The Night Manager team scrapped John le Carré’s sequel idea – but promise “faithful” season 2

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I recently learned something fascinating about the upcoming second season of The Night Manager. Apparently, the creators decided against an idea originally proposed by the late, great John le Carré himself! His son shared the news – it’s always interesting to hear how even the original source material can be tweaked during adaptation, isn’t it?

This spy thriller is based on a novel by John le Carré, and centers around a sophisticated hotel manager who becomes a spy. He’s tasked with infiltrating the world of Richard Roper, a dangerous and well-known arms dealer, played by Hugh Laurie, with Tom Hiddleston in the lead role.

The show was a huge hit when it first came out nearly ten years ago, but it took a long time to make a second season. A major reason for the delay was that the first season had used up all the existing source material.

Hiddleston praised David Farr, the writer for the first two seasons, for accomplishing something remarkable. The series ‘The Night Manager’ was adapted from a novel by John le Carré, but there wasn’t a follow-up book to build a second season on.

David wrote this with the same skillful detail and intricate plotting that John le Carré is known for, and would likely appreciate.

Simon Cornwell, son of the late John le Carré and an executive producer on The Night Manager, shared that his father once suggested a potential future storyline for the show. However, they ultimately decided to pursue a different path.

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According to Cornwell, he circulated some initial thoughts for a second season early on, but those ideas have significantly changed and aren’t reflected in the final version of the show.

That decision allowed us to begin planning a second season.

If readers of John le Carré are worried about this change, Cornwell is also eager to point out that the character of Farr still captures the spirit of the original author’s writing.

David is a remarkable and gifted person. Though he’d likely deny it, he’s a huge fan of my father’s novels – he’s read them all and really considered their meaning, according to him.

He’s not only mastered Le Carré’s writing style, but also deeply understood the complex characters, moral dilemmas, and profound life questions that Le Carré explores, all while crafting a truly captivating narrative.

Season two of The Night Manager follows Jonathan Pine (played by Tom Hiddleston), who is now living under the alias Alex Goodwin. He’s working undercover to infiltrate the world of a new, dangerous arms dealer named Teddy Dos Santos, portrayed by Diego Calva.

According to the BBC, the story follows Pine as he gets caught up in a dangerous scheme involving weapons and the training of a rebel army. With loyalties shifting, Pine tries to uncover a plot to create chaos in a country.

Surrounded by deceit, he faces a critical choice: who can he trust, and how much will he risk to achieve his goals before time runs out?

Hiddleston explained that it’s thrilling to have reached a point where they’ve created something new that still feels connected to their previous work, while also being completely original.

This new season is much more emotionally powerful and honest. We really focused on showing the characters as they truly are, with all their flaws, passions, and complicated feelings, and weren’t afraid to be vulnerable in doing so.

Tom Hiddleston returns alongside original cast members Olivia Colman, Alistair Petrie, and Noah Jupe. Hugh Laurie will serve as an executive producer, but won’t be acting in the show.

Camila Morrone, known for her role in ‘Daisy Jones & The Six’, will be joining the cast as someone who initially hesitates to help Jonathan. Indira Varma (‘Coldwater’), Paul Chahidi (‘Ludwig’), Hayley Squires (‘Blitz’), Unax Ugalde (‘Mary & George’), and Kirby Howell-Baptiste (‘The Sandman’) are also new additions to the cast.

The Night Manager season 2 premieres on BBC One and iPlayer on New Year’s Day.

Don’t miss The Night Manager! Add it to your watchlist on the TopMob: What to Watch app. Download the app now for daily TV recommendations and exclusive content.

Authors

David CraigSenior Drama Writer

As someone who spends a lot of time watching TV, let me tell you, I’ve been following David Craig’s work for a while now. He’s currently the Senior Drama Writer at TopMob, which basically means he’s one of the go-to people for all things scripted TV and streaming – the good stuff, thankfully! Before that, he was writing for Starburst Magazine and even hosted a podcast called ‘The Winter King’ for ITVX. He clearly knows his stuff, and it’s all built on a solid foundation from his Journalism degree at the University of Sheffield. He’s someone I always check out when looking for insightful commentary.

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2025-12-12 18:35