Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light: Release date, trailer, and everything we know so far

Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light is the second and final installment of the historical drama adapted for television from Hilary Mantel's novel of the same name. It tells the story of the final four years of the life of Thomas Cromwell, the royal power broker at the time of King Henry VIII and the most feared and influential members of his court.

The show premiered in the United Kingdom on BBC One on November 10, 2024. Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light is scheduled to air weekly in the United States on PBS MASTERPIECE every Sunday from March 23 to April 20, 2025, at 9 pm ET and 8 pm CT. The episodes will also be available to stream on the PBS App.

The series will have six episodes, similar to the original Wolf Hall mini-series that was released in 2015. The latter is adapted from Mantel's first two books in the trilogy, the eponymous novel and its sequel, Bring Up the Bodies. It roughly covers the period between 1529 and 1536, focusing on Cromwell's rise to power and his role in the execution of the King's second wife, Anne Boleyn.

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How does the trailer set up Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light?

Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light picks up right where the first series ended, with the beheading of Anne Boleyn in May 1536. In the aftermath of the event, an angry and increasingly capricious Henry VIII bodes ill for everyone around him. His reign is being tested by a religious rebellion at home, traitors plotting abroad, and a threat of invasion.

In the trailer, Cromwell is seen trying to navigate his way through the tricky political landscape as he seems to be falling out of favor with the king. The moral complexities of his actions are apparently taking a toll on him as he fumbles between his desire to do what is right and what would help him survive. However, all his decisions ultimately lead to his woeful fate.

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Exploring the cast of Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light

Academy Award winner Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies, Dunkirk) returns to play Thomas Cromwell in Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, a role for which he has received a BAFTA. He is accompanied by Emmy Award winner Damian Lewis (Band of Brothers, Billions), who reprises his role of King Henry VIII.

The series has most of the star-studded ensemble cast from the 2015 original returning to their characters, as the following list elaborates.

• Jonathan Pryce (Slow Horses, The Two Popes) as Cardinal Wolsey
• Kate Phillips (Miss Scarlet and The Duke, Peaky Blinders) as Henry's third wife Jane Seymour
• Lilit Lesser (Passing Through, To Nowhere) as Princess Mary, daughter of Henry and his first wife Catherine of Aragon
• Thomas Brodie-Sangster (The Queen's Gambit, Love Actually) as Rafe Sadler
• Joss Porter (The Undeclared War, Humans) as Richard Cromwell
• James Larkin (Black Mirror, McMafia) as Master Treasurer Fitzwilliam
• Richard Dillane (Argo, Pennyworth) as the Duke of Suffolk
• Will Keen (Operation Mincemeat, His Dark Materials) as Archbishop Cranmer
• Hannah Steele (The Night Manager, Black Mirror) as Mary Shelton

Most notable names among the newcomers in the series include Alex Jennings (Mr Bates vs The Post Office, The Crown) as Stephen Gardiner, Harriet Walter (Succession, Killing Eve) as Lady Margaret Pole, and Timothy Spall (Wicked Little Letters, Spencer) as the Duke of Norfolk.

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Catch the US premiere of Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light on PBS MASTERPIECE and the PBS App from Sunday, March 23, 2025, at 9 pm ET.