History Channel Renews ‘Knightfall,’ Mark Hamill To Join The Cast

After the success of History Channel’s historical drama, Vikings, the network added Knightfall to its lineup. The first season aired in conjunction with the first half of Season 5 of Vikings and picked up many fans as a result of this. But, it has been a long time since the Season 1 finale of Knightfall and up until recently, there hadn’t been a word from the History Channel over whether or not the series was going to be renewed, which had fans concerned that the series was not going to be picked up for Season 2.

However, Deadline has just announced the renewal of the historical drama based on the Templar Knights. As Deadline points out, the renewal comes “after a solid freshman run in the winter, one that saw live-plus-3 viewership average over 2 million episodic viewers.” So, it should be no surprise History Channel has renewed Knightfall for a second season.

Along with the renewal news, it was also announced that Aaron Helbing will replace the Season 1 showrunner, Dominic Minghella. Helbing is credited with such previous works as The Flash, Black Sails, and Spartacus: War of the Damned.

However, for many fans, the most exciting news is the fact that Stars Wars alum Mark Hamill will be joining the Season 2 cast for Knightfall. According to the press release from History Channel, Hamill will take on the role of Talus, “a battle-hardened Knight Templar veteran of the Crusades, who survived captivity for ten years in the Holy Land and is tasked with training the new initiates to the Order.”

‘Knightfall’ Renewed at History, Mark Hamill Joins Cast https://t.co/yjRSp1PLBx via @thr

— #Knightfall (@KnightfallShow) August 13, 2018

History Channel’s programming executive vice president, Eli Lehrer, released the following statement on Monday about the renewal of Knightfall and their excitement over Hamill joining the cast lineup.

“In the face of ever-increasing competition, we’re proud of History’s track record of producing signature drama series that are epic in scope with complex characters. Whether it’s the legendary Knights Templar, the extraordinary tale of medieval Norsemen, or the story of a formerly classified United States Air Force program investigating UFOs during the Cold War, these series reflect our commitment to bringing the defining, big canvas stories of history to life. We look forward to offering our viewers a grittier, darker Knightfall in Season 2 and welcoming Mark to the cast.”

As yet, History Channel has not yet announced when Season 2 will premiere. Although, according to Tom Cullen via his official Twitter account, who plays the main character of Landry, he is already back to work, so filming is likely to already be underway.