Netflix’s acclaimed miniseries The Queen’s Gambit has found itself back in the headlines, following a strong showing at the Golden Globes. The seven-episode adaptation of Walter Tevis’ novel scored a 100% success rate at the recent ceremony, winning both of the prizes it was nominated for.
As well as scooping Best Limited Series or Television Film, star Anya Taylor-Joy walked away with the trophy for Best Actress – Limited Series or Television Film, beating out some seriously esteemed competition including Cate Blanchett and Nicole Kidman. Indeed, The Queen’s Gambit was one of Netflix’s biggest hits last year, drawing in over 62 million viewers in the first four weeks it was available to stream, while it holds an impressive Rotten Tomatoes rating of 97% and an audience score of 95%.
It’s also led to a huge resurgence in the popularity of chess, with many retailers admitting that they were struggling to keep up with the demand from those who fancied themselves as the next Beth Harmon after bingeing the series, and in a new interview, Taylor-Joy admitted that she’d jump at the chance to return for more episodes, but as of yet, those conversations haven’t happened.
“Not to disappoint anybody, but we just never thought about it. It was always a sapling to tree transition. You see her grow, you leave her in a good place. So we were genuinely surprised when people were like, ‘Where’s season 2?’. That being said, I adore the entire team that made it and I would jump at the chance to work with them again.”
There’ve already been rumors that season 2 had been discussed behind the scenes, but if it has, then the star of the show doesn’t know anything about it. The Queen’s Gambit managed to reach the number one spot on Netflix’s Top 10 most-watched list in 63 countries and spent the longest streak at the pinnacle of the charts during 2020, though, so there are evidently a ton of people who would be more than happy for Taylor-Joy and creator Scott Frank to revisit Beth’s story one day in the future.