The Golden Compass (Northern Lights)

[Geo]

Eeee Im so excited, finally the first picture from the 1st movie version of His Dark Materials Trilogy.

I think the Kidman suits Mrs Coulter perfectly

[JJ]

I am so fucking excited about this. They had better not fuck it up. And! It's got Daniel Craig as Lord Asriel (although I imagined him being a little older). And please, please get Pantalaimon and Iorek right. And the religious parts (even though they're less important in this one). This is one book series that pisses all over Harry Potter and all of his Hogwarts pussy-footing.

[Geo]

[monica friends] I Know! [/monicafriends] Daniel Craig you say...I can picture that. I did read that they were reducing the religious stuff so they dont offend those crazy American mid west bible bashers.

[Jen]

I read ages ago on teletext that they had decided to change the main religious undertones to that of communism. That was with a director who has ince quit, so I'm really hoping they've come to their senses. I adored these books, but I will boycott the films if they pander to hollywood nicely nicely and try to avoid offending anyone. It would ruin everything.
But yes, genius casting in the form of Nicole and Daniel.

[charliepops]

Apparently the new script has much more of the religious element restored. Philip Pullman has said that the director and he have the same vision for the film. Since the sucess of the godawful "The Lion,the witch and the wardrobe" I think the religious right can be satisfied enough in America, the makers can just say, you have your own movies now. if you don't like ours, then don't watch it.

I remain cautiously optimistic...

[xenomaniac]

Are they making all three of these?

I adored The Northen Lights, it was wonderful. Full of amazing ideas and an exotic yet familiar world. Muscovites, Zeppins and The North conjured up images of adventure in a way that Harry Potter never did. All it's characters were so well realised, amoral and dislikelable at times then heroic and compassionate at others. (I think a child actor will struggle with Lyra if I'm being honest.)

The third however was a mess, and I know a lot of people I spoke to about it thought the same. It actually ruined the payoff building up from the start of book one. The relationship between Lyra and Will that had been so beautify built up was overshadowed by badly realised fantasy creations and its religious themes were over the top to the point of being insane. If they do make all three films I hope they do tone the religious stuff down, even as an agnostic I baulked at the viciousness of it.
In fact I'd bet a good screenwriter could cut many characters and scenes and do it the world of good.

Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig are inspired casting though.

[Geo]

Im just glad Dakota Fanning isn't playing Lyra. I must confess I still havent finished book 3 yet for the reasons mentioned above, although the whole idea of crossing to the dead side and trying to get back is quite fantastic.

Edit.

Eee the website has just launched www.goldencompassmovie.com/

The pictures are amazing, its just exactly how I imagined it all to be, Kidman & Craig look fantastic as Mrs Coulter & Asriel

[JJ]

The third book was a mess, but not a complete one. I found it rather annoying that Lyra still had to go and rescue Roger (yes, I know that his disappearance was an important catalyst for the whole plot, but I wouldn't have really cared if she just left him). And those two 'comedy' angels just got annoying. Still, I look forward to seeing Mary on the plains with those wheel-creatures (Mulefa)? and to seeing God being carried off, dead.

[elmsyrup]

But they weren't comedy angels! They were lovely!

[Andrew*]

Nicole and Craig were good ideas yes. Apparently in the book Miss Coltier has black hair but I don't remember that, I think she looks great like that.

Obviously we can't comment on Dakota Blue Richards (?) seeing as she hasn't been in anything before, and is it me or did pushy-I-want-my-child-to-act parents decide that Dakota was simply the attention grabbing name to have to get future roles? (I realise i'm basing this on 2 child actors, but Dakota, seriously?)

And I disagree about the third book being a mess, I loved how ridiculously over the top it got at the end. Didn't they meet God on the top of a mountain or something? I can't remember to be completely fair though, it was about 6 or 7 years ago I read it.

[pauliepoos]

Based on this thread, which I haven't read, I went searching everywhere for Northern Lights as I was in the mood to read and Hannibal Rising didn't seem very seasonal.

But could I find it anywhere? Could I buffalo. They had the second and third books but no blinking lights!

I've since ordered the 3 books in a box set on WH Smith online which I can collect from the store.

That is all.

[elmsyrup]

Also, it's not a fucking compass. Grr!

[Andrew*]

elmsyrup said:

Also, it's not a fucking compass. Grr!

Well usually I'd agree but apparently, and this is from Philip Pullman himself, that that's what he initally wanted to call the book but they asked him to change it in the UK where it was first published. Usually I hate it when they change the title (e.g. Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone) but if the author wanted him itself...

Plus when you think about it, it makes much more sense since the other 2 titles in the series were also named after objects.

[elmsyrup]

Yes, but it's an alethiometer.

[Andrew*]

elmsyrup said:

Yes, but it's an alethiometer.

Well don't ask me, ask Phillip Pullman!

[xenomaniac]

www.aintitcool.com have a new batch of photos. Nicole Kidman really does look like she was born to play Mrs Coulter, you can really see why she has poeple eating out the palm of her hand.

[elmsyrup]

xenomaniac said:

www.aintitcool.com have a new batch of photos.

Oh dear, it all looks a bit Narnia:

[xenomaniac]

I'll admit that picture does look a bit twee but it is a promo shot, the costuming may look very different when they are cremating a ten year old's corpse.

And then theres one like this...

...amazing!

[boxedjoy]

I met Phillip Pullman when I was younger. He was doing a reading from The Amber Spyglass and signed my books. My friend scared him with her "Fire Is Fun!" top and he told me the best thing I could do as a budding writer is to read as much as I can.

[coxy1979]

I hope they polish the CGI polar bear, but the rest of it looks amazingly well done.

Vidi - movies.yahoo.com/feature/thegoldencompass.html

[thelovelykate]

Thanks for that coxy, have a bit of karma. Was tralling the Interweb for trailers last night and that is the best one I have seen.

The film makers have done quite a good job of keeping the daemons under wraps - I've not seen very much footage of them and I've seen none at all of Mrs Coulter's fucking evil monkey. Brrrrr...I hate that monkey!

[longsnakemoan]

Words cannot express how much I want to see this film.

[coxy1979]

An extended look at the movie, with more daemon and golden monkey action.

Sadly, Lyra seems to have attended the Rapebot school of acting - which really worries me

[Nurse Dunkley]

I got a bit bored with that halfway through, though I still feel the film looks quite good. So much so that I now intend to actually read the trilogy, which I've been intending to do since buying it four years ago.

It will act as an arm muscle building exercise too, since I have an all in one edition and it is very heavy for me to read lying on my back.

[skillex]

I have never read any of these books but quite fancy going along to see the film purely for the polar bears.