the LAPD.

I know, it sounds so silly, but trust me when I say that Lucifer is a lot of fun and a great way to really change up the story surrounding the religious character. The story itself creates plenty of moments that fans have loved and if you’re into magic, Lucifer is the literal devil – he has plenty of it. You might just find yourself rooting for the devil a little in this show.

Stream Lucifer on Netflix.

Shadowhunters (Freeform)

Freeform has always been known to put out some bangers when it comes to shows that really showcase magic, but the best one that I can think of is Shadowhunters. This popular series follows Clary Fray, who, on one of her birthdays, finds out that her family is actually a race of human-angel hybrids who hunt down demons in New York City.

For fans of Shadow and Bone, this is one of the best alternates out there for the magic that is infused into the plots. It’s so much fun, and sometimes almost makes you think you’re watching Harry Potter but with a more adult twist. There are only three seasons, so it’s not super hard to binge. Plunge into the magic and have some fun!

Stream Shadowhunters on Freeform.

The Irregulars (Netflix)

I sort of consider The Irregulars as the British version of Ghostbusters, because they are the ones you call when things start to look a little freaky. The Irregulars is based on the work of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the same man who created the infamous Sherlock Holmes, and follows the story of the Baker Street Irregulars, who work for Dr. Watson and save London from various supernatural events.

For fans of Sherlock and Shadow and Bone, this show would be perfect for you, as it not only connects you to the world that you already know but also adds some supernatural fun that anyone can enjoy. Plus, who doesn’t love some good old-fashioned ghost-hunting?

Stream The Irregulars on Netflix.

The Witcher (Netflix)

If you haven’t heard of it yet, you’ve been living under a rock. The Witcher is a fantastical story filled to the brim with fantasy, magic, and monsters, mainly following the story of Geralt of Rivia, one of the last known Witchers, and his tale of training the young Lion Cub of Cintra, Ciri, and his encounters with the witch, Yennifer.

The show itself was extremely popular during its debut season on Netflix, with fans tuning in from all over the world to binge it on its release date and see Henry Cavill rock it as Geralt. With Season 2 coming out, hopefully in 2021, it’s not too late to catch up on this awesome fantasy show before it takes a hold of our lives again.

Stream The Witcher on Netflix.

His Dark Materials (HBO Max)

This show really took fantasy to a whole new level after HBO ended Game of Thrones. His Dark Materials is all about Lyra, a young woman who is from another world and is on a quest to find her friend who was kidnapped, but ends up discovering the plot of a secret organization and other amazing finds.

His Dark Materials has only been around for two seasons, but they had plenty of moments which were full of amazing cinematography and some of the best CGI you could probably ever experience on television. The story itself is full of the great fantasy that you would expect, and so much fun. Plus, with an all-star cast, with the likes of Lin-Manuel Miranda and James McAvoy, it’s a definite watch, for sure.

Stream His Dark Materials on HBO Max.

Westworld (HBO Max)

Now that I look at it, there are so many shows on HBO which really capitalize on the fantasy genre, but Westworld certainly isn’t one of them. No, Westworld dives into the science-fiction world, with three very different and complex seasons, the beginning starting out with a theme park that has androids who can pass for humans, and lets humans live out their fantasies on them.

While there isn’t really any magic like there is in Shadow and Bone, the dystopian aspect is certainly there, with so much going on sometimes that it’s hard to keep track of the story. But ,that doesn’t change the fact that it’s very interesting and has some really cool visuals. It might take some time to get used to but Westworld is great fun.

Stream Westworld on HBO Max.

Cursed (Netflix)

This new Netflix series from 2020 takes a spin on the classic Arthurian legend. Cursed looks at it through the eyes of Nimue, a young woman who was born with a mysterious gift, is destined to become the powerful Lady of the Lake, and ends up actually becoming partners with the legendary Arthur himself.

If you want fantasy, look no further than Cursed. You’ll find yourself enthralled with not only the magic and the beauty that comes from the world of the series, but the sword fights and battle scenes, along with the story that actually delivers a great twist on an age-old tale. There’s still only one season of the show, so it would be a nice quick binge for you to enjoy.

Stream Cursed on Netflix.

Fate: The Winx Saga (Netflix)

Another new series which has come out recently, Fate: The Winx Saga, based on the cartoon series, feels almost like the perfect follow-up for a show like Shadow and Bone. This fantasy show is about the magical school of Alfea, where five fairies who become friends are trying to master their individualized powers while also juggling their own personal lives.

I almost think of this show sort of as what Shadow and Bone could have been if it was maybe set in high school, with everyone having their own powers and learning to master them. The visual effects are great and I can see why this ended up coming into the Top 10 during its first week on Netflix, due to the pure fun that show is. It’s definitely one of the top contenders on this list.

Stream Fate: The Winx Saga on Netflix.

A Discovery Of Witches (Amazon Prime Video)

We can’t have this list without mentioning a couple of shows that are purely focused on magic, so our first pick here is A Discovery of Witches on Amazon Prime. This popular show follows Diana Bishop, a reluctant witch who stumbles upon a magical transcript in a library, forcing her to find out the secrets it holds about magical beings, as well as being offered help by a vampire named Matthew Clairmont.

I personally look at this series as what Twilight could have been if it wasn’t werewolves vs vampires the whole time. The partnership between Diana and Matthew is believable, and you sometimes even find yourself in a trance with the mysteries that await in the manuscript. With two seasons to binge, there’s so much sorcery for you when you dive into the discovery.

Stream A Discovery of Witches on Amazon Prime Video.

The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina (Netflix)

Last but certainly not least, we take a look at this popular Netflix show. The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is all about Sabrina Spellman, a young witch who, at the age of 16, needs to decide whether to keep her powers and sign her life away to the devil or enter into the realm of the mortal world to stay with her friends.

With two seasons split up both into two parts, there’s plenty of Sabrina for you. And, since it’s also produced by the same people who do Riverdale, you get the typical high school love, rivalries, challenges, and everything else from a great teen show, mixed in with some awesome views of the dark arts. For fans of the magic in Shadow and Bone, this show is for you.

Stream The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina on Netflix.

I know we’re all already waiting for Season 2 to come out of Shadow and Bone, but hopefully this list can hold you over. Maybe some of the best movies on Netflix or the best Amazon Prime movies might help as well. Either way, let’s hope that they all include the adventure that we got from the amazing world that Netflix gave us. Until Season 2!

MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD for the Season 2 finale of His Dark Materials on HBO, and book spoilers through the early chapters of Philip Pullman's The Amber Spyglass.

The second season of His Dark Materials has come to an end with a doozy of a finale that killed off a couple of key characters, split up the young heroes, set the stage for a much larger conflict than just a battle against the Magisterium, and brought back somebody who wasn't expected to return until Season 3. And, if all of those weren't enough, the episode included a post-credits scene that doesn't bode well for poor Lyra!

So, now that Season 2 is over, let's take a look at the endings for the biggest surviving characters, that post-credits sequence, and what they mean for Season 3. And don't worry -- if you haven't read the Philip Pullman trilogy, I'm not going into book spoilers beyond how His Dark Materials picks up where these cliffhangers left off. Read on!

His Dark Materials Season 2 Post-Credits Scene: Roger Returns

If you're anything like me, you glanced at the time left when the credits started to roll and began to suspect that there was a little something in store before the finale ended. The post-credits scene of the Season 2 finale saw the return of none other than Roger, who of course was cruelly split from his daemon and murdered by Lord Asriel in the Season 1 finale.

In the post-credits scene, Roger can be heard calling Lyra's name and asking for help, looking no older than he did when he died. Lyra's voice asks Roger what this place is. Roger doesn't answer, making this scene a pretty great cliffhanger. Unfortunately for fans who might still be stung by his unceremonious death in Season 1, this isn't necessarily good news.

Roger's reappearance isn't a reveal that he was magically resurrected or a Roger doppelganger from one of the many other worlds in the His Dark Materials universe. Instead, this adaptation of Philip Pullman's The Subtle Knife as the second book in the His Dark Materials trilogy dipped into the plot of the third book, The Amber Spyglass, to reveal Roger in the world of the dead.

The good news is that Lyra doesn't have to be dead for her to see Roger in that place. Lyra, drugged and unconscious in the book, dreams of Roger and learns about the world of the dead, a desolate place where the dead go without their daemons after they die. This becomes key to the third and final installment of His Dark Materials, and the post-credits scene is a glimpse of what's to come.

Personally, I'm hoping that "what's to come" in the world of the dead is more brightly-lit than in the quick glimpse of Roger at the end of the Season 2 finale. Even if Season 3 doesn't spend a substantial amount of time there, a little more brightness would be much appreciated!

Lord Asriel's Return

Arguably the biggest surprise of the His Dark Materials Season 2 finale was the return of James McAvoy as Lord Asriel. The character doesn't appear at all in The Subtle Knife, and McAvoy's role in Season 2 might have been cut altogether since the Asriel standalone episode had to be scrapped. In the finale, Asriel showed up in what seemed to be a pretty empty area after "struggling through many worlds," with a grand speech to nobody... or so it seemed at first.

Asriel's speech about defeating the Authority with or without the help of those "who rebelled" evidently worked, as fallen angels began to manifest themselves to join his cause, to fight for truth and acceptance against deceit, intolerance, and prejudice of those in power. Asriel said that they should be "united in heart, soul, and deed," so that together they "could build a Republic of Heaven above and a Republic of Ideas below." He wants "better worlds where the privilege of freedom becomes the right of all peoples."

Honestly, that would be pretty inspiring if only the last time we'd seen Asriel hadn't been when he murdered a child! He followed up the speech by denouncing neutrality, saying they were either with him or against him, and these fallen angels are with him. Now that Asriel has their support, his fight against the Authority can begin in earnest.

