The third series of His Dark Materials has premiered on HBO Max. This fantasy drama TV show is based on Philip Pullman’s novel trilogy and picks up where the original show left off. The stars and producers of the show arrived at New York Comic Con to speak about the upcoming season and what we can expect to see.
When asked about a particular scene that she is excited for audiences to see adapted from the page to the screen, executive producer Jane Tranter stated, “For people who know the book, there is when Lyra and Will are journeying into the Land of the Dead and what happens there between Lyra and Pan, which is very emotional and a remarkable thing to achieve with visual effects. There’s what happens with Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter, and there’s what happens with Lyra and Will … the emotional stories are the ones we’re really most excited to share with fans. Because the visual effects are absolutely stunning, and I hope people really respond to them with … the battles. But you can get those in other places but perhaps not as magnificent as what we’re delivering maybe, but it’s the emotional stories that are the most thrilling.”
Actor James McAvoy (X-Men, Split) commented on how his portrayal of Lord Asriel does not change very much in this season, saying, “I’m hardly in Season 1 and in Season 2, even less. And it felt almost weird to change who he is. It’s almost like you’ve got to start delivering on the promise of what he said he is. In Season 1, he’s like ‘we’re going to go to war, we’re going to do this, I’m going to do anything that it takes, we’re going to do it.’ And then here I am, finally, I’m in Season 3, and we’re going to be doing something different. We’re going to be doing knitting for the first episode and … he’s like a train that won’t stop and will smash through everything to get what he thinks is right done but his arc is about unpacking that. It’s about slowing that train down, making that train stop, making it have some big emotional issues about himself, the train can’t start again until it figures them out, and ultimately go from ‘I’m the center of the universe, and I’m f–king right’ to ‘holy s–t, it was never about me.’ What that does to somebody who has ignored their fathering responsibilities his daughter’s entire life because he thinks he’s Spartacus, actually, his daughter is Spartacus, and [you’ll see] what that does to his ego.”
Amir Wilson, who portrays Will Parry in the show, spoke about the relationships his character builds. He states, “He obviously builds a strong connection with Lyra, but he also meets angels. He meets Balthamos, he meets Iorek Byrnison for the first time and it’s mad. He’s from Earth, you know? He’s from our world. These things are kind of unheard of, talking animals. I know he’s met Pan so he knows about talking animals … this season is the introduction of many new worlds and new characters, and you’ve got a lot to look forward to.”
The first two episodes of His Dark Materials Series 3 are now streaming on HBO Max.