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Halo Bearers, rejoice. Our prayers have been answered.
In a video posted on August 15, Warrior Nun executive producer Dean English has announced that the beloved sapphic TV show is coming back in a different format — more precisely, in not just one but three movies.
The Warrior Nun trilogy announcement comes 245 days after Netflix canceled the show and after a fervent #SaveWarriorNun fan campaign spurred thousands of petition signatures, several billboards, and even an online fan convention.
In the video, which you can watch below, English reveals that Warrior Nun fans are up for a treat bigger than the Season 3 many of us initially prayed for. Instead, the characters and story of Warrior Nun will feature in an upcoming movie trilogy, with possible new movies and TV shows that expand the story and further explore the fascinating corners of its universe.
English also thanks loyal fans of Warrior Nun for fighting so hard and with “incredible energy” for the story, saying, “You guys really make it all worthwhile. So, thank you so much for your continued support.”
What Can We Expect From the Warrior Nun Trilogy?
Interestingly enough, Warrior Nun was initially supposed to be a film adaptation of Ben Dunn’s comic book character Warrior Nun Areala. Netflix changed its mind in 2018, reimagining it into a TV series. Simon Barry signed on as creator and showrunner.
The series follows Ava Silva (played by Alba Baptista), a quadriplegic orphan who wakes up and discovers that not only is she miraculously resurrected — she now also has the ability to walk and a mysterious, divine artifact embedded in her back. Kristina Tonteri-Young, Toya Turner, Thekla Reuten, Lorena Andrea, Sylvia De Fanti, and Tristán Ulloa round out the cast.
Warrior Nun premiered in July 2020 to generally positive reviews and was renewed a month later. The second installment premiered in November 2022.
The upcoming Warrior Nun trilogy is expected to pick up where Season 2 left off, especially as it set up many major storylines that fans are eager to see explored.
The end of the season saw Ava triumph over Adriel — but not without sustaining injuries. Thus, she had to go through the Ark and into Reya’s dimension to heal. She also decides to confess her love to Beatrice. Devastated by the loss, Beatrice leaves the Order of the Cruciform Sword just as the warrior nun’s divinium sword lights up.
Thus, we can expect the upcoming Warrior Nun trilogy to explore Reya’s dimension, Ava and Beatrice’s relationship, and the upcoming Holy War now that Adriel has been defeated.
The best case scenario, given the fan support for Warrior Nun, is that the trilogy will branch out to even more movies and TV shows.
In the video announcement, English teases:
Some may ask, “Does this perhaps infer that there’s going to be a universe being launched of Warrior Nun, which could expand into films and TV series following characters that we already know?” The answer to that question is yes. And there will be more details in the future.
Dean English
This means that there’s potential for the franchise to expand beyond the upcoming trilogy, which is already far more than what fans had hoped for. Just think of the possibilities: A prequel exploring Father Vincent’s journey? A spinoff focusing on Lilith? A full backstory showing Beatrice’s upbringing? There’s so much room to explore.
The Long Journey to the Warrior Nun Trilogy
Dedicated Warrior Nun fans would remember the day Netflix decided to drop the show — a practice it’s established with shows that absolutely don’t deserve it, particularly the ones with queer representation.
The cancellation announcement in December 2022 triggered massive fan backlash, with hashtags like #SaveWarriorNun trending almost immediately.
An online campaign to renew the show for Season 3 currently has over 124,000 signatures, while thousands of fans pooled money together to put up an actual billboard calling for Warrior Nun Season 3 outside of Netflix offices.
Six months later, series creator Simon Barry teased a show continuation, tweeting, “Today I’m happy to officially report that because of your combined voices, passion and amazing efforts – #WarriorNun will return and is going to be more EPIC than you could imagine. More details to come! SOON!”
In hindsight, we now know why he didn’t mention anything about a Season 3 — he only said that the story will return in a way none of us expected.
In July, Barry followed up his announcement with a link to the Warrior Nun Saved website, which had nothing but a countdown timer for August 15, and a sign-up for e-mail updates. The lack of further information fueled plenty of rumors — including that the show had been picked up for a third season at a different streaming service. But everything changed today.
The move to not only save a canceled show but to plan out an entire universe, starting with a movie trilogy, is monumental. And it’s a move that could, hopefully, help turn the tides on the worrying trend of cancellation for LGBTQ+ representation on TV.
Where and When Will Warrior Nun Production Start?
Neither Barry nor English have mentioned any streaming service or studio attached to the upcoming Warrior Nun trilogy, so we have no idea which company the production will start with. All we know, really, is that it won’t be Netflix.
There’s also no information yet on whether the movies will be shown in theaters, on streaming services like Amazon Prime or HBO Max, or both.
Meanwhile, the timeline is dependent on the ongoing Hollywood strikes, which English explains is the reason behind the lack of further announcements. Warrior Nun fans have been very active in supporting the WGA, having raised over $7,000 for the Entertainment Community Fund.
Until the studios decide to pay their writers and actors a fair wage, the where and when of the Warrior Nun trilogy — alongside cast and crew information — will likely remain a mystery.
For his part, English recommends signing up for the Halo Bearer e-mail hotline for further announcements on major developments. “And there’s going to be a lot,” he promises.
“I want to say that you guys have made me very, very proud through all your hard work and inspired me all the time to keep going,” English’s video announcement concludes. “So, in this life or the next.”
