Unlike the series its based on, the HBO adaptation of His Dark Materials introduced the dimension and world-hopping aspect of the plot earlier on. But the first trailer for the upcoming season takes the concept and shows off the full expanse of the multiverse, as protagonist Lyra (Dafne Keen) finds herself in another world — the overbearing Magistrate and the conniving Mrs. Coulter (Ruth Wilson) hot on her trail. The trailer is full of witches, creepy dark creatures, Andrew Scott, Lin Manuel Miranda in a hot air balloon, and of course, one very important knife.
That’s because the second season is based on the second book in Philip Pullman’s trilogy, The Subtle Knife. Though with how prominently it appears in the trailer, there isn’t really anything subtle about it at all.
At the end of the previous season, Lyra made her way across the Multiverse bridge, entering into a new world. The first season also introduced characters from the later books, such as eventual deuteragonist Will Parry (Amir Wilson) and scientist Dr. Mary Malone (Simone Kirby).
The HBO series returns on Nov. 16 at 9 p.m. EDT. Catch up with the first season on HBO Max.
