Production has begun on the second season of BBC America’s Atlantis series. It’s unclear how many installments have been ordered this time but the first season had 13 episodes. Season two is expected to start airing next year.

Here’s the press release:

BBC AMERICA’S FANTASY SERIES “ATLANTIS” STARTS PRODUCTION ON SEASON TWO

Vincent Regan and Amy Manson Join the Cast with Robert Pugh and Peter de Jersey to Guest Star

New York – April 3, 2014 – BBC AMERICA’s fantasy co-production, Atlantis, from the creators of Merlin and Misfits, has begun production on season two. The series follows the adventures of Jason (Jack Donnelly, Dancing on the Edge), Hercules (Mark Addy, Game of Thrones) and Pythagoras (Robert Emms, War Horse) who battle against some of the most famous names of Greek legend, often in unexpected guises. Jack Donnelly, Mark Addy and Robert Emms have returned to Chepstow, Wales to begin filming.

Atlantis delivered the highest rated series premiere ever for BBC AMERICA’s Supernatural Saturday block and in the UK it scored the biggest new Saturday night drama series launch across all BBC channels since Robin Hood in 2006.

Also returning to the drama are Sarah Parish (Hatfields & McCoys) as Paisphae, Aiysha Hart (Honour) as Ariadne and Juliet Stevenson (The Hour), as The Oracle. New additions to the cast include Vincent Regan (Strike Back) as Dion and Amy Manson (Being Human) as Medea, with guest appearances to be made by Robert Pugh (Game of Thrones) and Peter de Jersey (Broadchurch) in episode one.

Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy, co-creators said: “It’s wonderful to have everyone back in the studio together as we prepare to take Atlantis to new places in season two. We have some exciting new additions joining our exceptional cast and some surprises up our sleeve that we can’t wait to unleash on the Atlantis audience later this year.”

Fans were rocked by the shocking reveal at the end of the first series that Paisphae (Sarah Parish) was in fact Jason’s (Jack Donnelly) mother. Sarah Parish is currently filming scenes that involve a dramatic shift of power in the kingdom. Pasiphae’s desire to reign has not abated and rivalry with step daughter Ariadne (Aiysha Hart) takes her to new depths. Jason’s personal involvement with Ariadne is surely a complication for Pasiphae, but will the knowledge that Jason is her flesh and blood weaken her resolve?

Atlantis was re-commissioned by Charlotte Moore, Controller of BBC One and Ben Stephenson Controller, BBC Drama Commissioning, and is created by Urban Myth Films for BBC One through BBC Cymru Wales and co-produced by BBC AMERICA. Atlantis is written by Howard Overman and executive produced by Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy for Urban Myth Films with Bethan Jones as Executive Producer for BBC.

Atlantis Season One is now available on Blu-ray and DVD, and on all BBC Worldwide North America digital partners.

BBC AMERICA delivers U.S. audiences high-quality, innovative and intelligent programming. Established in 1998, it has been the launch pad for talent embraced by American mainstream pop culture, including Ricky Gervais, Gordon Ramsay, Graham Norton, and successful programming formats including ground-breaking non-scripted television like Top Gear and top-rated science-fiction like Doctor Who. Owned by BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, BBC AMERICA has attracted both critical acclaim and major awards including two Emmy(R) Awards, five Golden Globes(R) and eleven Peabody Awards. The channel attracts one of cable’s most affluent and educated audiences and is available on cable and satellite TV in 80 million homes. It broadcasts in both standard and high-definition, with content available On Demand across all major digital platforms. Online, www.bbcamerica.com is the place to go to dig deeper into pop culture with a British twist.

What do you think? Did you enjoy the first season? Will you watch season two?