'His Dark Materials' Season 2 Featurette Introduces The All-Powerful Subtle Knife

There's never been a better time to escape to a different world, and His Dark Materials has loads of them. But things look pretty dire even in the parallel worlds that populate BBC and HBO's epic fantasy series, which adapts Philip Pullman's beloved trilogy of the same name. There's a war a'brewing that spans multiple worlds, with both sides eying one all-powerful weapon with a not-so-obvious name. Learn all about the subtle knife and the expanding lore of His Dark Materials in the newly released His Dark Materials season 2 featurette.

The first season of His Dark Materials adapted The Golden Compass, the first book in Pullman's acclaimed epic fantasy trilogy, which heavily revolved around the mystical alethiometer, a truth-telling device that falls into the hands of the feisty young heroine Lyra (Dafne Keen). In keeping with the series' pattern, the second season adapts The Subtle Knife, which features...a subtle knife. The season's magical item du jour is a little more dangerous than the alethiometer: it's an all-powerful weapon with the ability to cut anything, including the walls between worlds. Which makes it the target for enemies across the cosmos, from humans, to witches, to angels (oh my). But it ends up falling in the hands of Will Parry (Amir Wilson), who encounters Lyra in a strange new world that they both wander into.

The above featurette delves into the subtle knife, and why it has become such an obvious target for the entire universe. It also teases several fun new dynamics, between both Lyra and Will, as well as the odd couple of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Lee Scoresby and season 2 newcomer Andrew Scott's mysterious adventurer John Parry, who knows more about the knife than anyone else.

Ruth Wilson as Mrs. Coulter, Ariyon Bakare as Lord Boreal, and Ruta Gedmintas' witch Serafina Pekkala reprise their roles in season 2. Season 2 newcomers include Jade Anouka, who plays witch queen Ruta Skadi, and Terence Stamp and Simone Kirby.

Here is the synopsis for His Dark Materials season 2:

Season two of HIS DARK MATERIALS begins after Lord Asriel has opened a bridge to a new world, and, distraught over the death of her best friend, Lyra follows Asriel into the unknown. In a strange and mysterious abandoned city she meets Will, a boy from our world who is also running from a troubled past. Lyra and Will learn their destinies are tied to reuniting Will with his father but find their path is constantly thwarted as a war begins to brew around them. Meanwhile, Mrs. Coulter searches for Lyra, determined to bring her home by any means necessary.

His Dark Materials season 2 premieres on HBO and HBO Max on Monday, November 16, 2020 at 9 P.M. ET.