The BBC in the UK are to produce a new adaptation of Phillip Pullman‘s His Dark Materials books. The trilogy of novels will be adapted into an eight part TV series from former Doctor Who producers Julie Gardner and Jane Tranter.
The first of the three books, The Golden Compass, was previously turned into a motion picture with Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, among others, starring. The 2007 movie cost a whopping £180 million to make, and only saw a return of $70 million in the US (it did however, make $370 million around the world).
The trilogy consists of Northern Lights (published as The Golden Compass in North America), The Subtle Knife (1997), and The Amber Spyglass (2000). The story follows the coming of age of two children, Lyra Belacqua and Will Parry, as they wander through a series of parallel universes.
The new project will be a co-production between the BBC and New Line Cinema.
Pullman had the following to say about the BBC taking on the trilogy.
“It’s been a constant source of pleasure to me to see this story adapted to different forms and presented in different media. It’s been a radio play, a stage play, a film, an audiobook, a graphic novel — and now comes this version for television. In recent years we’ve seen how long stories on television, whether adaptations (Game of Thrones) or original (The Sopranos, The Wire), can reach depths of characterization and heights of suspense by taking the time for events to make their proper impact and for consequences to unravel.”
“For all those reasons I’m delighted at the prospect of a television version of ‘His Dark Materials.’ I’m especially pleased at the involvement of Jane Tranter, whose experience, imagination, and drive are second to none. As for the BBC, it has no stronger supporter than me. I couldn’t be more pleased with this news.” He continued.
The new series, like Doctor Who, will be filmed in Wales.