The Amber Spyglass reveals that Asriel and his allies decide to make their stand on an unpopulated world, amassing fighters of all different types and bringing together machines of war. He'll have a fortress and armies fighting for his cause, and if some have their way, a weapon that could change everything. Speaking of which...

Will Parry Has A New Mission

Season 2 has not been easy for Will Parry. After getting his fingers cut off and then being slowly poisoned by the wounds until finally being saved by witches, his reunion with his long-lost father was cut short when his dad was shot dead (in a change from the books) shortly after giving him what sounds like an impossible task. According to John Parry, Will must take the subtle knife to Asriel. In his dying words, John told his son that "the night is full of angels," and "they will guide you now."

Although His Dark Materials' second season ended without starting Will on the next leg of his journey as the knife-bearer, the books reveal that John's final words here are actually very literal. If Season 3 sticks to The Amber Spyglass, the angels Baruch and Balthamos will emerge to guide Will on his mission to take the knife to Asriel... or so they intend. When Will descends the mountain and discovers that Lyra has been taken, recovering his best friend takes precedence over finding Asriel, to the dismay of the angels.

As of the end of the finale, Will hadn't yet met the angels, let alone discovered Lyra's absence, so it should be interesting to learn how and when His Dark Materials picks up on Will's story in Season 3. Either way, he will have two goals: his own mission to find Lyra and his assigned task of taking the knife to Asriel.

Lyra Captured By Mrs. Coulter

Unfortunately for Lyra, her ending in Season 2 overlaps with that of her mother. Mrs. Coulter harnessed the power of the Specters to kill the witch who had been napping on the job of guarding Lyra. The finale didn't reveal what Mrs. Coulter did immediately after finding and waking Lyra, but if there was a struggle, Lyra clearly lost. Mrs. Coulter was traveling via boat with her golden monkey and a large trunk by the end of the episode, with Lyra and Pan asleep inside.

Although this particular scene isn't ripped from the pages of either The Subtle Knife or The Amber Spyglass, I think it's safe to say that Mrs. Coulter has her daughter drugged to keep her still and asleep inside that trunk. In the third book, Mrs. Coulter goes into hiding in a cave in the middle of nowhere with extremely limited contact with the outside world, while Lyra is asleep aside from her unconscious visits to the world of the dead.

All things considered, I won't be surprised if His Dark Materials tweaks this plot for Season 3. I'm not sure I see the TV show keeping its young heroine drugged and unconscious for episodes at a time, or Mrs. Coulter just hanging out in a cave. Mrs. Coulter tells the sleeping Lyra that's she's taking her "somewhere entirely safe," but that could mean anything.

Changing the location from a cave to somewhere else could make sense, and the boat journey makes it clear that she's making headway in getting away from where she took Lyra. With Lee Scoresby tragically dead and Serafina none the wiser about where Lyra has been taken, Mrs. Coulter is in a pretty good position to defend Lyra, who she now thinks she needs to prevent from falling as the second coming of Eve.

The good news coming out of His Dark Materials' Season 2 finale is that the show has already scored the renewal for Season 3, so these cliffhangers definitely will be resolved on screen. The bad news is that there is no saying exactly when Season 3 will be able to begin filming, let alone complete production and arrive on the small screen. At this point, I'm wondering if there will be a time jump or time jumps for the third season.

Filming the first two seasons consecutively meant that Dafne Keen and Amir Wilson didn't age faster than their characters would have. His Dark Materials may run into a problem for Season 3: the young stars are growing up faster than their characters. A time jump could come in handy, although if fans are already suspending their disbelief about everything in His Dark Materials so far, I think we can suspend our disbelief if Lyra and/or Will magically hit a growth spurt between the second season finale and third season premiere.

For now, you can rewatch the first two seasons streaming on HBO Max. For some viewing options in the coming weeks, be sure to check out our 2021 winter and spring premiere schedule.

Warning: LOTS OF BOOK SPOILERS AHEAD for Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy.

His Dark Materials fans got some very good news from HBO with the announcement of a Season 3 renewal, which means that the ambitious series will be able to adapt all three books of Philip Pullman's novel trilogy. Season 1 covered the events of Pullman's The Golden Compass and Season 2 tackled The Subtle Knife, and only The Amber Spyglass has yet to make it from page to screen. The tricky part of the renewal is simply that The Amber Spyglass that finishes the trilogy is more than a hundred pages longer than the first two books, and Season 3 will run for just eight episodes.

The Season 3 renewal was confirmed as the final season, with the episode count matching Season 1 and the plan for Season 2 with eight. His Dark Materials has had to cut significant portions of The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife. The Amber Spyglass is longer, denser, and more complicated with plenty of new characters. A lot is going to have to be omitted for the book-to-screen adaptation, and there are some moments that I would argue had better not be cut.

There are of course the moments that are so big that I don't think readers need to worry will be cut. Lyra and Will being tragically separated is almost certainly going to happen. They'll almost certainly travel to the world of the dead and leave their daemons behind. Mrs. Coulter and Asriel will likely kill Metatron. The Authority is probably going to be destroyed. The bench that already made an appearance on the show will undoubtedly be back. I'll probably cry, but that's neither here nor there.

There are other smaller but still key scenes in The Amber Spyglass that I'm afraid might not make the cut for the eight-hour adaptation. I know sacrifices will have to be made. I'm already guessing that Mary's plot with the mulefa will be seriously condensed, and I can even see the Gallivespian spies being cut for time and Will and Lyra simply handling things themselves. The intention craft and a lot of the scenes of Asriel scheming at his fortress might not be essential, and I doubt the battle will be on a Game of Thrones scale.

Here are some of the key book moments that better be included, and why they matter enough to make the cut.

Lyra's Dreams

Lyra doesn't actually do much in the early chapters of The Amber Spyglass thanks to Mrs. Coulter keeping her (and poor Pan) drugged and captive, which will likely be set up in the Season 2 finale. While drugged, though, she dreams of the world of the dead and speaks to Roger again, ultimately promising that she and Will will come and find him. Her dreams actually keep her in the story during the long spans of time when she's unconscious, and they set up the journey to the world of the dead that is bound to happen on the show.

Balthamos Saving Will

The angels Balthamos and Baruch actually debut in The Subtle Knife to try and recruit Will to bring the subtle knife to Asriel. Instead, Balthamos ends up on the journey to help Will find the kidnapped Lyra in The Amber Spyglass. Quite aside from the comedic potential of a sarcastic angel begrudgingly following Will around on a side quest to his grand angelic mission, Balthamos suffers a terrible loss and abandons Will. He redeems himself by saving Will (and Lyra) at the end to neatly (if tragically) wrap a unique arc, and it should be included in the show.

Mary And The Mulefa

As much as I'm guessing that His Dark Materials will cut a lot of Mary Malone's Amber Spyglass arc (although hopefully not the part with the actual amber spyglass), the mulefa and their world are key to the resolution of the whole series. In the safety of their society, Mary as the serpent unintentionally tempts Lyra as Eve, and in doing so saves everything. Answers about Dust come from her story as well. I could see His Dark Materials handling Mary and the mulefa like Will in Season 1: brief glimpses to set up what's to come.

Will Tricks Iorek

Iorek Byrnison returns in The Amber Spyglass when he leads the bears away from the melting ice of the north via ship, and he happens upon a wandering Will Parry. Trying to defuse an ugly situation with townspeople, Will challenges Iorek to single combat and shows Iorek that the knife can cut anything, winning the fight before it even starts. Iorek invites Will to join their journey, which gets Will where he's going a lot faster and adds a powerful ally in the fight to get Lyra back, both of which would be helpful for the show in a time crunch

The Knife Breaking (And Being Fixed)

Will accidentally breaks the subtle knife in The Amber Spyglass after Mrs. Coulter distracts him, and he and Lyra have to convince Iorek to fix it despite his misgivings about what it could do that they didn't even know yet. How the breaking happens might have to change, since Will already encountered Mrs. Coulter on the show in Season 2, but Iorek's deliberation on whether or not to fix the knife is packed with foreshadowing to the heartbreaking ending. Plus, how cool would it look to see Iorek working his metal magic?

Reunions In The World Of The Dead

The journey into the world of the dead starts tragically with Lyra and Will's separations from Pan and Will's unseen daemon, but does reunite Lyra with Roger and Lee, and Will with his father. Assuming both Lee and John die in the Season 2 finale, His Dark Materials could technically adapt the world of the dead story without bringing back Lin-Manuel Miranda as Lee Scoresby and Andrew Scott as John Parry, but John drops some anvils that are worth including, and it's an overall pretty cool sequence.

Lyra And Will Almost See The Specters

In the midst of the great battle after they leave the world of the dead, Lyra and Will discover that they can almost see the Specters, and the Specters start attacking their daemons, proving that the kids are growing up. This could be key for Season 3 to deliver a reminder of how terrible the Specter threat is even beyond Cittàgazze, and especially useful with the reveal on the way about the connection between the subtle knife and Specters that forces Will and Lyra to make their impossible decision.

Lyra And Will Killing The Authority

The death of the Authority is such a big deal in The Amber Spyglass that I can't imagine it won't be incorporated into Season 3; I'm just not sure that the TV show will let its two teen protagonists be responsible for killing His Dark Materials' God when there are plenty of adults who are all about murder. That said, Lyra and Will don't murder the Authority in The Amber Spyglass so much as free him from captivity without knowing that he'd disintegrate, so I say the kids should get to do the deed.

