Lin-Manuel Miranda returns for His Dark Materials season 3 despite... you know

Nick Romano
·3 min read

Lin-Manuel Miranda is back as Lee Scoresby for the third and final season of His Dark Materials. It's not a shocker for those who have read Philip Pullman's The Amber Spyglass, which season 3 adapts. But it may come as a surprise to those viewers who only know the story through the show.

On that note, SPOILER WARNING if you're not caught up with His Dark Materials.

Miranda debuted as the adventuring Texan aëronaut starting in season 1 of the series adaptation, but the character died in a shootout with Magisterium forces at the end of season 2.

The actor told EW at the time, "My first reaction [to Lee's death] was back in 2005 when I read the books. I had that in the back of my mind when I said yes to the gig. I'm gonna have to do one of the most heartbreaking deaths in literature, or at least in the literature that I've read. So, I think a part of me has been preparing since I signed on for the gig."

He also said that he hadn't heard about a potential return for season 3, but that he serves as the pleasure of the producers. "If there's a call for Lee in a corporeal or non-corporeal form, I would be there. My family would love to go back to Wales," he said.

His Dark Materials
His Dark Materials

HBO Lin-Manuel Miranda appears as Lee Scoresby in 'His Dark Materials.'

Season 2 ended with a post-credits scene that saw the return of Lewin Lloyd's Roger, Lyra's (Dafne Keen) friend who was killed in season 1. This strongly hinted at a major location fans will come to see in season 3, lifted directly from the events of The Amber Spyglass: the Land of the Dead, an alternate dimension where the spirits of the deceased roam. This is where we meet Lee again in the book, and where we'll find him now on the show.

EW previously confirmed that His Dark Materials will return to HBO and HBO Max this December, but the show's New York Comic Con panel — consisting of executive producers Jane Tranter and Dan McCulloch, and actors James McAvoy and Amir Wilson — revealed the first two episodes of season 3 will premiere back-to-back on Monday, Dec. 5 in the U.S., starting at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

HBO also released a teaser trailer for the fantasy epic's conclusion in the room for the panel's attendees. The footage has not been officially released online as of now.

The trailer highlighted the return of McAvoy's Lord Asriel, who is gathering an army to take down the Authority, which is essentially God. EW had exclusively revealed the first look at the angels this season, and there are plenty more where that came from in the sneak peek.

"I am gathering the greatest from every world to help me wage war," Asriel said in the trailer. "They are but one arm of the beast," he added later. "We cut off the head and then rest will crumble."

We also got a glimpse of the Land of the Dead and the harpies that guard the realm's residents. Keen's Lyra said, "When I was asleep Roger spoke to me... I can feel death in there." Miranda's Lee is the surprise reveal at the end of the preview, as Lyra spots him among the dead. "Well, I'll be damned," Lee says.

Hopefully he's not damned.

His Dark Materials season 3 hits HBO and HBO Max Dec. 5 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Watch our interview at New York Comic Con above.

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