FOLLOW THE GOLDEN COMPASS

The book series “His Dark Materials” is currently being adapted into a TV show for BBC, and it’s reportedly going well. Filming for season one is still underway, but another 8-episode season has been ordered – that’s right, before even a release date for the first. There’s obviously a lot of confidence from the higher-ups (likely because of test screenings), and that’s a big relief after the previous attempt. The 2007 adaptation of the first book “Golden Compass” didn’t do so well. The dense plot and sheer number of significant details in the book were poorly developed in the movie’s two hour runtime.

This time around, there’s a much higher budget (one of the highest in British TV history) and a star that’s just recently well known: Dafne Keen. If you saw “Logan,” she was the little girl version of Wolverine, and the plot revolved around her. Keen wouldn’t have ever come to mind if I was doing the casting, as she’s very cold/silent, the exact opposite of the character she’s portraying, but after some thought, I realized why. We’ve only seen her in one major role. Her acting range is uncharted territory, and it’s a little exciting to see her playing Lyra. Some other reputable actors alongside her are James McAvoy as Lord Asriel (Lyra’s uncle), Lin-Manuel Miranda as Lee Scoresby, as well as people from “Star Wars,” “Game Of Thrones,” and “Black Mirror.”