Those (like me) who’ve been eagerly awaiting the third and closing installment of HBO’s His Dark Materials will recognize the discharge of a season 3 teaser giving us our first glimpse of what is in retailer. Based on the bestselling trilogy by Philip Pullman, S3 will see our heroine, Lyra (Dafne Keen), lastly come to phrases together with her future, at the same time as her father, Lord Asriel (James McAvoy), declares conflict on the Authority.

(Spoilers for the primary two seasons beneath.)

As we have written beforehand, the three books in Pullman’s collection are The Golden Compass (printed as Northern Lights within the UK), The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. They observe the adventures of a 12-year-old woman named Lyra, who lives in a fictional model of Oxford, England, circa the Victorian period. Everyone has a companion daemon within the type of an animal—a part of their spirit that resides exterior the physique—and Lyra’s is known as Pantalaimon. Lyra uncovers a sinister plot that sends her on a journey to seek out her father in hopes of foiling stated plot. That journey takes her to totally different dimensions (the fictional world is a multiverse) and finally to her personal coming of age.

The first season principally lined the occasions of The Golden Compass, though it additionally included characters and occasions from The Subtle Knife. Most notably, S1 launched the character of Will Parry (Amir Wilson), who does not seem till the second e-book within the collection. He befriends an on-the-run Lyra and has possession of the refined knife, which might minimize the curtain between universes.

Initial opinions had been combined, however the second season amply rewarded those that caught with the collection. “Freed from the inventive burden of creating an elaborate fictional world for viewers unfamiliar with the books, S2 was a briskly paced, but nonetheless emotionally resonant expertise,” I wrote in my S2 evaluation. “Ruth Wilson’s fiercely feral portrayal of the sophisticated Mrs. Coulter stays a spotlight, and the heartbreaking season finale completely set the stage for the ultimate showdown.”

In the S1 finale, Lyra adopted Lord Asriel throughout the multiverse bridge to a different world, simply as Will discovered his personal approach into that very same world by one other doorway. S2 picked up from there, masking the remaining occasions of The Subtle Knife, which set up Lyra’s central quest and arrange the climactic showdown portrayed in The Amber Spyglass. Both strangers in an odd new world, Lyra and Will teamed as much as reunite him along with his personal father, a quest they believed was linked to no matter destinies they’re meant to satisfy. They additionally found the refined knife (formally referred to as Æsahættr), which might minimize by the material between worlds.

In the heartbreaking S2 finale, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Lee Scoresby sacrificed himself in order that Will’s father may briefly reunite along with his son and instruct him to carry the refined knife to Lord Asriel. Mrs. Coulter kidnapped Lyra, believing that her daughter is the prophesied Second Eve who will carry in regards to the fall of man. We final noticed Lyra drugged and mendacity in a trunk aboard a ship, heading to an unknown vacation spot.

McAvoy’s Lord Asriel was conspicuously absent ins S2 due to the pandemic, with a deliberate standalone episode scrapped. But one closing scene depicted him basically declaring conflict on the Authority by calling on some angels to affix him in rebel. That conflict—and doubtless some recriminating father/daughter fireworks after the occasions of the primary two seasons—will function prominently in S3. Per the official premise:

Based on The Amber Spyglass, the ultimate novel in Philip Pullman’s award-winning trilogy, within the closing chapter of this epic fantasy collection, Lyra (Dafne Keen), the prophesied little one, and Will (Amir Wilson), the bearer of The Subtle Knife, should journey to a darkish place from which nobody has ever returned. As her father’s nice conflict towards the Authority edges nearer, they may study that saving the worlds comes at a horrible value.

The trailer opens with a voiceover by Mrs. Coulter: “There are forces on the market, Lyra, which you could’t start to grasp.” She swears she’s doing all of this for Lyra, however realizes there isn’t any good motive for Lyra to consider her, regardless that her protecting actions value her all the pieces. “What may very well be extra harmful than you?” Will asks at one level. She replies, “The fact.”

Meanwhile, Asriel is “gathering the best from each world” for his conflict towards the Authority—which appears prefer it features a host of witches and angels. The fierce bear warrior Iorek Byrnison options prominently within the teaser. We additionally get a closing glimpse of Lee Scoresby when Lyra visits the underworld, and a few tender moments between Lyra and Will.

The eight-episode third season of His Dark Materials will premiere on HBO on December 5, 2022, with two episodes airing every week. The collection finale will air on December 26, 2022.

Listing picture by YouTube/HBO