Mrs. Coulter Seducing Metatron

Mrs. Coulter managing to seduce Metatron in The Amber Spyglass always struck me as one of the most outlandish twists in a pretty outlandish series, but I mostly want to see it in His Dark Materials Season 3 because Ruth Wilson would absolutely crush it. Besides, Mrs. Coulter seducing Metatron makes her final reunion with Asriel all the more powerful. Seriously, though, I want to see Ruth Wilson play Mrs. Coulter seducing Metatron as the bizarre beginning of the end of His Dark Materials' big bad.

Lyra And Will Grab The Wrong Daemons

Well, you can't tell a coming-of-age saga about two kids without those kids eventually coming of age, and that happens with a vengeance with Will and Lyra in The Amber Spyglass when their friendship turns into an intense romance. The big moments of their doomed love story are bound to be adapted into Season 3 somehow, but I'd also like His Dark Materials to include when Will accidentally grabs Pantalaimon and Lyra accidentally grabs Will's daemon when they're trying to flee to another world. It's a moment that sets up what could otherwise seem like an abrupt turn to romance, and Season 2 arguably foreshadowed it when Pan touched Will.

The Marzipan Story

Mary Malone unintentionally sets up Lyra's "fall" as the second Eve when she tells the story of falling for a boy who fed her a piece of marzipan as a girl, and how the reminder of that moment changed the course of her life years later when she was a nun. The significance of the marzipan story and Lyra's temptation with knowledge (and newfound awareness of Will) might be lost somewhat from page to screen without an internal monologue, but I think Dafne Keen could pull it off, and it's a game-changing part of The Amber Spyglass, even if not the most flashy.

I know that a lot of The Amber Spyglass will probably have to be cut or at least condensed for the eight-hour third and final season of His Dark Materials, and some (or perhaps even most) of these moments might not make it. Still, we can always hope that our favorite parts make the cut! For now, you can look forward to the Season 2 finale of His Dark Materials on Monday, December 29 at 9 p.m. ET, and the rest of the episodes so far streaming on HBO Max.

SPOILERS AHEAD for the penultimate episode of His Dark Materials Season 2, called "Malice."

The second season of His Dark Materials is only one episode away from coming to an end, and "Malice" delivered a deadly twist that could change a whole lot heading into the finale and beyond into Season 3. This wasn't the first death of Season 2 and likely won't be the last, but it is a game-changer. Lord Boreal is dead. Admittedly, Boreal dying seems like a good thing for Lyra, Will, and the rest of the heroes, but the manner of his death at Mrs. Coulter's hands could means much worse things are to come.

Boreal thought that he and Mrs. Coulter were on top of another world after she mastered the Spectres, and he even got a kiss. Unfortunately for him, Boreal's continued inability to read a room meant that he didn't catch Mrs. Coulter's expression when he referred to them as equals, so he didn't see it coming when she poisoned his wine, telling him that he'd hold her back and she didn't need him anymore. He died as he lived: underestimating and desiring Marisa Coulter. Here's what that death means for the show moving forward.

Less Time In Our World

On the most basic level, the death of Boreal -- a.k.a. Sir Charles Latrom -- almost certainly means that His Dark Materials will spend less time in our world. He built a life in our world and kept some of the action there in Season 2 after stealing the alethiometer and bringing over Mrs. Coulter, but now that Will and Mary Malone have traveled to Cittàgazze (and possibly beyond) with Boreal dead, there's no reason for the story to continue playing out in our world. I don't see His Dark Materials spending much time on Will's mom!

Nobody Holding Mrs. Coulter Back

Despite what Boreal seemed to think, Mrs. Coulter never considered him an equal, and she seemed annoyed at having to spend time with him more often than not. That said, he still managed to temper some of her worst and most self-serving impulses when she had to humor him to secure his help. She needed him, and that meant sometimes doing things his way. Once she didn't need him and now that she has killed him, there's nobody in her way to make her compromise, and she could be a bigger threat to Lyra than ever before.

One Less Person Looking For The Subtle Knife

Boreal was determined to get his hands on the subtle knife, even after Will and Lyra used the knife to steal his only leverage, and was willing to chase after the young people by Mrs. Coulter's side. With Boreal's death, there is one less person that Will will have to deal with going after the knife, but there are still plenty of people who undoubtedly want to get their hands on it, and Boreal may have been one of the less dangerous in the grand scheme of things.

Bigger Problems Are Coming

When one of the longest-running villains of the series is killed off with still one more episode left in the season, I think it's safe to say that bigger problems are on the way before the end of Season 2 and heading into Season 3. A death like Boreal's normally wouldn't be out of place in the climax of a finale, not toward the end of a penultimate episode. Book readers have an idea of the storm that's a-brewin' and viewers should probably prepare for a lot worse than Lord Boreal on the way.

The Season 2 finale of His Dark Materials airs on Monday, December 28 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO. The show hasn't officially been renewed for Season 3 just yet, but His Dark Materials has adapted two out of three books of Philip Pullman's trilogy so far. The stage is undoubtedly being set for one more batch of episodes.

Unfortunately, even if His Dark Materials does get a renewal ASAP, the wait for Season 3 could last for a while. The first two seasons were shot back-to-back, and the seven essential episodes of Season 2 were completed before the pandemic shutdown. For what you can watch in the meantime, check out our 2021 winter and spring premiere schedule.

Spoilers ahead for the first five episodes of His Dark Materials Season 2 AND the events of The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman.

Only two episodes of His Dark Materials are left before the end of the second season, based on the second book of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials novel trilogy, called The Subtle Knife. While the show has managed to pack in a lot of what happened in the book, there have been some moments in Season 2 that leave me wondering if His Mark Materials is going to change a major death that went down in The Subtle Knife. Andrew Scott's John Parry -- a.k.a. Jopari and Stanislaus Grumman -- might not meet his end on the show like he did in the book.

In The Subtle Knife, John Parry's long journey to meet the bearer of the subtle knife and Will's lifelong desire to reunite with his father were satisfied when they met toward the end of the book... only for the reunion to be ruined almost immediately when a witch by the name of Juta Kamainen shot and killed John with an arrow. Still devoted to his wife despite their long separation, John spurned Juta Kamainen's love, and apparently hell hath no fury in His Dark Materials like a witch scorned.

Serafina Pekkala's efforts to keep Juta Kamainen away from John so that she wouldn't seek revenge backfired when Lee Scoresby flew John into the world where the witches had been searching for Lyra, and Juta Kamainen killed John right in front of Will before killing herself. It's a huge death in the His Dark Materials books, but the absence of Juta Kamainen in Season 2 of the show so far leads me to suspect that it's not going to go down on the screen the way it did in the page.

I've been wondering for a couple of weeks now if it was just a matter of time before this particular witch made her debut, but after John Parry didn't even appear in "The Scholar" as the fifth of seven episodes, I'm inclined to think that there's no time for His Dark Materials to introduce her, establish her motivation for wanting to kill John, and then have her actually kill John without feeling incredibly rushed. The show has done a great job with pacing this season, so it's hard for me to imagine His Dark Materials rushing such a huge death just to make it match what happened in The Subtle Knife.

After all, even the most faithful adaptations of books for TV and movies have to make some cuts and additions, and "The Scholar" even made some big changes to Will and Lyra's heist to get the alethiometer back to allow for an intense confrontation between Lyra and Mrs. Coulter (as well as a slightly hilarious moment of Will infuriating Boreal by decapitating a figurine). John Parry could still very well die in the Season 2 finale, assuming the end of Season 2 more or less corresponds to the timeline of the end of The Subtle Knife, but I'm guessing there will be a big change in how it happens.

And honestly, it wouldn't have to be that big of a deal. Maybe a Spectre will get him, or a rogue witch who doesn't need any kind of backstory to kill him, or somebody from the Magisterium somehow. There are a lot of ways to be killed off in His Dark Materials, so the show might not have to try all that hard to find a believable way for John Parry to die without cramming Juta Kamainen's story into the two remaining episodes of Season 2.

It's possible that the show won't actually kill him off as quickly as Philip Pullman did in The Subtle Knife, and he could theoretically survive into the Season 3 adaptation of The Amber Spyglass so Will could catch a little bit of a break before everything goes sideways again, but my money is on John's death through some non-scorned witch means before the final credits roll on Season 2.

See what happens next with the penultimate episode of His Dark Materials' second season, airing on Monday, December 21 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO. For what you can watch in the new year, check out our 2021 winter and spring premiere schedule.

Spoilers ahead for Episode 4 of His Dark Materials Season 2 on HBO, called "Tower of the Angels," and for Philip Pullman's book trilogy.

His Dark Materials finally delivered the event that the entire second season has been building toward with the battle for the all-important subtle knife. As any viewers who had read the Philip Pullman trilogy of novels already knew going into "Tower of the Angels," Will managed to defeat the boy who stole the knife bearer and become the new bearer, but not without losing a couple of fingers in the process. Lee Scoresby joined forces with Dr. Grumman, a.k.a. Will's dad John Parry, and Boreal crossed worlds with Mrs. Coulter to continue the search for Lyra. It was a great episode, but it left me wishing I hadn't read the books.

"Tower of the Angels" wasn't the first time this season that I found myself regretting my binge-read of The Golden Compass (covered in Season 1), The Subtle Knife (currently being covered in the shorter-than-expected Season 2), and The Amber Spyglass (to eventually be covered in Season 3), and it's actually mostly due to the dynamic between Lyra and Will, as one example. Their friendship is becoming the cornerstone of the season, especially now that Will has the subtle knife. Amir Wilson has joined Dafne Keen in the opening credits to share the top billing with her, and Will and Lyra are basically the hope in a series that can feel hopeless at its worst. Yay, right?

