There’s a film coming next winter — it’s set to open on December 7th — that’s sure to excite many of my friends as much (or more than) the next Harry Potter movie. Philip Pullman‘s His Dark Materials trilogy is finally being turned into a major studio production, and the stills from first film have been released. Here are ten of them.
These are from The Golden Compass (which is known as Northern Lights in the U.K.). The second part is The Subtle Knife and the third is The Amber Spyglass.
![[Lyra walking across chairs]](https://jdroth.com/wp-content/uploads/lyradinner.jpg "Lyra walking across chairs")
This must be near the beginning of the film: Lyra roaming Oxford.
![[Daniel Craig is Lord Asriel]](https://jdroth.com/wp-content/uploads/asriel.jpg "Asriel. Lord Asriel.")
![[Nicole Kidman is Mrs. Coulter]](https://jdroth.com/wp-content/uploads/mrscoulter.jpg "A cold, cold woman.")
![[Sam Elliott is Lee Scoresby]](https://jdroth.com/wp-content/uploads/scoresby.jpg "Channeling his character from Big Lebowski")
![[Coulter meets Lyra]](https://jdroth.com/wp-content/uploads/coulterlyra.jpg "This image is perfect.")
Coulter meets Lyra. Run, Lyra, run!
![[more Coulter]](https://jdroth.com/wp-content/uploads/coultermeets.jpg "The production values are spot-on")
![[Scoresby meets Lyra]](https://jdroth.com/wp-content/uploads/scoresbylyra.jpg "I can't wait to see this.")
Scoresby to the rescue.
![[in the snow...]](https://jdroth.com/wp-content/uploads/tothenorth.jpg "No Iorek yet...")
![[Coulter is a force of nature]](https://jdroth.com/wp-content/uploads/coulterwalks.jpg "One of my favorite villains")
![[Lyra with the compass]](https://jdroth.com/wp-content/uploads/goldencompass.jpg "Ah, the compass")
Lyra with the titular golden compass.
No Iorek yet (I can’t wait) and no daemons. Digital effects take longer to produce, of course, so we probably won’t see examples of those until the summer at least. Still, I’m heartened by these stills. Kris and I are excited by what we see.
I’ve been attempting to mimic Sam Elliot’s voice for the better part of my adult life. Yeah, I know, that had nothing to do with the films, it just felt like a perfect time to throw out that bit of “Tim-trivia.”
Makes me want to re-read the books!
I’m not a huge reader. The His Dark Materials trilogy are pretty much the only books I’ve read since graduating high school in 2000, and I loved ’em. I’m really happy that we’re going to have movie adaptations for the books – looks like we’re in for an exciting fall/winter lineup in 2007.
Intriguing. The casting is excellent, but I’m still quite reluctant to risk having a movie spoil my mental images of such a great book. So far, so good, however. I love the atmospheric quality of the stills.
please call me at audubon magazine regarding your opal creek photo. 212 979 3132. thanks.
To this day one of the most heart-rending, soul-shattering images I carry around with me is the sight of the boy who’d been separated, literally cut off from his daemon and was carrying around a fish in its place. He was completely destroyed, and it destroyed me.
So far no-one is talking about the storm brewing what with the potential for the conservative church bound to take offense … could be interesting days to come … the arguement is well formed at the open critic … article link for those interested is http://theopencritic.com/?p=21 … could be worth checking out before the s— hits the fan
Alicia
And the stills are beautiful by the way.