It’s been a long (long) time coming, but the BBC and Prime Video have announced ‘The Night Manager‘ has been renewed for two more seasons, with Tom Hiddleston returning to star and David Farr returning as writer.
Season 1 of the drama, which aired in 2016, saw Hiddleston play ex-forces-turn-hotel-manager Jonathan Pine, who is recruited by Angela Burr (Olivia Colman) to infiltrate the inner circle of arms dealer Richard Onslow Roper (Hugh Laurie). It won multiple BAFTAs, Emmy Awards, and Golden Globes – including Best Actor for Tom Hiddleston – and was watched by more than 10 million viewers, making it one of 2016’s most watched TV shows.
The new seasons will once again be written by series creator David Farr. BAFTA winner Georgi Banks-Davies (I Hate Suzie, Paper Girls) is attached to direct all six episodes of season two. Stephen Garrett will return to lead the production of the series. Hugh Laurie (All The Light We Cannot See, House, VEEP) will be an executive producer on the upcoming series.
“The first series of The Night Manager was one of the most creatively fulfilling projects I have ever worked on,” said Hiddleston. “The depth, range and complexity of Jonathan Pine was, and remains, a thrilling prospect. I’m so looking forward to reuniting with Simon and Stephen Cornwell, David Farr and Stephen Garrett, and to working with Georgi Banks-Davies to tell the next chapter of our story. I can’t wait.”
Produced by The Ink Factory (The Pigeon Tunnel, The Little Drummer Girl) in association with Character 7, Demarest Films and 127 Wall, and in co-production with Spanish partner Nostromo Pictures, the show is inspired by the characters in John le Carré’s best-selling novel. The new seasons of ‘The Night Manager’ will premiere on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK and, outside of the UK, globally on Prime Video, in a deal negotiated by FIFTH SEASON, which is handling global distribution of the series.
They are not giving much away about the direction of the new seasons, other than it will, once again, follow Jonathan Pine, and pick up eight years after the explosive finale of season one. Rumours of more seasons of ‘The Night Manager’ being in development have been around pretty much since the first season ended. The issue had always been that John le Carré never wrote any follow up novels, so any further story would need to be original creations, and they wanted to make sure they got it right.
“John le Carré’s work has long been an inspiration to me and working closely with him on Season 1 was an honour and a pleasure,” adds series creator David Farr. “I did not tread lightly into extending The Night Manager beyond the original book, but an idea came to me a couple of years ago which felt truthful to that unique world of dark corners and shady identities. No one marries the suspense of espionage with a deep exploration of the human soul quite like le Carré. I hope that in some way we can pay homage to his uneasy genius in this new exploration. I am thrilled to be working again with Tom Hiddleston, Stephen Garrett and The Ink Factory team, and to be welcoming the brilliant director Georgi Banks-Davies into our ranks.”
‘The Night Manager’ season two is created and executive produced by David Farr, based on the characters created by John le Carré. Additional executive producers include Stephen Garrett for Character 7, Georgi Banks-Davies, Hugh Laurie, and Tom Hiddleston; Joe Tsai and Arthur Wang for 127 Wall; Stephen and Simon Cornwell, Michele Wolkoff, and Tessa Inkelaar for The Ink Factory; Adrián Guerra for Nostromo Pictures; William D. Johnson for Demarest Films, Nick Cornwell, Susanne Bier, Chris Rice for FIFTH SEASON and Gaynor Holmes for the BBC. The series is produced by The Ink Factory in association with Character 7, Demarest Films and 127 Wall, and in co-production with Nostromo Pictures.
“After years of fervent speculation I’m incredibly excited to confirm that The Night Manager is returning to the BBC for two more series,” commented Charlotte Moore, BBC Chief Content Officer. “The multi award winning show was lauded by audiences and critics and catapulted British drama onto the global stage in 2016. Glamorous and sophisticated, it had the nation hooked. Bold storytelling and a stellar line up in front of and behind the camera made it unmissable viewing and the scale and ambition behind the new season will take it to even greater heights.”
‘The Night Manager‘ Season 2 will begin filming later this year, so we don’t expect it to land until 2025 at the earliest. Season 1 can be found on iPlayer in the UK if you want to catch up (or refresh your memory!) The new seasons will air on BBC One and iPlayer in the UK, and Prime Video internationally. If you want to keep track of this or any other show, you can add them via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date.
