Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials tale to be adapted for television
New Line, behind The Golden Compass movie, working on TV adaptation
Philip Pullman's bestselling His Dark Materials saga is headed for television.
BBC One has commissioned an eight-part series based on the British author's hit young-adult novel trilogy from U.S.-U.K. production company Bad Wolf and New Line Cinema.
"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," Pullman said in a statement.
"For all those reasons I'm delighted at the prospect of a television version of His Dark Materials."
Pullman's tale – originally recounted in the books Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass – follows the tale of an orphan girl named Lyra who lives in a magical, parallel world where mythical creatures exist alongside humans.
As the story unfolds, she is faced with an epic quest, discovers secrets about her past and becomes caught up in a celestial battle that could change the entire universe.
Published in more than 40 languages and with more than 17 million copies sold worldwide, the books have earned Pullman multiple honours, including the Whitbread Book of the Year (now known as the Costa Book of the Year) for The Amber Spyglass and the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, the world's richest children's literary award.
"It's been a constant source of pleasure to me to see this story adapted to different forms and presented in different media. It's been a radio play, a stage play, a film, an audiobook, a graphic novel — and now comes this version for television," he said.
New Line previously adapted Northern Lights into the feature film The Golden Compass, featuring Dakota Blue Richards as Lyra and a star-studded cast that also included Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Freddie Highmore, Eva Green, Ian McKellen, Ian McShane, Sam Elliott, Kristin Scott Thomas, Kathy Bates and Christopher Lee. The film earned an Oscar for its visual effects.