Not-so-yay if you've read the books and can't stop thinking about the endgame! Knowing that these two heroes are going to become incredibly close and then be ripped apart forever is adding some serious bitter to go with the sweet of their bonding scenes. Their nice moment on the bench last week? Foreshadowing their heartbreaking solo visits to the bench in each of their worlds. Pan reaching out to comfort Will this week, which is clearly not something usually done? Not actually a sign of a lifelong friendship in its early stages. Although Pan in the form of an adorable red panda really makes anything at least a little bit better.

Even seeing Lyra's incredibly close bond with Pan isn't as sweet as it could be if I didn't know what is probably in store for them when Season 3 starts telling the story of The Amber Spyglass. Admittedly, it's been 10+ years since I read The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass, so I can't claim to know every little thing that the show does the same or changes from the novels. And knowing that they're going to succeed and the heroes are going to win is an upside to watching the two leads forging their doomed friendship.

And the books are actually great. I've recommended them before and probably will again. In fact, I'm probably going to reread them once Season 2 comes to an end in a few weeks, because Philip Pullman did a remarkable job in building a fantasy world, and it's not like I can spoil myself any more than I already am.

I just think I'd enjoy the hopeful parts of His Dark Materials a lot more if I didn't know the tragedies on the way, so I can't help but regret what I already know as I watch the episodes. After all, the show can (and does) change details from the book, but I can't imagine that the iconic elements of the story won't happen on screen the way they did on the page.

Now that I've quite possibly rained on the parades of any who have both read the books and are watching the show, I will say that I'm looking forward to seeing the story of The Subtle Knife continue to unfold on His Dark Materials, both in the ways that it sticks to the events of the book and the ways that it departs. Be sure to check out HBO on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET for new episodes of His Dark Materials, and check out our 2021 winter and spring premiere schedule for what's on the way in the new year.

Spoilers ahead for Episode 3 of His Dark Materials Season 2, called "Theft."

Season 2 of His Dark Materials is based on the second novel in Philip Pullman's book trilogy of the same name, but the adaptation of The Subtle Knife had yet to put much focus on the actual subtle knife before "Theft." Will dreamed about the knife in "Theft" and continues to be drawn to the Torre degli Angeli in Cittàgazze, and Boreal name-dropped the knife before the end of the episode. Fortunately, one star broke down why the knife is so important for Season 2.

Andrew Scott, who will have a prominent Season 2 role (and deliver a Fleabag reunion) as John Parry, shared the importance of the subtle knife in a BBC featurette, saying:

"Theft" ended with Boreal tasking Will and Lyra with retrieving the subtle knife from The Guild's Torre degli Angeli in Cittàgazze. A visit to the tower has seemed all but inevitable even without Philip Pullman's source material, as Will has been drawn to the building and even came to the conclusion that there's somebody in there, despite protests that there's no way.

Whoever is up there and possesses a knife that can destroy anything likely won't give it up without a fight. Throw in the mentions that Will is close to being grown-up enough for the Spectres, and any missions in Cittàgazze will be far from safe. For His Dark Materials fans who have read the books, the upcoming debut of the subtle knife has pretty significant implications.

Spoilers ahead for Philip Pullman's The Subtle Knife. In the books, the knife does more than just destroy anything. The blade is so fine that it can cut through the fabric between the worlds, and there are more than just the three that have been visited on the HBO show so far.

Will becomes the bearer of the subtle knife, but not without sustaining a bloody injury in the process. His Dark Materials has made some notable changes and additions to the books, so it's hard to say how exactly Will becoming master of the subtle knife will go down, but the trailer that released over the summer confirmed Will's injury in an unexpected way.

A brief moment in the BBC featurette, which released ahead of the second season premiere, gives a look at the upcoming tussle for the subtle knife, presumably in the tower:

Assuming the subtle knife of the show can cut through the fabric between worlds like it does in the books, it will be a game-changer for whoever holds it at a given time. Boreal is a formidable foe for Will and Lyra, and they don't know enough about the knife at this point for them to think twice about trading it for the alethiometer, but perhaps that will change once they make it to the tower. The show might not follow the books to the letter, so readers as well as viewers will have to wait and see. End book spoilers.

The next episode is called "Tower of the Angels," so my money is on Will and Lyra making their way into the tower and perhaps even getting (most of) their hands on the subtle knife by the time the credits roll next week. For now, you can look forward to new episodes of His Dark Materials releasing on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO. For some viewing options once Season 2 comes to an end, check out our 2021 winter and spring premiere schedule.

Spoilers ahead for Episode 2 of His Dark Materials Season 2 on HBO, called "The Cave."

His Dark Materials returned this fall to begin the adaptation of the second book in Philip Pullman's novel trilogy, and the second episode saw Lyra and Will exploring Will's Earth while Mrs. Coulter and The Magisterium crossed more lines and struck a horrible blow against the witches on Lyra's Earth. The first season of the HBO series didn't follow the plot of the first book, called The Golden Compass, to the letter, and the same is true of the second season so far, but the show's biggest change to the books is already paying off in Season 2.

The biggest change from the His Dark Materials novels to the His Dark Materials show was arguably the introduction of Will Parry in Season 1, when Will doesn't appear in the books until the second installment, called The Subtle Knife. Amir Wilson made his unexpected debut as Will in Season 2, and viewers got to know him as a character before he crossed paths with Lyra in Cittàgazze. His relationship with his mom, the mystery of what happened to his dad, and what he left behind on his world were already established and at least somewhat fleshed out.

With Will already a multi-dimensional character heading into Season 2, His Dark Materials doesn't have to pull double duty in Season 2 on introducing Will and building his dynamic with Lyra into something fans should care about when there is so much else happening as well. Amir Wilson shares the top billing with Dafne Keen in the Season 2 credits; while they can't claim equal airtime at this point, they're at least on equal footing as the two leads of the show moving forward.

Considering how important Will is undoubtedly going to become sooner rather than later based on the events of The Subtle Knife that definitely won't be changed for Season 2, his Season 1 introduction will likely continue to pay off more and more. The show can move forward without telling Will's origin story in Season 2, and answers about his past are on the way. Also, as book readers undoubtedly noticed in "The Cave," His Dark Materials is already dropping nods to how the series is presumably going to end.

HUGE SPOILERS AHEAD for Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials novels. At the end of the novel trilogy, Will and Lyra make a promise to each other to visit the same bench in the Botanic Gardens in their respective worlds once a year, on the same date. In "The Cave," Will and Lyra spend some time on the Botanic Garden bench in his world, with Lyra opening up about the alethiometer. As a reader, the appearance of the bench was both a fun nod and an emotional reminder of where the story is going to end. END BOOK SPOILERS.

The plot is only going to thicken further for Will and Lyra following the events of "The Cave," and the trailer for the next episode reveals Lee Scoresby is in for a world of hurt, the witches are going to be reeling from The Magisterium's assault, and more. Take a look:

The next new episode of His Dark Materials airs on Monday, November 30 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO. The second season will be shorter than originally planned, but still managed to complete all essential filming before the production shutdowns throughout the entertainment industry earlier in 2020, so viewers have a full season to look forward to.

For more viewing options now and in the coming weeks, be sure to check out our 2020 fall TV premiere guide and 2021 winter and spring premiere schedule.

Following the immense success of Hamilton, it shouldn't come to any surprise to see Lin-Manuel Miranda dominating Hollywood. The multi-hyphenate talent is known for working tirelessly as an actor, writer, and producer. That tradition will continue with a broad number of intriguing films and TV shows set for release in the next few years. 

Whether it's starring in a blockbuster HBO series, writing original music for a couple new Disney projects, bringing a passion project to life, or jumping behind the director's chair for a new Netflix musical, it's clear that Miranda is keeping himself plenty busy and we'll expect to see his talents extended to a wide variety of high-profile projects as his star continues to rise. 

If you're a big fan of Miranda, then you've got a lot to look forward to in the months and years ahead. But it can also be hard to tell when some of these anticipated projects are expected to be released amid COVID-19 related delays. Nevertheless, we're here to let you know what upcoming projects Miranda has in store in the not-too-distant future.

His Dark Materials Season 2 - November 2020 (Post-Production) - Actor

One of Lin-Manuel Miranda's first big projects following Hamilton's extensive Broadway run was HBO's series adaptation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials. In the role of aeronaut Lee Scoresby, Miranda plays one part of the show's extensive main cast, and he's also on-board with its forthcoming second season. 

Shot back in September of last year, production on this Season 2 seems to be unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and these upcoming eight episodes are currently scheduled for release sometime in November. While the second season was already confirmed awhile back, it remains unclear if Season 3 is happening. So, it's not yet known whether or not Miranda plays his role — extensively or otherwise — in this potential season follow-up. But we'll have to wait to cross that bridge. In the meantime, His Dark Materials Season 2 is Miranda's next project slated for release.

Vivo - June 4th, 2021 (Filming) - Composer/Screenwriter

In the years ahead, Lin-Manuel Miranda will be applying his creative strengths to a high number of intriguing and exciting projects. One of these projects is Sony Pictures Animation's Vivo, a passion project that Miranda previously pitched to DreamWorks Animation all the way back in 2010. It got picked up by Sony in 2016. 

Vivo tells the story of a capuchin monkey with a thirst for adventure and a passion for music who travels from Cuba to Florida to live out his dreams. Since the Hamilton creator is involved, it should come as no surprise to know it's a musical, though it's Sony Pictures Animation first time working in this genre. In addition to co-writing the story alongside Peter Barocchini (High School Musical), Miranda wrote 11 original songs for this new movie. It's currently slated to come out on June 4th, 2021.

In The Heights - June 18th, 2021 (Post-Production/Completed) - Actor/Producer/Music and Lyrics

Before Hamilton, there was In the Heights. The Tony-winning musical, which went off-Broadway in 2007 and on-Broadway in 2008, became Lin-Manuel Miranda's calling card before Hamilton made him a household name. Therefore, it was only a matter of time following the phenomenal success of Miranda's second Tony-winning musical before Hollywood circled back to his original smash hit. 

Directed by Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians), In the Heights is produced by Miranda and it stars Hamilton's Anthony Ramos as Usnavi de la Vega, whom the writer/composer played during the original stage run. While Miranda is too old to reprise this role in this new movie, the actor/writer provides a brief turn as Mr. Piragüero. Originally scheduled for a summer 2020 release, In the Heights was delayed to June 18th, 2021. Miranda claims that he'll continue to be working on the film amid its postponement.

The Little Mermaid - November 19, 2021 (Filming) - Composer/Songwriter/Producer

It was only a matter of time before Disney took us back under the sea. The Mouse House has been eager to return to the well when it comes to several past animated favorites, and The Little Mermaid is one of the next ones on the docket. 

Director Rob Marshall (Chicago, Into the Woods) is set to direct, while Halle Bailey will play Ariel with a supporting cast that includes Javier Bardem as King Triton, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Awkwafina as Scuttle, and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula. Additionally, Lin-Manuel Miranda is attached to produce, compose and write new songs for this live-action musical. As for when you can expect to see it, it's currently left a bit unclear. Filming officially began again in August following a production shutdown in March. It's rumored to come out on November 19th, 2021.

Encanto - November 24th, 2021 (Filming) - Writer

Lin-Manuel Miranda found a great deal of success for his Oscar-nominated music work in Moana. Therefore, it was a given that they would collaborate again in the not distant future. Sure enough, Disney and Miranda will reunite for the upcoming animated film Encanto, which will tell the story of a young woman and her family (all of whom are gifted with superpowers — except her) living in Latin America. 

Directed by Zootopia's Jared Bush and Bryon Howard, as well as Charise Castro Smith, this animated musical is set to be released on November 24th, 2021. While other details are limited at this time, it's known that Miranda is serving as a writer on this project and he will be writing original songs.

Tick, Tick... Boom - TBA (Pre-Production) - Director/Producer

As the driving creative force behind Hamilton, it was only a matter of time before Lin-Manuel Miranda jumped behind the director's chair. Sure enough, two years ago, Miranda announced that he would helm a film adaptation of Tick, Tick... Boom!, Jonathan Larson's semi-autobiographical musical about an aspiring composer having a midlife crisis before his 30th birthday. 

With a screenplay by Dear Evan Hansen's Steven Levenson, this movie wouldn't be Miranda's first filmmaking endeavor, as he previously directed 1996's hard-to-find micro-indie Clayton's Friends, but it'll be Miranda's first directorial feature after the immense success of his two Tony-winning productions. In addition to calling the shots, Miranda also serves as a producer alongside Ron Howard and Brian Glazer. Netflix will distribute it. Production started in March of this year but it was shut down in April. There's currently no release date announced.

Rita Moreno: The Girl Who Decided To Go For It - TBA (Pre-Production) - Executive Producer

In a career spanning over 70 years, Rita Moreno has proven her talents many times over in West Side Story, Singin' in the Rain, The King and I, and many acclaimed stage productions. She's an Emmy winner, a Grammy winner, a Tony winner, and an Oscar winner, thus making her an EGOT. And these are only a few of her incredible accomplishments. Moreno is an outstanding performer and many people have sung her praises over the years, including Lin-Manuel Miranda. 

The stage actor/writer/composer is clearly fond of the Puerto Rican actress, and he's teaming up with legendary TV producer Norman Lear (One Day At A Time) to make the tentatively titled documentary, Rita Moreno: The Girl Who Decided To Go For It, as part of PBS' American Masters series. Miranda is an executive producer.

The Kingkiller Chronicles - TBA (Announced) - Producer/Composer

Based on the fantasy series by Patrick Rothfuss, The Kingkiller Chronicles will be yet another Hollywood opportunity to ignite a fantasy franchise. It's hard to know whether or not it'll take off or fizzle out, but the movie adaptation is clearly attracting some major talent. In addition to Sam Raimi being attached as the director, Lin-Manuel Miranda will also serve as not only a producer but a composer on the film. 

Evidently, Miranda appears to be very excited about the prospect of turning this fantasy series into the next big-budget blockbuster attempt at a fantasy trilogy. He has talked openly about his passion for the project, which should hopefully prove to be fruitful whenever (or if ever) it gets picked up. Admittedly, with so many projects left on his plate, who knows when Miranda will have any time to make it happen.

Suffice to say, Lin-Manuel Miranda is a busy man and he's keeping himself plenty busy by working on several exciting new projects following the incredible success of Hamilton. When we can expect to see them all remains a mystery, but we'll keep you posted on the latest details whenever they arrive right here at CinemaBlend. But first, we want to hear more from you. Specifically, which upcoming Lin-Manuel Miranda project are you most looking forward to seeing? Let us know in the comment section below!

Light spoilers ahead for the second book in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, called The Subtle Knife.

The second season of HBO's His Dark Materials is on the way before the end of the year, and it will have to pick up on more than one cliffhanger that left viewers to wonder what would happen next. Book readers have a better idea of what to expect, but the first season featured enough changes from The Golden Compass that little was guaranteed about the second, and I for one had major doubts that the show would actually include a key but perhaps not entirely necessary moment from The Subtle Knife. Fortunately for book purists (and viewers in for something epic), a new trailer revealed that moment is coming.

That moment is, tragically for Will Parry, the loss of a couple of his fingers. The new trailer is mostly about the Great War brewing, Mrs. Coulter doing dastardly things in the search for her daughter, and Lyra and Will exploring the new world they each stumbled into, but there is one quick glimpse of an action sequence that gives away Will's upcoming injury that should lead to his gaining the subtle knife. Take a look at what you may have missed!

The quick footage here doesn't show Will actually losing his pinky and ring fingers, which in the book is due to rope constricting blood flow rather than the knife itself or any other weapon, so it doesn't guarantee that how he loses the fingers will remain the same. Still, Will has a bandaged right hand and a knife in his left, so I think it's safe to say that however Will loses his fingers will prove that he's the rightful wielder of the knife.

Personally, I had my doubts that the HBO series would deliver what could be a very inconvenient twist from a production standpoint for one of the younger actors. It would surely be easier for production (or the makeup department, at least) if the show found a way to make Will worthy of the knife without removing his fingers, even if actor Amir Wilson can wear a bandage to more or less conceal that he did not actually lose a couple of digits while filming the show.

Interestingly, Will loses fingers on his left hand and wields the knife with his right in The Subtle Knife, while the trailer footage shows the bandage on his right and the knife in his left. I'm wondering if the reasoning is as simple as Amir Wilson being left-handed and spending two seasons with one hand out of commission would be easier if he couldn't use the right. Alternately, perhaps the footage was flipped for the trailer, and the actual scene will switch the hands.

Or maybe there's a story reason or it doesn't matter at all! With the show not returning until November, I'm perfectly willing to grasp at straws to speculation. Check out the new His Dark Materials trailer for yourself!

Unfortunately, the trailer doesn't reveal when exactly His Dark Materials will return to HBO for Season 2, but confirmation that it will arrive at some point in November 2020 is certainly better than nothing! The show was fortunately able to finish filming almost the entire second season before production shutdowns throughout the entertainment industry, and all that was lost was an episode that could be left out without messing up the story. So, fans will miss out on one episode, but the season should be just fine anyway!

The first season of His Dark Materials is available streaming on HBO Max now, and you can always check out Philip Pullman's book trilogy if you're dying to learn what happens next. For some viewing options between now and November, be sure to check out our 2020 fall TV premiere schedule and our 2020 Netflix premiere guide!

HBO has another clever, innovative, and highly addictive fantasy series on its hands with His Dark Materials. The series follows Lyra Belacqua (Dafne Keen) as she tries to uncover who has kidnapped her best friend Roger (Lewin Lloyd) and other local children. Lyra’s quest leads to deeper discoveries like the true identity of her parents, the many secrets of her uncle, Lord Asriel (James McAvoy), and more of the mystery behind the mystical substance called Dust.

Like many great fantasy series His Dark Materials is based on a book series, this time it’s Philip Pullman’s popular book series of the same name. The first season followed the events of Northern Lights (known as The Golden Compass in North America) and some parts of the second book The Subtle Knife. Season 2 is set to follow The Subtle Knife storyline. Recently, HBO and BBC released the first trailer for Season 2. Fans of the book series probably recognized many elements of The Subtle Knife in the trailer, but for others (like me) who haven’t read the books yet, we have a lot of questions.

Warning: Spoilers ahead about His Dark Materials Season 1.

What Are The New Worlds That Lyra And Will Enter?

At the end of the first season of His Dark Materials Season 1, Lyra and Will Parry (Amir Wilson) both go through a portal that will lead them out of their worlds and into a completely new one. The trailer shows more of this new world. In Season 2, we’ll definitely get introduced to the city of Cittagazze, and all the things that come with that dimension. One thing that we get a glimpse of in the trailer, and Lyra and Will will find in Cittagazze, is the Spectres, ghostly creatures who feed on adult Dust.

Cittagazze may be the only new world we encounter in Season 2 of His Dark Materials or the show may jump a bit ahead of the second book again and introduce other worlds. With so much to pack into seven episodes, I doubt this season will travel much beyond Cittagazze, Will’s world, and Lyra’s world, but I'm more confident that Season 2 will start establishing the foundation for us to see other worlds in the future.

