His Dark Materials TV Show: Cast & Release Date

BBC One is teaming up with New Line and former Doctor Who producers, Julie Gardner and Jane Tranter, to make an initial eight-part series adaptation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, perhaps better known by The Golden Compass (Northern Lights, in the U.K.), The Subtle Knife, and theAmber Spyglass.

The latest news? His Dark Materials writer Jack Thorne spoke to Radio Times earlier this month about where the TV show is currently at, saying: "It’s at an exciting point where we’re just throwing things at the page and trying to work out what works and what doesn’t."

Thorne also said that whether or not there will be major changes from the book is "not something I can tell you about yet," though the narrative room a TV show gives the story as compared to the feature film would allow more of the source material to be presented. (Notably, the feature film changed the ending of the first book. It was a terrible decision, completely gutting the thematic power of the book.) 

Thorne elaborated:

I mean, the most important thing is being loyal to the books, and trying to tell those books as well as we possibly can,” he said ... The advantage of television is we can slow down. In the film and on stage they had so much plot to get through, so much plot to churn through, whereas we’ve got the luxury of having time to get to know [lead character] Lyra, and spend time in her world.

Sounds like the His Dark Materials TV show is in good hands.

His Dark Materials TV Show Cast

When the His Dark Materials TV show was announced back in 2015, Dakota Blue Richards, the actress who played Lyra in the 2007 film The Golden Compass, announced via Twitter that she  "would so love to be part of" the new adaptation. In January, she spoke with Digital Spy, to elaborate on what that might mean...

In some ways, I wish I'd never said anything about it. I'm wary of what I say about it, because I don't want to give the impression that I am [in it] and then I'm not ...

There's been talk, but it's out of my hands, really. I'd love it, but I'm not holding out for it. If it does happen great and if it doesn't happen, I've got my own stuff going on ...

I can't imagine that they'd actually want me involved. I think they want very much to do their own thing, which is understandable. If I was in their position, I would probably feel that way too. That being said, it was a very long time ago and I don't feel like I'm the same person now — so personally, I don't see any reason why I couldn't be at least considered for any of those roles, just in my own right as an actor. But also know that a lot of people see me as 'the girl from The Golden Compass' and as great an experience as that was, that's always something that will be hanging over me throughout my career.

Richards is very gracious about the whole thing. It seems worth noting that Richards had a starring role on Skins as Franky in the third generation, though Jack Thorne, who is penning the His Dark Materials TV show, wasn't on the writing staff at that time.

Richards also mentioned that the new TV show was in the process of casting Lyra and Will and that "at the moment and that's obviously the biggest job for them." We can only imagine. The child actors in this adaptation will have to handle some major stuff. The show could be made or broken on their performances. (Though, it should be noted, Richards and the rest of the cast were not the reasons why 2007's The Golden Compass was lackluster.)

His Dark Materials TV Show Release Date

Producer Jane Tranter plans for pre-production on the series to start this autumn, but there is no current start date for the show. If things go as planned, we may be looking at a late-2017 air date for the new adaptation. Then again, from Jack Thorne's comments at the top of this article, it might be later than that.

Where is the process at right now? Well, we've heard from a very reliable source — Pullman himself — that the TV show is still very much in its planning stages, but that "things are moving steadily and well." He adds that it is "a very big project" and it "needs a great deal of planning." Hey, we say take all the time you need to get this right. We're still recovering from the heartbreak of that lackluster 2007 film adaptation.

His Dark Materials TV Show Writers

Last November, Variety reported that the new His Dark Materials series will be produced in Wales, and marks the first commission from Gardner and Tranter's production company, Bad Wolf, as well as New Line's first foray into UK television.

The adaptation will be penned by Jack Thorne, the man behind the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play, as well as The Fades, The Last Panthers, and theThis is England TV series. (Learn more about Thorne's previous work, here.) Sufficed to say, Thorne has experience successfully adapting other people's work in original and satisfying ways.

Thorne released a statement on what drew him to the adaptation that certainly gives fans of the book hope that the trilogy will be adapted in a way that capture the imagination and darkness of the stories better than the 2007 New Line effort did:

It is such an honor and a privilege to be given this opportunity to delve into Philip Pullman's world. What I always loved about Bad Wolf's intentions with this project was the notion of sounding every note. The His Dark Materials trilogy are vast and glorious books full of beautiful characters and I'm going to work as hard as I can to try and do justice to them.

Pullman's trilogy, comprising The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass, takes place in a universe of "daemons," polar-bear warriors, witches, magical instruments, and theological philosophy. It's previously been adapted for film, radio and theatre, but this will be the first TV version of the world of its singular hero, Lyra Belacqua.

Philip Pullman had this to say:

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. And the sheer talent now working in the world of long-form television is formidable.

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.

His Dark Materials TV Show Episode Guide

The first series will comprise eight episodes, with the expectation to continue into further series. In fact, a report from Walesonline states that: "The deal will see forty episodes shot across five series." This suggests that a multi-series deal has been reached to tell the entirety of Pullman's story. Sounds great to us.

His Dark Materials Synopsis

Here's the official His Dark Materials synopsis from the BBC...

His Dark Materials is one of the supreme works of imaginative fiction for both children and adults published in the 20th century. Northern Lights [The Golden Compass, in the U.S.] introduces Lyra, an orphan, who lives in a parallel universe in which science, theology and magic are entwined. Lyra's search for a kidnapped friend uncovers a sinister plot involving stolen children, and turns into a quest to understand a mysterious phenomenon called Dust.

In The Subtle Knife she is joined on her journey by Will, a boy who possesses a knife that can cut windows between worlds. As Lyra learns the truth about her parents and her prophesied destiny, the two young people are caught up in a war against celestial powers that ranges across many worlds and leads to a thrilling conclusion in The Amber Spyglass.

We'll keep this hub updated with all the new information on the His Dark Materials TV show as it becomes available.