If you’ve never read Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials book trilogy but have watched the HBO series, you must have been bewildered at how season two ended. Mrs. Coulter (Ruth Wilson) kidnapped her daughter Lyra (Dafne Keen), who might be a second Eve and somewhat dead; literal angels have appeared; and Lyra’s father Asriel (James McAvoy) has been planning to stage a coup against the Authority, aka God. As this first trailer for season three reveals, things are only going to get wilder.
There’s so much going on here! Iorek Byrnison is back, the Magisterium is on the move, Mrs. Coulter gets arrested, Asriel has assembled an army of witches and rebellious angels, it looks like Will’s portal-creating Subtle Knife breaks, and Lyra seems to be visiting the underworld when she’s asleep — which means we get a very welcome reappearance of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s aeronaut Lee Scoresby.
Based on the third and final volume in Pullman’s trilogy, The Amber Spyglass, His Dark Materials’ epic final season premieres December 5 on HBO Max.
Want more Gizmodo news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel and Star Wars releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.