‘A Series Of Unfortunate Events’ Season 2 On Netflix Is A Go, According To Lemony Snicket

Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events will continue into Season 2. The Netflix series based on the popular young adult novels is already planning out the second season, according to a valuable source: Lemony Snicket himself.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Daniel Handler (the real name of Lemony Snicket, the fictional character who chronicles the lives of the Baudelaire orphans) revealed that the show is already headed into a second season of 10 episodes. Handler is hopeful for a potential third season as well; he points out the rapid aging of the young actors playing the Baudelaire children as a factor in filming as much material as possible before they grow out of their characters.

Season 1 of A Series of Unfortunate Events covers the first four of the 13 books in Lemony Snicket’s saga—with eight episodes in the season, that’s two episodes per book. As with most adaptations, though, the Netflix series may not exactly follow the books.

When asked about whether the central mystery of the books was different in the television series, Handler responds, “I would say that the destination is the same, but the route is different.”

That statement should feel familiar to fans of The Walking Dead or Game of Thrones. The former has deliberately delayed or accelerated character deaths as suits its narrative needs or the requests of the actors. The latter has already sped past the source material, which is still being written by the beleaguered George R.R. Martin.

The Netflix series should have a solid structure for future seasons if it continues to adapt one book every two episodes. That does mean that the show will likely end in Season 3, but anything is possible in Season 2, as the Baudelaire children start digging deeper into the mysteries surrounding their deceased parents.

Handler certainly has no qualms about adapting his work. He describes writing A Series of Unfortunate Events as presenting his “unfettered, uncompromised vision,” which allowed him to step back while making the Netflix series and let other people create something new from his books.

A Series of Unfortunate Events boasts a talented cast, but arguably the biggest name this time around is Neil Patrick Harris, who plays the main antagonist Count Olaf. (Canadian comedian and actor Jim Carrey portrayed the character in the 2004 film adaptation.) Harris spoke with the Independent about the books and his role as the villain of the piece.

Harris praises the books for their combination of gothic “Grimm Fairy Tales” feeling while also being set in a modern period with modern-day language. He is also “a fan of talking to kids as if they are adults,” a key component in any successful young adult novel series.

As for Count Olaf, Harris says he looked to the books and their Brett Helquist illustrations to inspire his performance as well as to separate himself from Carrey’s performance in the 2004 film. He has also given thought to Olaf’s future disguises, some of which are inappropriate stereotypes.

“Olaf wouldn’t care… but I can’t play a stereotype, I’d be lambasted for it,” he says.

Harris is likely referring to Gunther, a disguise Olaf dons in the sixth book of A Series of Unfortunate Events titled The Ersatz Elevator. Gunther is an auctioneer from a foreign country who says “please” a lot when he talks because his English isn’t very good. As Harris notes, the character’s offensiveness is in line with Olaf’s character, but potentially controversial for a beloved actor to portray on-screen.

On behalf of Count Olaf I graciously accept all of these awards, but, umm, with so much range how did they forget Best Director? pic.twitter.com/ADq87d6zNB

— Neil Patrick Harris (@ActuallyNPH) January 9, 2017

Nonetheless, Harris has the chops to pull it off. He did, after all, spend nine seasons portraying the womanizing, ADHD-afflicted Barney Stinson on CBS’s How I Met Your Mother. With Lemony Snicket himself saying that A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 2 is a go, Netflix audiences can look forward to seeing him wrestle with the ongoing challenges of portraying Olaf in the near future.

[Featured Image by Mike Coppola/Getty Images]