What Happens When The Magisterium Takes Control?

His Dark Materials Season 1 introduced us to the Magisterium, and they were involved in all kinds of questionable activity in a plot to control society. The Magisterium was mentioned and seen throughout Season 1, but they didn’t play a huge physical role in the season. They were definitely shown as being a powerful force and organization, but not seen scheming and plotting at every corner.

In the His Dark Materials Season 2 trailer, we hear and see a meeting of the Magisterium, where it is stated that they must now step in and control things. Something tells me that more control for the Magisterium is not good, not good at all. We’ll see how that control and ultimate power presents itself in Season 2.

Who Are The New Characters?

The season two His Dark Materials trailer showed quite a few new characters, including Andrew Scott’s John Parry. John was mentioned in Season 1, and Lord Boreal (Ariyon Bakare) is in Will’s world looking for any info he can find on him, but we only see him through pictures in the first season. In the His Dark Materials Season 2 trailer, John is seen with Lee Scoresby (played by Lin Manuel-Miranda) in his balloon.

Along with John, we see some new witches, including witch queen Ruta Skadi (Jade Anouka). I’m assuming Serafina Pekkala (Ruta Gedmintas), and other witches, have an even bigger role in Season 2. We also see Dr. Mary Malone (Simone Kirby) in the trailer, who has an important role in Season 2 and beyond. We’ll also get a whole new batch of actors voicing daemons, including Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who will be voicing Andrew Scott’s daemon.

What’s The Knife That John Parry Holds?

In the His Dark Materials Season 2 trailer, John holds up a knife and says it can cut between worlds. In Season 1, Lyra is given an alethiometer and she’s able to use it to learn the truth. So we’ve seen these important magical objects in Season 1, and it seems like we’ll get more of them in Season 2. The knife seen with Parry could be something that Will later inherits, like Lyra with the alethiometer.

We see a clip of Will in a battle with Lord Boreal, and it’s likely that knife plays a part in this fight. Since the second book is called The Subtle Knife, contextual hints tells me that John Perry’s knife might be the subtle knife the title references.

How Do John Parry And Lee Scoresby Meet?

At the end of Season 1, Lee learns that Lyra is okay, but his next mission is just beginning. It appears that his new mission involves helping Will’s dad, John Parry. It seems like a big part of John and Lee’s storyline going into the second season involves each other. My guess is that Lee is sent to find him, and they spend Season 2 trying to help and find Lyra and Will.

The first season established that Lee feels a sort-of fatherly love towards Lyra, and John being Will’s actual father, it makes sense that they would join forces to help these children that they love so dearly.

We also see images in the trailer of Lee beat up, so it’s likely that somewhere on their journey, they face a dangerous foe. We also see Will pretty beat up (presumably) from his battle with Lord Boreal. It’s possible that Lee and John also end up in that fight and take just as much of a beating from Lord Boreal.

What Happens In The Battle Between Will And Lord Boreal?

Speaking of this potentially epic battle, we know nothing about it, but it’s one of the most eye-catching things about the trailer. Lord Boreal is not holding back, and it seems like Will doesn’t stand a chance. We see Will (thankfully still alive) in a bath with a bunch of scars later in the trailer, which seems to imply that he survives the battle. There are so many questions I still have about it, like how did Lord Boreal even find him? Where is Lyra when this is all going down? Will both Will and Lord Boreal survive it? How early does the fight happen in the season?

I can’t wait to see the battle and what it will mean for Will going forward.

Luckily for His Dark Materials fans, the series filmed all seven episodes before Christmas 2019. There was one episode that had to be let go due to COVID-19 production shutdowns, but it was a standalone episode with James McAvoy, so we should still get a complete story when the series returns. Right now, no official return date has been set, but Radio Times, believes that it’ll return in November 2020.

Whenever it returns, we cannot wait to get answers to these questions and more in His Dark Materials Season 2.

His Dark Materials hit HBO back in 2019 as the first season of an adaptation of Philip Pullman's beloved and controversial novel trilogy. The attempt at adapting the first book, called The Golden Compass, for the big screen didn't result in a film trilogy, but a second season of the HBO series was announced before Season 1 even premiered. The show was slated to return in 2020 with the next eight episodes, based on The Subtle Knife, but production shutdowns throughout the industry raised some questions. Well, there's good news and bad news about the episode count, but some very good news about a Fleabag reunion in the new season.

The cast and executive producers of His Dark Materials gathered for a Comic-Con@Home virtual panel, and they shared some major updates on the upcoming second season. Executive producer Jane Tranter addressed the question of whether His Dark Materials Season 2 had finished filming and whether it would be able to premiere as intended. Tranter revealed:

According to Jane Tranter, only seven of the eight episodes that were intended for Season 2 had been completed by the time productions had to shut down, including His Dark Materials, but those were the key seven episodes. The eighth episode sounds like it would have been fascinating, especially to book fans who didn't get Lord Asriel on the page at all in The Subtle Knife. That said, if one episode was going to not be completed, best that it's the episode that could life right out of the season!

Jane Tranter elaborated, saying that the His Dark Materials team played "detective with The Subtle Knife and figured out what Asriel might have been doing" between the first book/season and the third. So, while an Asriel-centric episode during Season 2 might have been a treat (so long as fans were more receptive to a standalone episode for His Dark Materials than Stranger Things fans were), the unfinished filming won't prevent the show from releasing or leave it incomplete.

The executive producer went on to indicate that having to cut the eighth episode that would have centered on Asriel doesn't necessarily mean the story won't be revisited. Jane Tranter said:

Despite some additions to The Golden Compass that actually pulled from The Subtle Knife, the first season of His Dark Materials was pretty faithful to the source material as far as TV shows can go. Moving fully into The Subtle Knife territory should also mean a lot more of Amir Wilson as Will Parry, especially once he meets Dafne Keen's Lyra Belacqua. Lin-Manuel Miranda's Lee Scoresby was still separated from Lyra at the end of Season 1, but he'll team up with somebody to try and recover her (and presumably Will): John Parry, played by Fleabag's Andrew Scott.

Andrew Scott appeared in a photo back in His Dark Materials Season 1 but will appear in the flesh in Season 2. Also appearing on the panel, Scott even promised a Fleabag reunion, although he definitely won't be playing a priest this time. In fact, as John Parry, he'll be partnered with a daemon. Scott revealed the Fleabag connection to his daemon, much to the delight of the other actors in the virtual panel:

Phoebe Waller-Bridge might not appear in the flesh on His Dark Materials, but she'll lend her voice and play Andrew Scott's daemon. While their dynamic on the HBO fantasy show will undoubtedly be very different from Fleabag, Scott is clearly excited at the opportunity to work with her again, and seems quite thrilled to be part of the His Dark Materials cast. The rest of the cast were pretty excited as well, with Lin-Manuel Miranda literally doing a spit take. Take a look:

His Dark Materials will return for Season 2 in Fall 2020, one episode short of the original eight-episode order but telling the full Subtle Knife story and featuring a bizarre yet pretty perfect Fleabag reunion. If you haven't caught His Dark Materials just yet, you can find it streaming on HBO Max now. The first season also ran for eight episodes. If fall is too long of a wait to find out what happens next for Lyra, Mrs. Coulter, Will, and the rest, you can always check out Philip Pullman's novel trilogy.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more Comic-Con@Home coverage, and be sure to check out our 2020 summer TV premiere guide and our 2020 fall TV premiere schedule to figure out what's coming to the small screen in the not-too-distant future.

Spoilers ahead for the Season 1 finale of HBO's His Dark Materials and slight spoilers for events in Philip Pullman's The Subtle Knife novel.

The first season of His Dark Materials wrapped with an episode that seemingly closed the book on Lyra's stories with the bears, Lee, and Mrs. Coulter for the time being, but opened the story up to some exciting new directions thanks to two young heroes entering respective portals to reach the same parallel world. Will Parry will presumably soon join Lyra Silvertongue for the next stage of their adventures, and readers of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy have an idea of what's in store as the plot moves into The Subtle Knife territory. But will one key plot point related to Will be left out?

Will is arguably the biggest variable when it comes to the adaptation at this point. In Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials book trilogy, he doesn't appear at all in Northern Lights/The Golden Compass, which started the whole series. He debuts in the second book: The Subtle Knife, and is a major character through to the end of The Amber Spyglass as the third and final book. His appearances in Season 1 of the HBO series mean that viewers won't have to accept a brand new character as a co-lead right off the bat in Season 2, and also lead me to wonder: will Will on the show manage to avoid the major injury he sustains in The Subtle Knife?

In The Subtle Knife, Will is tasked with tracking down a mysterious knife, but the effort to get his hands on it takes a toll on... well, his left hand. To be precise, the little and ring fingers of his left hand are cut off. The loss of these fingers are the "mark" that signify Will should be the next bearer of the knife, so the injury is pretty significant to the book, and Will does continue to face complications from the injury.

So, it would seem like there's no question about Season 2 cutting off poor Will's fingers, just as the struggle for the knife goes down on the pages of The Subtle Knife. The problem is that while Philip Pullman could remove a couple of his character's digits without any trouble, it's a little more complicated when it comes to screen adaptation. Practically-speaking, how would the HBO series go about selling Will injured for half the series? It's an injury that's both minor enough that Will can function but significant enough that readers might protest if it's cut.

Admittedly, His Dark Materials demonstrated some remarkable effects with everything ranging from the armored bears to the daemons to the dust, and it does air on the network that pulled off Game of Thrones' effects. That said, using TV magic to remove Will's fingers wouldn't be just a one-off move, unless Will keeps his left hand just out of frame for most of the series after the knife incident. The series would have to keep it up.

