Anya Taylor-Joy on a potential The Queen’s Gambit season 2: "Never say never"

Anya Taylor-Joy in The Queen's Gambit
(Image credit: IMDb)

Anya Taylor-Joy has said that there are no plans for The Queen's Gambit season 2, but isn't ruling it out completely.

"It’s so surreal and very wonderful that people want a second season, because we never thought about it, there was no discussion about it," the series star told Deadline. She added: "That said, never say 'never' in Hollywood."

As for what could be in her character Beth Harmon's future, Taylor-Joy said: "It would be very interesting to see how Beth would be as a mother, now that she's sober and more cognizant of the demons that pull her down."

The Queen's Gambit has been a massive hit for Netflix, becoming their biggest ever scripted limited series. Its success wasn't just limited to the streamer, either – interest in how to play chess skyrocketed in the series' wake, and the novel of the same name by Walter Tevis, which the series is based on, became a New York Times bestseller again almost four decades after its original release.

A limited series means only one season, so it's unlikely that we'll be catching up again with Beth. The series had a pretty satisfying ending, too, with Beth getting sober and winning at the Moscow Invitational. Though, as Taylor-Joy points out, there are still more places the story could take Beth – and seeing her as a mother would certainly be intriguing, especially if her child ends up a chess prodigy too.

Taylor-Joy will next be seen in Edgar Wright's Last Night in Soho, which is due for release October 22, 2021 (and we've got an exclusive image to tide you over until then). She's also set to play the titular Furiosa in the upcoming Mad Max: Fury Road prequel, releasing in 2023. In the meantime, check out our roundup of the best Netflix shows available to stream now, and our guide to 2021's movie release dates.

Molly Edwards
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English. 

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