The BBC's The Night Manager was one of the best received spy thrillers in television last year and provided a gripping and cinematic tale centered around espionage, crime and Tom Hiddleston's rear. Starring the famed Loki actor alongside heavyweight British actors such as Hugh Laurie and Olivia Colman, the miniseries was a total success on both sides of the Atlantic, picking up a slew of awards in the process, and unsurprisingly, thoughts began to turn to a possible second series.

The Night Manager was based on the novel of the same name by legendary spy author John le Carré (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) and the miniseries adaptation more or less completely covered the events described in the book. As a result, the second season could either be comprised of entirely original material or might take inspiration from another of le Carré's works. Although the book version of The Night Manager doesn't strictly have any direct sequels, it does share characters from some of the author's other titles and as such there is certainly source material available to work with.

Whichever route the show decides to head down, it has now been confirmed (via Variety) that The Night Manager season 2 is currently in the writing stage of its production. In a joint statement from the show's production company, the BBC and AMC -- the series' American network - it was claimed that although season 2 is in the early stages of development, it has yet to be officially green-lit, meaning the whole thing could still be scrapped.

Tom Hiddleston as Jonathan Pine and Hugh Laurie as Richard Roper in The Night Manager

Earlier in the week, season 1 director Susanne Bier claimed that although everyone involved wanted to do a second season, the material needed to live up to the standard and quality of the first, otherwise it wasn't worth doing at all. It appears then, that the show's production company -- The Ink Factory -- are kicking off the writing process in order to test the waters and see if a quality follow up can be produced whilst still retaining the option to pull the plug.

This will likely come as encouraging news to The Night Manager's many fans who would love nothing more than Tom Hiddleston and co. to return to the world of international espionage. The actor was electric in the role and in the eyes of some commentators, the part essentially served as Hiddleston's audition for the role of James Bond. Even if it doesn't quite hit the heights achieved previously, many of the show's fans will surely be keen to see a second season of The Night Manager regardless.

With that said, it is reassuring and pleasing to see the figures behind a TV production place paramount importance upon quality. All too often television shows continue long past their sell by date to exploit a loyal fan base and as True Detective knows all too well, the 'second season curse' is very much real. That The Night Manager would be willing to remain a single season entity in order to preserve its legacy is something to be commended indeed.

Next: The Night Manager is That Stylish Spy Thriller You Didn’t Know You Needed

We'll keep you updated on The Night Manager season two as more information becomes available.

Source: Variety