‘Wolf Hall’ director says new season will ‘complete what we started’

The director of Wolf Hall has spoken about his plans for the long-awaited second season!

Adapting the final novel in Hilary Mantel’s trilogy, six brand new episodes began filming this autumn in England and Wales.

2015’s original Emmy-nominated drama adapted Mantel’s Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies.

The upcoming follow-up series will bring The Mirror and the Light to television in late 2024 on BBC One and streaming on BBC iPlayer in the UK, then on PBS Masterpiece in the US.

“The Mirror and the Light picks up exactly where Wolf Hall ended, with the execution of Henry VIII’s second wife, Anne Boleyn,” it’s been revealed by Peter Kosminsky, who is back to direct the new episodes.

“I’m overjoyed to be able to reunite the extraordinary cast we were lucky enough to assemble for Wolf Hall, led by the brilliant Mark Rylance and Damian Lewis, with the original creative team of Gavin Finney (DOP), Pat Campbell (Designer) and Joanna Eatwell (Costume Designer),” he said.

“We are all determined to complete what we started – and to honour the final novel written by one of the greatest literary figures of our age, Hilary Mantel,” the director added.

Returning as Thomas Cromwell and King Henry VIII, Mark Rylance (Dunkirk, The BFG) and Damian Lewis (Homeland) aren’t the only original Wolf Hall cast members reprising their roles.

They’re joined once again by Jonathan Pryce (The Crown) as Cardinal Wolsey, Kate Phillips (Miss Scarlet and the Duke) as Jane Seymour, Lilit Lesser as Princess Mary, Thomas Brodie-Sangster (The Artful Dodger) as Rafe Sadler, Joss Porter (Humans) as Richard Cromwell, James Larkin (McMafia) as Master Treasurer Fitzwilliam, Richard Dillane (Argo) as the Duke of Suffolk, Will Keen (Operation Mincemeat) as Archbishop Cranmer, and Hannah Steele (The Night Manager) as Mary Shelton.

Recently-announced new faces will include Harriet Walter (Belgravia) as Lady Margaret Pole, Timothy Spall (The Sixth Commandment) as the Duke of Norfolk, Alex Jennings (The Crown) as Stephen Gardiner. and Harry Melling (Harry Potter) as Thomas Wriothesley.

“Following the success of the BAFTA and Golden Globe winning original television adaptation of the first two books in Hilary Mantel’s acclaimed Wolf Hall trilogy, we are thrilled and honoured that, nine years later, we have been able re-unite Peter Kosminsky and his brilliant team, in front of and behind the camera, to bring Thomas Cromwell ‘s final chapter to the screen,” commented executive producer Colin Callender.

The exec describes Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light as “intimate, thrilling, and deeply moving,” explaining that the series “shines a fresh light on the politics of power and the personal price paid by those who wield it.”

“Cromwell’s story is as contemporary as ever – a story of loyalty and betrayal that just happens to be about people 500 years ago,” he promised.

There are lots of exciting new British period dramas coming in 2024, but this is definitely the one we’re most looking forward to!

The original Wolf Hall series is available to watch on the PBS Masterpiece channel with this free 7-day trial.