A decade after its explosive debut, the critically acclaimed BBC thriller The Night Manager is finally returning for a second season, with star Tom Hiddleston promising a bolder and deeper exploration of his iconic character, Jonathan Pine.
A Decade of Evolution for Pine and Hiddleston
Speaking at the London red carpet premiere, Hiddleston explained how both he and his character have changed in the ten years since the first season captivated audiences. The 44-year-old actor insisted that the creative team embraced the passage of time. "I told everyone involved... it's 10 years later. I'm 10 years older. A few more scars on the inside. A few more scars on the outside. Let's lean into it," Hiddleston told Metro.
He emphasised that the new season demanded greater courage from everyone involved. "I know we've been braver," Hiddleston stated. "We had to be braver and deeper, and had to try to be both more courageous and more compelling and also more intense and more vulnerable, to try and excavate the centre of who Jonathan Pine is at a deeper level."
Le Carré's Blessing and a New Colombian Chapter
The return was made possible by the blessing of the late author John le Carré (real name David Cornwell), who died in 2020. His son, Simon Cornwell, an executive producer on the series, confirmed his father's support. "We were so blessed that before John le Carré died, he had given his sons... the blessing and the affirmation that we should try to go again and to be brave about it," Hiddleston shared.
Season two moves the action to Colombia, a setting from le Carré's original 1993 novel that was changed to the Middle East for the first TV season. Pine, now operating under the alias Alex Goodwin, is an MI6 agent drawn into the world of Colombian arms dealer Teddy Dos Santos (Diego Calva) and businesswoman Roxana Bolaños (Camila Morrone).
Crafting a Legacy-Worthy Sequel
Simon Cornwell outlined the challenge of creating a sequel that honoured his father's legacy. The team, including writer David Farr, waited for the right story. "We didn't want to do something that we didn't feel was going to be better and richer than the first season. We needed the magic to happen again," Cornwell explained. The process ultimately took around four years.
Farr recalled that the story sparked from a single, vivid image. "I had an image in my head of a car coming to a monastery in the hills in Colombia... In there is a mystery, and out of the mystery came the story," he said. Cornwell praised Hiddleston's enduring connection to the role, calling him the "embodiment of Jonathan Pine" and suggesting it may be the actor's "most perfect role."
The Night Manager season 2 premieres on New Year's Day, 1st January 2026, on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
