This Was Helen McCrory's Last TV Role

Based on the fantasy novels by Philip Pullman, the TV series His Dark Materials focuses on the story of Lyra Belacqua (Dafne Keen), a young girl in a Victorian-influenced magical alternate reality in which all humans have daemons: external, animalistic representations of a person's inner personality that act like familiars. In this world, daemons can change forms when their human companions are young, but eventually settle into a single form. 

When the theocratic Magisterium kidnaps Lyra's friend Roger Parslow (Lewin Lloyd), she goes on a mission to save him. Among the adults that become important to the narrative is Lyra's uncle Lord Asriel (James McAvoy), whose daemon is a snow leopard named Stelmaria.

McCrory voiced Stelmaria, and would likely have returned for the series' third season. The show has been mirroring the books fairly closely, and both characters appear in the third novel, The Amber Spyglass. Variety reported in late 2020 that filming was to start sometime in 2021, and Empire Online noted that McAvoy's role would be larger than before, which means Stelmaria would be involved as well. 

In December 2020, The Guardian interviewed His Dark Materials screenwriter Jack Thorne, who indicated filming on season 3 would begin sometime this summer. This, of course, means that McCrory won't be involved — and, sadly, the show's creatives may have to recast her role.

The official HBO Twitter account for His Dark Materials posted a memorial to the actress, saying, "We have lost one of the finest actors of our generation. Our thoughts are with her family and friends."

Helen McCrory will certainly be missed.