Mark Rylance will reprise his role as Thomas Cromwell in Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light.
One of the most acclaimed historical television dramas of all time is finally getting its sequel run.
Wolf Hall first aired on BBC One in 2015 and was based on the late Dame Hilary Mantel’s novel of the same name and its sequel Bring Up The Bodies.
The series follows the career of the shrewd politician Thomas Cromwell, played by Academy Award-winner Mark Rylance, at the court of King Henry VIII of England (Damian Lewis).
Director Peter Kosminsky says: “The Mirror and the Light picks up exactly where Wolf Hall ended, with the execution of Henry VIII’s second wife, Anne Boleyn.
‘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).
“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.”
When will Wolf Hall season 2 be released?
Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light was announced on Monday 20th November 2023 and is soon to begin shooting.
The first season was announced in 2012 and was filmed in the summer of 2014 before airing on BBC One in 2015.
Due to the speed at which the series will soon begin shooting, we can likely expect the series to arrive in late 2024 or early 2025.
Wolf Hall season 2 cast
The following cast members have been confirmed for Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light.
- Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell
- Damian Lewis as King Henry VIII of England
- Sir Jonathan Pryce as Cardinal Thomas Wolsey
- Kate Phillips as Jane Seymour, Queen of England
- Lilit Lesser as The Lady Mary
So far, the series has confirmed that the central cast members from the first season of Wolf Hall will be back, most notable Oscar winner Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell and Emmy winner Damian Lewis as King Henry VIII.
Despite his character’s death in the first run, The Crown actor Sir Jonathan Pryce will reprise his role as Cromwell’s mentor Cardinal Thomas Wolsey.
Peaky Blinders actress Kate Phillips will return as Jane Seymour, the third wife of the King and now Queen of England.
Elsewhere, Lilit Lesser will reprise her role as the King’s daughter Mary, now titled Lady Mary after she was proclaimed a bastard.
Sadly it looks like we won’t be seeing Claire Foy back as Anne Boleyn but that’s no surprise considering her execution at the end of the last run. However, if Pryce is back as Wolsey, we would not be surprised!
Other cast members who starred in the first season and could return include Bernard Hill as the Duke of Norfolk, Mark Gatiss as Stephen Gardiner, Mathieu Amalric as Eustache Chapuys, Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Rafe Sadler, Tom Holland as Gregory Cromwell, Jessica Raine as Jane Rochford, and Saskia Reeves as Johane Williamson.
What is Wolf Hall season 2 going to be about?
The second season will adapt the third book in the late Dame Hilary Mantel’s Cromwell trilogy, The Mirror and the Light.
The official plot synopsis from the BBC reads: “May 1536. Anne Boleyn, Henry’s second wife, is dead. As the axe drops, Thomas Cromwell emerges from the bloodbath to continue his climb to power and wealth, while his formidable master, Henry, settles to short-lived happiness with his third queen, Jane Seymour.
“Cromwell, a man with only his wits to rely on, has no great family to back him, and no private army. Navigating the moral complexities that accompany the exercise of power in this brutal and bloody time, Cromwell is caught between his desire to do what is right and his instinct to survive. But in the wake of Henry VIII having executed his queen, no one is safe.”
It continues: “Despite rebellion at home, traitors plotting abroad and the threat of invasion testing Henry’s regime to breaking point, Cromwell’s robust imagination sees a new country in the mirror of the future. All of England lies at his feet, ripe for innovation and religious reform. But as fortune’s wheel turns, Cromwell’s enemies are gathering in the shadows.
“The inevitable question remains: how long can anyone survive under Henry’s cruel and capricious gaze?”
Spoiler alert, many with knowledge of Tudor history will be aware that Cromwell’s fate is not too dissimilar to Anne Boleyn’s so we’ll have to wait and see how the series chooses to portray this.
Is there a trailer for Wolf Hall season 2?
The second season of Wolf Hall has only just been confirmed and has yet to film, so there is currently no trailer to share.
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