It would take a lot of work to take off two fingers; would HBO and His Dark Materials deem the work and even the cost to be worth remaining faithful to the source material? The Walking Dead ignored its source material chopping off Rick Grimes' hand for practical reasons, so it's not unimaginable that His Dark Materials would do the same. Then again, His Dark Materials could always chop off Will's fingers, cover his hand with a bulky bandage for an episode or two, and then have a witch magically give him some new ones.

At this point, we can only speculate as to whether the key book plot point of Will's injury will make it into the second season of His Dark Materials, which has already filmed. Hopefully the early renewal and filming means that the gap between seasons won't be nearly as long as those fans of other HBO series have had to deal with.

For now, you can rewatch His Dark Materials Season 1 on HBO NOW, delve into Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials book trilogy, and/or check out our 2020 winter and spring TV premiere schedule to figure out how to pass the time during the hiatus before Season 2. You could also watch the first attempt at adapting His Dark Materials for the screen, but there's a reason why The Golden Compass film was never followed up by The Subtle Knife and Amber Spyglass films.

Amazon’s much-anticipated Lord of the Rings series continues making strides forward. The show's latest step comes by way of casting a His Dark Materials actress! Someone is staying within the fantasy realm! Who will be going from the HBO drama to Middle-earth, and who will they be playing? Brace yourselves, there is no middle ground with this news, only epic terrain!

According to Variety, Lord of the Rings has cast His Dark Materials’ Morfydd Clark in a lead role. Clark plays Sister Clara on the HBO fantasy series. For Lord of the Rings, Clark will reportedly be taking on the iconic part of young Galadriel. Yes, the role played by Cate Blanchett in the film franchise!

Fans were already aware that the timeline revealed for the Lord of the Rings series would pre-date the first film – The Fellowship of the Ring, thus opening the page of this chapter in Middle Earth’s history to the one in which Sauron takes power.

If you feared that no familiar characters would take part in the show, it seems you can rest easy. Galadriel is here for you! You can check out a photo of Morfydd Clark in her role as Sister Clara in His Dark Materials below:

News of this Lord of the Rings casting comes shortly after the series lost a major star in Will Poulter. He was set to play a leading role in the Middle-earth drama, but his exit reportedly concerned the show’s planned hiatus between Season 1 and 2. As a result, scheduling with other projects led to his departure from the ambitious series, which has already been renewed.

Still on board to star in the Lord of the Rings series alongside new recruit Morfydd Clark is Ema Horvath in an undisclosed role. Game of Thrones vet Joseph Mawle, who played Benjen Stark on the HBO series, will take a villainous turn for Lord of the Rings. Markella Kavenagh and Maxim Baldry are also reportedly set to star.

Lord of the Rings continues making steady progress as 2019 rolls to a close. The series will return to the movie franchise’s comforting filming embrace of New Zealand. There is a lot in store for Lord of the Rings fans to look forward to from the secretive series. They have to be hiding something good!

Galadriel having a role in the Lord of the Rings series, is huge! She is a royal Elf, and her crucial part throughout the Lord of the Rings film franchise is indicative of that. Fans ready to catch a glimpse of her earlier years will finally get their chance!

A premiere date has not been announced for the Lord of the Rings television show. It will eventually arrive on Amazon Prime Video. To help deal with the wait in between updates on the series, there are always this winter’s premieres.

Spoilers ahead for Episode 7 of His Dark Materials Season 1, called "The Fight to the Death."

The first season of His Dark Materials is based on the first book in Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" novel trilogy, called The Golden Compass, but readers know well by "The Fight to the Death" that the series isn't holding strictly to the source material. The biggest change is undoubtedly the Season 1 introduction of Will Parry, who joins Lyra as a lead in the second book of the trilogy, but the show's version of the bear battle between Iorek Byrnison and the usurping king Iofur Raknison was different from the page in a key way as well: the armor.

In The Golden Compass, both bears enter the battle wearing their armor, and they tear it off each other piece by piece in the fight. In "The Fight to the Death," both bears enter the fight already without their armor, with nothing but fur between their flesh and the enemy bear's claws and teeth. Joe Tandberg, who voices and stands in for Iorek for His Dark Materials, shared why the change to the book version of the scene was so meaningful, saying this:

Iofur taking off his armor wasn't just a demonstration of bravado in the show, nor was Iorek removing his own armor to match the bear who had taken his place as king. There was a ceremonial element to the fight from the start, where it was one bear challenging another rather than two bears picking a fight with each other. By taking off his armor, Iorek accepted the challenge.

Did the battle go down exactly the way it did on the page? No. But did it give the fight a grittier, more personal feel? I would say yes. It felt like they were both fighting for something, not just pride, and the lack of armor made the threat to Iorek feel very real, even if I did read the book long ago and had an idea of what was going to happen.

Joe Tandberg went on in his chat with EW about the rituals of the bear culture of His Dark Material:

Iorek and Iofur certainly brought nothing into the fight other than their bulk, teeth, and claws, but the show actually held off on showing just how animalistic their book counterparts got. When the time came for Iorek to finish off his opponent, viewers may have expected to see Iorek rip off Iofur's jaw and eat his heart, which is how the battle ended in the book, and His Dark Materials does air on the same network on the American side of the pond that aired Game of Thrones.

Instead, the camera modestly -- by HBO standards, anyway -- cut away from showing exactly what Iorek did to Iofur, and the action moved on. Lyra did still have to reunite with her friends and find her dad, after all! She did have a happy reunion with Roger, although Lee is still on his own, tasked with the mission from the witch. Her reunion with her dad was a little more confusing.

While Lord Asriel was initially panicked to see Lyra and wanted to get her far away, he significantly calmed down when he saw Roger was with her. I don't want to say that Roger is disposable to him, but Lord Asriel looked pretty thrilled to have a kid he doesn't have to care about in his clutches. He and Mrs. Coulter may have more in common than a daughter!

Why His Dark Materials Filmed Season 2 Before Season 1's Premiere

At least there's no risk that this attempt at a His Dark Materials full adaptation will flop after one poorly-received installment! Find out what happens next when the Season 1 finale of His Dark Materials airs Monday, December 23 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO as one of the final notable episodes before the 2020 winter and spring TV premiere schedule kicks off.

When HBO, in partnership with BBC, announced the company was going to adapt Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials book trilogy to television, there was a lot of excitement. While shows don’t usually film a second season despite a renewal, there’s a very good reason why His Dark Materials filmed Season 2 ahead of Season 1’s premiere.

The first season of the upcoming HBO fantasy drama will follow the events of the first book in Philip Pullman’s series, The Golden Compass. In the book, Lyra (Dafne Keen) is a preteen who ventures through different worlds in search of a mysterious material called Dust. While in another world, she meets Will (Amir Wilson) and together they must also uncover why children are being kidnapped.

Because the second book, The Subtle Knife, picks up soon after the first book, His Dark Materials producer Jane Tranter wanted to stay true to the books’ timeline and got HBO to approve a 16-episode order. That meant filming the second season ahead of the first season’s premiere to prevent Dafne Keen, who made her big screen debut in 2017’s Logan, from surpassing the age of her character.

Jane Tranter continued, revealing to Deadline that she would make that decision again despite the crazy schedule. Although she may have made one choice differently insofar as a vacation goes...

Thankfully, Lyra’s age won’t be as much of an issue for a third season, which hasn’t been confirmed yet. However, if all goes well, Season 3 will follow the events of the third book in the series, titled The Amber Spyglass. In the final book, Lyra is 16 years old and not 12, so Dafne Keen’s age should continue to line up with that of her character.

His Dark Materials also stars James McAvoy, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Ruth Wilson and it debuted its first trailer back in February. Without having watched a single episode, the TV adaptation already looks far better and more accurate than The Golden Compass movie, which starred Nicole Kidman and was largely panned by critics.

His Dark Materials Season 1 consists of eight episodes and makes its splashy debut on Monday, November 4 at 10 p.m. ET on HBO. For more on what’s coming to TV this fall, be sure to check out our complete guide to every new and returning show through the end of November.

Quite a bit of time has passed since The BBC first announced its adaptation of His Dark Materials, so to say we're due for footage at this point is an understatement. With that said, this first trailer feels well worth the wait as audiences are teased with the outstanding all-star cast this series boasts. Take a look below, and be amazed by this chilling (but apparently not chilling enough to show a polar bear) and star-studded tease.

Guns, screaming, shocked faces, this trailer has it all. The impact is elevated by the fact that there's a few familiar faces behind all those actions, as Logan's Dafne Keen will play the young Lyra as she goes on a quest to understand the phenomena of "Dust." She gets the lion's share of the screen-time in this teaser, as she's seen running, hiding, and snapping shut a golden compass fans of His Dark Materials are most certainly familiar with.

Dafne Keen's screen time is nearly matched by former actress on The Affair Ruth Wilson, who will play Mrs. Coulter. Then there's James McAvoy's Lord Asriel, who plays a sizable role in this adventure but is seen just as much as Clarke Peters, who will appear as The Master. Then there's Lin-Manuel Miranda, who is seen briefly as Lee Scoresby. Of course, this is just the first trailer, so there's plenty of time to see the Hamilton actor in future footage.

The footage is brief, but welcome all the same for a project that's sounded like a fairy tale in its own right when it was announced. Now, years after its announcement, His Dark Materials is getting an adaptation that feels worthy of its acclaimed story, and a cast of actors any television series would dream of. It's up for debate whether or not which cast is better between this and The Golden Compass, but it's a close call either way.

