The return of His Dark Materials sees the return of several characters and the introduction of some new ones — here's a quick breakdown of the main players in season 2. The series marks a collaboration with the BBC and will be based on the acclaimed novels by Phillip Pullman. The first of the trilogy was published in 1995, titled The Golden Compass. It was soon followed by The Subtle Knife in 1997 and The Amber Spyglass in 2000. Released in 2019, His Dark Materials season 1 succeeded where the Golden Compass movie adaptation failed.
The saga followed Lyra Belacqua as she sought to find her abducted best friend, Roger. Beset by sinister forces, Lyra discovered shocking secrets regarding her parentage and found herself embroiled in plots with wide-reaching consequences. When last seen, Lyra had been betrayed by her father: Lord Asriel (James McAvoy). Having murdered Roger in a scientific experiment, Asriel successfully opened a bridge to a new world. Despite the dangers, Lyra opted to venture across the bridge after him to unravel the truth behind everything that had happened and so that Roger's death was not entirely in vain.
Picking up where things left off, Lyra made it to the mysteriously abandoned city of Cittàgaze. There, she has her first encounter with Will Parry, whose journey paralleled her own throughout season 1. Together, they are introduced to the myth of The Subtle Knife — an instrument that can open doors between worlds. As such, Lyra and Will find themselves even more tirelessly hunted. Though a standalone episode featuring McAvoy was in production, it was ultimately canceled when His Dark Materials was shut down by the Coronavirus pandemic. As such, he won't feature in His Dark Materials season 2. Regardless, the sophomore outing is set to be packed with plenty of new and familiar faces.
His Dark Materials Returning Cast
Dafne Keen as Lyra Belacqua - A feisty young girl at the center of a multiversal prophecy. Lyra's daemon is named Pantalaimon (voiced by Kit Connor), and often takes the form of an ermine. Keen is best known for her role as Wolverine's clone, Laura, in Logan.
Amir Wilson as Will Parry - A boy from our own world with a prophecy of his own to fulfill. Wilson recently starred in Netflix's The Letter For The King.
Ruth Wilson as Mrs. Coulter - A powerful, intelligent, and dangerous woman and Lyra's mother. Her unnamed daemon has settled into the form of a golden monkey (voiced by Brian Fisher). Wilson previously appeared on the Showtime series The Affair.
Lin-Manuel Miranda as Lee Scoresby - A Texan aeronaut and protective ally of Lyra's. Lee's daemon is an arctic hare named Hester (voiced by Cristela Alonzo). Miranda is best known for writing and starring in the hit musical Hamilton.
Ruta Gedmintas as Serafina Pekkala - Queen of the Lake Enara witches. Serafina's snow goose daemon, Kaisa, is voiced by David Suchet. Gedmintas is known for horror series The Strain.
Ariyon Bakare as Lord Carlo Boreal - A sinister member of the Magisterium's General Oblation Board. He'll continue his own mysterious agenda in season 2. His daemon takes the form of a snake. Bakare starred in the sci-fi horror movie Life.
His Dark Materials New Characters
Andrew Scott as John Parry - Will's long-lost father. His daemon is an osprey named Sayan Kötör (voiced by Phoebe Waller-Bridge). Scott is best known for playing the villainous Moriarty opposite Benedict Cumberbatch in BBC's Sherlock.
Simone Kirby as Dr. Mary Malone - A renowned physicist that will help Lyra unlock the secrets of Dust. Kirby most recently starred in Disney's Artemis Fowl adaptation.
Terence Stamp as Giacomo Paradisi - The current bearer of The Subtle Knife. Stamp is best known for playing General Zod in the Christopher Reeve Superman films.
Jade Anouka as Ruta Skadi - Queen of the Lake Lubana witches. Her daemon is named Sergi and voiced by Sope Dirisu. Anouka previously appeared on Doctor Who.
Bella Ramsay as Angelica - A mysterious girl that Lyra and Will encounter in Cittàgazze. Ramsay is best known as fan-favorite Lyanna Mormont on Game of Thrones.
His Dark Materials season 2 is set for release via HBO on November 16. Despite the shutdown of McAvoy's episode, the rest of the 7-episode second season finished filming before season 1 even aired its finale. As such, His Dark Materials fans won't have to worry about delays in seeing where the story goes next