BBC 1 To Adapt And Develop Philip Pullman’s “His Dark Materials”

Comic Book Resources is reporting that BBC One is developing an ambitious event series based on the acclaimed “His Dark Materials” fantasy trilogy by author Philip Pullman. Produced with Bad Wolf, the projectmarks New Line Cinema’s first foray into television.

Debuting in 1995 with “Northern Lights,” the novel introduces Lyra, an orphan who lives in a parallel universe where science, theology and magic are entwined. Her search for a kidnapped friend uncovers a plot involving stolen children, and turns into a quest to understand a mysterious phenomenon called Dust. In 1997’s “The Subtle Knife,” Lyra is joined on her journey by Will, a boy who possesses a knife that can cut windows between worlds. As Lyra learns the truth about her parents and her prophesied destiny, the two young people are caught up in a war against celestial powers that ranges across many worlds and leads to the conclusion in 2000’s “The Amber Spyglass.”

New Line produced a film adaptation of “Northern Lights’ in 2007 called The Golden Compass that failed to impress critics or fans. “His Dark Materials” has also been adapted in the United Kingdom for radio and stage.

“It’s been a constant source of pleasure to me to see this story adapted to different forms and presented in different media,” Pullman said in a statement. “It’s been a radio play, a stage play, a film, an audiobook, a graphic novel – and now comes this version for television. In recent years we’ve seen the way that 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.”

Pullman will executive produce the TV series alongside Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner for Bad Wolf, Toby Emmerich and Carolyn Blackwood for New Line Cinema, Bethan Jones for BBC One and Deborah Forte for Scholastic.

So what say ye o’ reader? Is this something worthwhile for the BBC to develop, or did The Golden Compass teach us that this story should be left well enough alone?

Let us know in the comments below!!!