Before BBC One unveils their TV series adaptation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials novels--and before we even get a release date for Season 1--the network has reportedly gone ahead and ordered up a second season of eight additional episodes. Filming on the first season of the Bad Wolf and New Line production is underway, so BBC must like what they see if they've gone ahead and doubled down on the order, which is expected to be one of the most expensive British scripted series production ever, as Deadline reports.

His Dark Materials stars Dafne Keen (Logan) as Lyra, an orphan (sort of) in a parallel universe to our own who inherits a curious truth-telling device and goes on all sorts of wild adventures throughout many mystical lands. Also along for the ride are James McAvoy as the adventurous and scholarly Lord Asriel, Lyra's uncle, and Ruth Wilson as Marisa Coulter, a former lover of Lord Asriel who also guides Lyra throughout the story. Rounding out the cast are Clarke Peters (The Wire, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri) as the master of Jordan College and Lyra's guardian; Lin-Manuel Miranda as high-flying adventurer Lee Scoresby; and Ariyon Bakare (Rogue One) as Lord Boreal, a minor character in "The Golden Compass/Northern Lights" who returns in a big way in "The Subtle Knife"; as well as Georgina Campbell (Black Mirror), Anne-Marie Duff (Shameless) as Gyptian woman Ma Costa, Ian Gelder (Game of Thrones) and Keen's own father Will Keen (Wolf Hall) playing Father MacPhail.

His Dark Materials is written by Jack Thorne and directed by Tom Hooper. Hooper is the lead director of the adaptation and will helm the first two episodes of the series. Dawn Shadforth (Trust) is directing an episode while Otto Bathurst (Peaky Blinders) gets two. Bad Wolf and New Line Cinema produce for BBC One with BBC Studios Distribution and Anton Capital Entertainment, with Endeavor Content co-representing North American rights along with BBC Studios Distribution. Stay tuned for more news as we hear it!