By Ely Christie
A few months ago, BBC announced they would be adapting Philip Pullman’s bestselling His Dark Materials trilogy into a television series. The trilogy follows a young girl named Lyra Belacqua who lives in an alternate Oxford, England which is filled with magic and science. The book’s perspective is shared between Lyra and Will Parry as they traverse through parallel universes featuring witches, armoured polar bears and dæmons, which are the animal embodiments of their inner-selves.
In 2007, the first book was adapted into a movie titled The Golden Compass and starred Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman. However, like most book-to-screen adaptions, it didn’t do too well with all fans and the following sequels were cancelled due to various reasons.
As for the upcoming adaption, there has been little announced yet with no release date or any casting announcements. It has been rumoured that Dakota Blue Richards, who played Lyra in the film, may be linked to the series, but there is nothing more on that yet.
But what we do know is that the first season will be made up of eight episodes, although it’s unclear whether these episodes will cover the entirety of the first book, or whether it will be broken in half. Another rumour is also circulating that BBC is planning on producing 40 episodes and will spread across five seasons, but this still remains unconfirmed.
@beckprot It takes a long time to put a big thing like this together. But it’s started well and it’s moving smoothly.
— Philip Pullman (@PhilipPullman) November 4, 2016
It has been reported the series will be adapted by Jack Thorne, who recently co-wrote the script for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Along with Thorne, Philip Pullman will also be working with the writers and BBC to bring the series to life.
In February this year, Pullman announced he is writing a new companion series titled The Book of Dust, which is scheduled for release in October. The series will feature Lyra again in the first two books—the first will see Lyra as a baby and the second will take place ten years after the events of His Dark Materials. With this new series in the works, there’s a high chance the content and storylines could be carried over into the new television adaption.
Hopefully we will be hearing more news about the upcoming series this year as the project continues to move forward and you bet we will be posting the latest updates here on The Nerd Daily!
Are you hopeful about the new His Dark Materials adaption? Let us know in the comments below!
