The next series of Serial, the popular podcast created by NPR that became a global phenomenon last year, will focus on the case of US soldier who disappeared from his post in Afghanistan in 2009, US magazine Maxim reports.

Sgt Bowe Bergdahl was taken hostage by a pro-Taliban guerrilla group, but was released in exchange for five Guantanamo detainees in May of last year. According to the soldier’s own admissions, he was taken by the insurgent group the Haqqani network after deliberately walking away from his post in order to give light to the several conditions in his unit that he found concerning.

Bergdahl was ultimately charged with deserting his post and with misbehaviour before the enemy, and several of the soldiers who served with him maintain he abandon his outpost for other reasons.

Sarah Koenig, whose reporting on the case of convicted murderer Adnan Syed captured the public’s imagination and made Serial the most downloaded podcast in the world, has yet to comment on whether the rumours of Bergdahl being the subject of one the series’ two forthcoming seaons are true. But the intricate legal ramifications of the case are in keeping with the programme’s in-depth long-form reporting.

Now facing life in prison for his desertion, a preliminary hearing was held for Bergdahl’s case at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, last week. Maxim reports that Sarah Koenig and another of Serial’s producers were present during the hearing.

Maxim also claims that two former members of the soldier’s Afghan unit have also confirmed that they have taken part in interviews with Serial producers.

The second series of Serial will debut later this Autumn, while a third series, also currently in production, will start in the Spring of 2016.

Last week, Sean Moncrieff spoke to Rabia Chaudry about how Adnan Syed's case has progressed since Serial stopped reporting on him. You can listen back to the full interview below: