BBC Commissions Philip Pullman His Dark Materials series!

Just in: BBC One has commissioned a series (or multiple series?) based upon the His Dark Materials trilogy – that’s Northern Lights (or The Golden Compass, if you’re in the states!), The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass.

The last time the story graced any sort of screen was in 2007 with the feature film which, whilst not awful, wasn’t amazing. It never did well enough at the Box Office to justify any sequels.

This new announcement is exciting – I love the novels. Though they aren’t without their flaws, Pullman is an awesome world builder and I can’t wait to see this brought to life again!

The series will be produced by the BBC and New Line – the studio that made the original film. If you’re unfamiliar with the premise of the series, here is a little more from the synopsis of the first book, Northern Lights:

Lyra and her animal daemon live a carefree life amongst the scholars of Jordan College, Oxford. Yet the destiny that awaits her will take her far from her home, to the magical frozen lands of the Arctic, amongst the witch-clans and ice-bears. Here, she will discover the truth about her identity, which will have immeasurable consequences reaching beyond her own world.

Am I scared to see this happening? As with all adaptations, yes. I’m particularly worried about the special effects – there’s a lot in this series, and though TV effects have come a long way, they’re still not to the same standard as in film.

Earlier this year I took part in a re-readathon of the trilogy with some friends. If you have yet to read the series, now’s the time to start!