After a failed 2007 film adaptation, Philip Pullman's inventive His Dark Materials series
is finally set to arrive on HBO in 2019.
If you're ready to see Lyra's journey translated to the small screen, here are all the details
you need to know before His Dark Materials premieres.
Philip Pullman's first His Dark Materials book, published as The Golden Compass in America,
tells the story of Lyra, a young girl who lives in a world with "daemons," which are
counterparts of a person's soul that take the form of an animal.
Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon [pant-uh-LIE-mon] discover evidence of "Dust," mysterious particles
that are more attracted to children than adults, leading them on a grand adventure.
Lyra also gains possession of the titular golden compass, which is technically called
an alethiometer, which can discern the truth in any situation.
The two continue their journey, eventually meeting Will, a boy from a different dimension.
As the three journey on in the subsequent novels, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass,
they find more universes, make new friends and enemies, and even "kill God."
That last plot point, unsurprisingly, has stirred up some controversy since the first
novel was published in 1995.
Pullman, an avowed atheist, has staunchly defended his series throughout the years,
sticking to his guns about his allegories and subject matter without hesitation.
Thanks to the popularity of the books, an adaptation didn't take very long.
In 2007, The Golden Compass arrived in theaters.
One of New Line Cinema's most expensive productions to date, it underperformed at the North American
box office upon its release.
Despite a talented cast and Academy Award-winning special effects, the movie failed with audiences
and critics alike.
With plenty of creative unhappiness behind the scenes and loud dissent from the Catholic
Church, the movie did not get a sequel.
The original Golden Compass film might have faltered when it came to the plot, but its
casting choices were pretty excellent, leaving a new cast with big shoes to fill.
Luckily, the new adaptation has recruited a stacked cast of its own.
James McAvoy will step into Lord Asriel's calculating and intimidating shoes, and will
spend some time on screen with Luther's Ruth Wilson, who will be playing the secretly insidious
Mrs. Coulter.
Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, who was last seen on-screen in Mary Poppins Returns,
will take over the role of Lee Scoresby], the affable aeronaut [AIR-oh-not] who helps
Lyra throughout her journey.
The cast will be rounded out with familiar faces like Clarke Peters, Ariyon Bakare, and
many more
If you thought there was plenty of starpower in front of the camera for His Dark Materials,
wait until you hear who's working behind the scenes.
The series will be written by Jack Thorne, who cut his teeth on shows like Skins and
Shameless, as well as films like Wonder and A Long Way Down.
From there, he moved to the stage and, alongside writer J.K.
Rowling and co-writer John Tiffany, Thorne wrote the script for the play Harry Potter
and the Cursed Child.
The first two episodes of the series will have an even bigger Hollywood darling at the
helm.
Academy Award-winning director Tom Hooper, who won an Oscar for The King's Speech and
followed that up with Les Miserables, will kick off the series just before his adaptation
of Cats hits the big screen during the 2019 holiday season.
In short, fans of the books can rest assured that His Dark Materials will have plenty of
talent working behind the scenes.
Of course, one of the most important roles in the series is that of Lyra, the plucky,
brilliant, and brave heroine who inspired millions of fans as they made their way through
the original books.
On the heels of Dakota Blue Richards, who made her film debut with the role in the 2007
film adaptation, it was clear that producers would need to find a young actress who feels
wise beyond her years.
In March of 2018, it was announced that Dafne Keen would step into Lyra's formidable shoes.
If that name sounds at all familiar to you, it's probably because you saw her breakout
role in Logan alongside Hugh Jackman in his final appearance as Wolverine.
Keen made her mark playing Laura, Logan's clone daughter in an emotional and grounding
performance that made her an obvious choice to pick up Lyra's alethiometer for the series.
Naturally, His Dark Materials made its way to the holy grail of pop culture conventions,
San Diego Comic-Con, in July.
There, a few more details were announced about the upcoming series to keep fans on their
toes.
Miranda, known for his musical roles, announced that he'll bring some song and dance to the
show by entering the series with a performance co-anchored by his daemon.
Wilson, for her part, revealed that the show delves into Mrs. Coulter's backstory which
should provide new insight for fans.
"Philip Pullman gave us a nice in to dig a bit deeper into her and see who she is on
her own, with her monkey, without Lyra."
The minds behind the project also assured audiences that the show wouldn't explicitly
criticize religious institutions, choosing instead to attack broader authoritarian concepts.
One of the chief complaints about the 2007 adaptation of The Golden Compass was that
the movie tried to keep everything far too light, with studio executives actively pushing
for a "happy ending" and looking for an upbeat finale for the first film.
Luckily, according to Pullman, the BBC and HBO have no such qualms about happy endings.
Pullman has granted his permission for the books, which rely heavily on Victorian elements,
to be twisted and modernized for the adaptation, reinventing the story for today's audiences.
For fans who grew up with the books and disliked the most recent adaptation, they may be able
to rest easy and enjoy a more sophisticated take on these beloved novels.
We'll have to see what that looks like when the series arrives some time in Fall 2019.
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