Phillip Pullman’sHis Dark Materialstrilogy TV series is finally coming out. BBC and HBO just released the first teaser trailer for the highly anticipated series and it looks exactly like what fans have been asking for. The first book in the trilogy was brought to the big screen in 2007’sThe Golden Compass, which was seen as a pretty big disappointment because of the amount of changes that were made to the source material.
TheHis Dark Materialsteaser is only 30 seconds long, but it’s plenty of time to notice that the series is already starting where the first book does with main character Lyra, played by Dafne Keen, looking from within a wardrobe in a room in the Jordan library. Lyra’s Uncle Asriel, played byJames McAvoy, who just got back from his latest exploration is talking about the mysterious Dust. Even though it’s short, it will more than likely be a pretty great tease for those who are familiar with the books. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Lee Scoresby character is shown, along with Ruth Wilson as Church agent Mrs. Coulter.
His Dark Materialstakes place in analternate universeset some time in the past. In this alternate universe people are accompanied by manifestations of their souls, which are the shapeshifting animals called daemons. The series follows a young girl named Lyra Belacqua, who in the first book, Northern Lights (or Golden Compass in North America), spies on her Uncle Asriel’s meeting when he comes home from an exploration. She hears him talk about a mysterious particle called Dust that has the power of opening a doorway to other realms. Soon after, Lyra and her daemon, Pantalaimon are off on adventures.
The 2007Golden Compassadaptation was criticized for watering down the religious and scientific undertones, which are prevalent in Phillip Pullman’s trilogy. The books are marketed to ayoung adult audience, but the author did not have a specific audience in mind when he was writing the books. With source material that is so well-known,His Dark Materialscertainly has its work cut out for itself. The first season, which does not have a release date, will consist of 8 episodes. Even though the series has not aired, a second season has already been ordered.
TheHis Dark Materialsseries has been in development for quite some time. The project was first announced in 2015 with an aim for a 2017 release date. However, around that time, series writer Jack Thorne said that the show was still in the pre-production stage, which was a bummer for fans who have been waiting so long to see a proper adaptation. Production wrapped in December 2018 and it has been revealed that the long-awaited series will premiere sometime this year. Hopefully a release date is announced in the coming weeks. For now, you can watch the very first teaser forHis Dark Materialsbelow, thanks to the BBC YouTube channel.
