"The Musketeers" fans have been waiting for an update on the return of the series for almost a year now, but there is still no confirmed date for Season 3 premiere yet. We had previously predicted that the show would air in January 2016, but considering BBC is yet to even release a teaser for the same, it seems unlikely for "The Muskteers" to return this month.
From the tweets of the show's executive producer Jessica Pope, it is understood that "The Musketeers" wrapped up shooting for Season 3 in December 2015, which means we can hope for a premiere, later in 2016, hopefully March. Both Season 1 and Season 2 of "The Musketeers" had aired their finale episodes towards the end of March, and this year they may kick off the season in the same month.
Meanwhile, we have learned from Spoiler TV that King Louis' (Ryan Gage) sister Henrietta Maria of France will join "The Musketeers" and Olivia Poulet of "The Thick of It" fame is set to portray her character. According to history books, Henrietta Maria of France was the Queen consort of England, Scotland and Ireland, and the wife of King Charles I. She was also the mother of two of his successors, Charles II and James II.
As a Roman Catholic, she was not very popular in England and was prohibited from being crowned. However, she was very close to her husband and wielded quite a bit of power and political sway over him. Following his execution in 1649, she was forced to seek refuge in Paris, but returned to England after the Restoration of Charles II to the throne.
Poulet will be joining Matt Stokoe (Captain Goerges Marcheaux), Rupert Everett (Philippe Achille) and Laura Haddock (Pauline) who are all debuting new characters in "The Musketeers" Season 3. Even though creator and executive producer of seasons 1 and 2 Adrian Hodges has decided to step down from the show runner's position for the upcoming season, we can hope for a great run in 2016.
Visit the BBC One website for interviews of your favourite Musketeers, behind-the-scene videos and hopefully, a few spoilers for season 3. Here are some great set photos of cast and crew of "The Musketeers" starting with a giant group selfie taken by Luke Pasqualino aka d'Artagnan: