His Dark Materials season 3 spies a late 2022 release – and Lee Scoresby’s return

Major spoilers follow for His Dark Materials TV series and the novels.

The first trailer for His Dark Materials season 3 has been released – and it confirms the return of Lin Manuel Miranda’s Lee Scoresby.

Last seen on our screens in December 2020, the fantasy drama HBO Max series also received an official release date in addition to the teaser. it comes on Monday December 5 on HBO Max in the US, with the third season premiering on that date with two episodes, as revealed at New York Comic-Con 2022. No official launch date has been announced for release in the UK or internationally.

As nice as it is to finally hear when the final season of His Dark Materials airs, it’s the return of Miranda’s Lee Scoresby that will surely be the most shocking news for those who haven’t read the book series. Check out the trailer below:

In a press release, HBO revealed the official plot synopsis for Season 3. “In the final chapter of this epic fantasy series, Lyra (Dafne Keen), the Prophesied Child, and Will (Amir Wilson), the bearer of The Subtle Knife, must travel to a dark place where no one has ever returned,” it reads. “As her father’s great war against the Authority draws near, they will learn that saving the worlds comes at a terrible price.”

As fans of Philip Pullman’s iconic fantasy novel series — and its TV adaptation — will recall, Scoresby died while fighting off the forces of the Magisterium in Season 2, a live-action adaptation of Pullman’s The Subtle Knife. Of course, this isn’t the last we see of Scoresby in the books. He appears in the land of the dead in The Amber Spyglass, which Lyra and Will visit in an attempt to find Roger.

Still, Miranda’s return as Scoresby will certainly be an unexpected moment for those who have only seen the His Dark Materials TV series. Would his reveal have been all the more poignant if HBO Max hadn’t screwed up here? Maybe, but the streamer needs to spark interest in the series’ return. As we said, it’s been two years since the last season aired, so something of this nature was needed to rekindle the public’s interest.

Aside from the news that Miranda’s Scoresby is back, the teaser for His Dark Materials season 3 looks suitably ominous and bleak. We get our first live-action look at the depiction of the angels in the show, with still images revealed by HBO’s social media channels on September 27 (opens in new tab).

Meanwhile, given what’s happening in The Amber Spyglass, we know we’ll be seeing more of James McAvoy’s Lord Asriel. The trailer then puts him at the center of Season 3’s plot, with Asriel summoning the witches, Lyra’s mother, and his former flame Marisa Coulter, and other allies to join him in the fight against the Authority.

That doesn’t mean we won’t see Lyra, Pan, and Will in Season 3, though. The trio play an equally – if not a bigger – role in the final book and story of the season, so expect them to play a major role in how the overarching story plays out. Unfortunately, we don’t get a glimpse of the titular Amber Spyglass, or any indication of the realm that Doctor Mary Malone travels to in the Season 2 finale. Fans of Pullman’s novels will know what happens there, but we won’t spoil it here.

Like its predecessor, His Dark Materials season 3 will consist of eight episodes. New episodes will appear each week on HBO Max in two-episode batches starting December 5, with the last two entries in the entire series on December 26.

For more HBO Max-based content, check out the best movies on HBO Max, or see if there’s a free trial of HBO Max running right now.