Which might be why there were said to be quite a few streaming services and networks in the running for the series' American run. Early word said Netflix and Apple were both trying to get the rights, but in the end HBO ended up scoring the eight episode series for the United States release. As of now there's no official word on when the show will run stateside, although HBO just confirmed its 2019 arrival when adding more His Dark Materials footage to the network's multi-show teaser:

Of course, CinemaBlend will keep an eye out for more trailers and release date details for His Dark Materials, and always provide the latest and greatest updates on relevant entertainment news. Keep up with what's on the way to television in 2019 by visiting and bookmarking our midseason premiere guide, which is jam-packed with all the new and returning shows audiences will want to check out.

Silver screen regular James McAvoy has signed on to star in a new TV series for the BBC, and it is a fantasy. No, really, it is a fantasy series. McAvoy will lead His Dark Materials, a television adaptation of Philip Pullman's book trilogy. The story chronicles a pair of kids, Lyra and Will, as they adventure through a succession of parallel universes. So who is James McAvoy playing? Here is what you need to know.

James McAvoy has signed on to star as the orphaned Lyra's biological father, Lord Asriel, per Deadline. Logan's Dafne Keen will star as Lyra. Keen played Laura, a.k.a X-23, in the blockbuster. Incidentally, McAvoy plays Professor X in the X-Men prequel movie franchise. He joins a cast that includes Lin-Manuel Miranda as Lee Scoresby and fellow new addition Clarke Peters. Peters will play the master who raises Lyra.

If the characters sound familiar even though you've never read the novels, that is because this His Dark Materials series is not the first time Philip Pullman's novels have been translated to the screen. The 2007 film The Golden Compass was an adaptation of the first novel in the trilogy, Northern Lights/The Golden Compass. Daniel Craig played James McAvoy's role in the movie, which also featured The Good Doctor's Freddie Highmore, Nicole Kidman, and Penny Dreadful's Eva Green. While there was potential for a franchise film trilogy, a sequel to the movie never materialized.

James McAvoy will begin filming on His Dark Materials later in June. The BBC series will be comprised of eight episodes. It is yet another role for the busy and in-demand thespian. Like many actors, he is taking on a television role amidst a thriving film career. In fact, McAvoy currently has two sequels in the pipeline. The first is Glass, which is the follow-up to his hit movie Split. The other is the sequel to It, wherein McAvoy was revealed to be in talks to play the adult Bill.

His Dark Materials is set to arrive on BBC One. Its U.S. distribution destination is yet to be settled. Netflix and Apple are both in the running. Given Amazon's relationship with BBC, it is surprising they would not also be in the running. Time will tell which platform ends up with the prize. His Dark Materials is set to be a huge event series. The series' BBC One premiere date has yet to be announced, so stay tuned.

If you want to see James McAvoy before His Dark Materials, you can catch him in a brief role as a Sergeant in the BBC's Lorna Doone adaptation, which is currently streaming on Amazon Prime. For new upcoming and returning television shows on the horizon, check out CinemaBlend's guide to TV's summer premieres. If you are curious about shows that are streaming, CinemaBlend has you covered with our 2018 Netflix premiere rundown as well as our guide to Amazon Prime's premiere schedule.

Dafne Keen first made a splash in Hollywood with her breakout performance as the badass X-23 in Logan, and now the young actress is tackling yet another role that requires a strong female heroine. Keen has joined BBC One's big adaptation of Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials, which is finally coming together and amassing a lot of talent beyond the young rising star. Keen will play the novels' lead character Lyra, in what will be the second adaptation of the franchise.

His Dark Materials has long been a controversial trilogy of books, mainly for its criticism and parallels of modern religion. Dafne Keen's Lyra lives in a universe parallel to our world and finds herself entangled in a cosmic war between her uncle, Lord Asriel, and the first angel to come into existence, The Authority. Keen's Lyra goes on many adventures throughout the series of three books, Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass, all of which will be portrayed in this eight-part series that's set to begin production in Wales soon.

The television adaptation of His Dark Materials will be helmed by famed director of The King's Speech, Tom Hooper. Deadline reported Hooper has long expressed an interest to direct the project, which had its television adaptation written back in 2015 by Wonder and National Treasure writer Jack Thorne. Dafne Keen's Lyra is the series' central character, although in the second book she is joined by a boy name Will, who also becomes a character of importance. No casting has been announced for Will, although one other big name has popped up in the casting that should show how serious The BBC is about making this series a major television event.

Dafne Keen will also be joined by Lin-Manuel Miranda in the television adaptation for His Dark Materials, and the Hamilton actor will play the aeronaut Lee Scoresby. Early on in the book trilogy, Scoresby interacts with Keen's Lyra by helping her travel to Svalbard, and then comes into play in a bigger way later on in the novels. Given the amount of star power that's already attached to the project, its likely many that are unfamiliar with the tale will be tuning in.

This television adaptation of His Dark Materials will be the second adaptation of the series in recent memory, as the movie The Golden Compass portrayed the events of the first book back in 2007. The film starred the likes of Daniel Craig, Nicole Kidman, Christopher Lee and Sam Elliott, but was not received well by either critics or a general audience. The controversy surrounding the film's subject matter slightly played into that, but for the most part, critics said the film suffered from poor storytelling. Hopefully, that will not be the case with The BBC's television adaptation.

No word has been given as to when His Dark Materials will appear on BBC America, but with big names like Dafne Keen and Lin-Manuel Miranda signing on, more updates will come sooner rather than later. For some information on upcoming programming that will air in 2018, visit our midseason premiere guide.

Harry Potter is one of the best fantasy series/books in general, so anyone who’s ever had anything to do with it is someone to get excited about. While he’s not J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne might just be the next best thing. It’s been announced that the writer will be adapting a different fantasy novel trilogy for television in the form of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials.

According to Wales Online, Jack Thorne will help bring the His Dark Materials trilogy to television along with producers Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner. Tranter and Gardner are former BBC executives who helped relaunch Doctor Who in 2005, and have worked on series such as Torchwood and Da Vinci’s Demons.

Jack Thorne is a BAFTA winning screenwriter best known for his work on the television series Skins, The Last Panthers, and the This is England series. Perhaps his most exciting credit, though, is that he worked alongside J.K. Rowling to write Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the live stage play that continues the story of Harry Potter several years after the ending of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows. He basically worked on the closest thing we have to an eighth book. Coincidentally, the His Dark Materials trilogy was also adapted into a play, back in 2003.

The His Dark Materials Trilogy consists of three books: Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spy Glass. The story follows Lyra, an orphan “who lives in a parallel universe where science, theology and magic co-exist.” The His Dark Materials Trilogy was adapted into a film in 2006 called The Golden Compass, starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig. You may remember it as that movie with the talking polar bears. The Golden Compass was based on the first book, The Northern Lights and seeing as how the rest of the trilogy was never made, it didn’t really impress anyone. The books have proven to be more popular than the movie, which has been published in more than 40 languages and has sold 17 million copies.

Television is becoming the hot spot for fantasy novel adaptations, where the length of a TV season better fits in all the material of a book than a two-hour movie. The success of Game of Thrones is proof enough of that and other series have followed suit such as MTV’s The Shannara Chronicles.

There’s no word on a premiere date for the adaptation yet but keep checking in to Cinema Blend for more updates on the His Dark Materials television series.

New Line Cinema is getting into the TV business, and the company has a really large project planned for its first big foray onto the small screen. This morning, the company announced plans to produce a series based on His Dark Materials, the beloved children’s series by Phillip Pullman. The first book, The Golden Compass (Northern Lights in the UK), was made into a spectacularly bad movie back in 2007. The project is being made for BBC One.

The popular set of novels follow Lyra Belacqua and her daemon Pantalaimon, who roam the grounds at Jordan College until a plot to kill her Uncle Asriel sends her on a mission to look into a mysterious entity called “dust.” This takes her well beyond the college’s walls on an adventure through her world, where she meets the beautiful but cold Mrs. Coulter and many other heroes and villains along the way. The fantasy series is comprised of three books: The Golden Compass, The Amber Spyglass and The Subtle Knife, but we don’t know exactly how this story will be fleshed out into a full series, yet.

The BBC’s report today notes that Charlotte Moore and Polly Hill have commissioned the series, which is being produced by Bad Wolf and New Live Cinema. Executive Producers will include Philip Pullman, Jane Tranter, Julie Gardner, Toby Emmerich, Carolyn Blackwood, Bethan Jones and Deborah Forte. No other big details are forthcoming at this juncture, except that the new series will be shot in Wales. If all goes well, hopefully the drama will get a worldwide release, as well.

Obviously, this is huge news for fans. The His Dark Materials novels have sold millions of copies and been translated into numerous languages. They have an intense, avid fanbase similar to other fantasy franchises, including the likes of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (but not quite that big). And while the heroine in this novel, Lyra, is a young girl and the partner she meets along the way, Will, is a young boy, fans of all ages still enjoy the stories, similar to The Chronicles of Narnia and other youth-based fantasy series.

Still, this is a bit of a risky venture. Pullman’s books have been made into movies, radio shows and stage productions in the past, but they’ve never been made for the small screen (although that might actually be a better fit for this type of material). The first book was made into a movie starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig just a few years ago, and despite pulling in $372 million at the box office, that wasn’t enough to help the studio to want to continue with the franchise. Plus, it didn’t do super well critically and hasn’t lived on as a beloved movie with fans who have read the books over and over again. What the BBC needs is to capture the spirit of the books, the scientific probing and the ability to think critically about those in charge (in the book’s case a theocratic organization) that makes His Dark Materials such a special series. What the BBC needs to do is make something that doesn’t suck.

Obviously, the His Dark Materials series is moving forward over at BBC One, which means we should start hearing about casting and more in the weeks that come. We’ll let you know as soon as the series begins moving forward in earnest.