BBC has released a brief trailer forHis Dark Materials, an adaptation of Sir Philip Pullman’s epic trilogy of fantasy novels. The teaser is, admittedly, pretty light on actual plot.Lin-Manuel Mirandais certainly ticked off aboutsomething.Ruth Wilsonis subtly glancing alloverthe place.James McAvoyisthere. But the footage does establish a tone—whimsically moody with charismatic glares aplenty—with all the more fantastical elements dreamed up by Pullman presumably coming down the road when the network locks down a premiere date. HBO will be handlingDark Materialsduty on this side of the pond.
His Dark Materialstakes place in a Victorian-inspired alternate reality in which humans live side by side with the living embodiments of their souls, known as daemons. The story follows a young woman named Lyra Belacqua (played here byLoganbreakoutDafne Keen) who traverses several multiverses with her daemon, Pantalaimon. You might recognize the name of the first novel,The Golden Compass, as the title of the 2007 film adaptation from directorChris Weitzthat miraculously managed to be terrible despite the presence of bothNicole Kidmanand armor-wearing battle bears. Really gonna' need BBC to focus back up on the armor-wearing battle bears when it comes time for a new trailer. Only going to need a single shot of Tony-winning creator ofHamiltonLin-Manuel Miranda astride an armor-wearing battle bear to be sold on this thing, if I’m being honest.
Check out the trailer below. The series also starsClarke Peters,Ariyon Bakare, andGeorgina Campbell.
Here is the official synopsis for the His Dark Materials book trilogy:
These thrilling adventures tell the story of Lyra and Will—two ordinary children on a perilous journey through shimmering haunted otherworlds. They will meet witches and armored bears, fallen angels and soul-eating specters. And in the end, the fate of both the living—and the dead—will rely on them.
Phillip Pullman’s spellbinding His Dark Materials trilogy has captivated readers for over twenty years and won acclaim at every turn. It will have you questioning everything you know about your world and wondering what really lies just out of reach.
