His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass, is a film based upon the first novel in Philip Pullman's trilogy His Dark Materials, slated for release in 2007 by New Line Cinema. The movie title reflects the US title of the novel The Golden Compass, known elsewhere as Northern Lights.
Tom Stoppard was engaged as screenwriter for the film, and it was rumoured that Sam Mendes would be directing. However, it was eventually announced that Chris Weitz would direct. Weitz rejected Stoppard's script, preferring to adapt Pullman's work himself.
In an interview published on the internet in December 2004, Weitz indicated that the film would make no direct mention of religion or of God - two of the key themes of the trilogy - a decision attacked by fans of the novels. Weitz claimed New Line Cinema feared that "perceived antireligiosity" would make the film financially unviable, but attempted to reassure fans by saying that religion would appear in euphemistic terms. Weitz also indicated that he believes His Dark Materials is "not an atheistic work but a highly spiritual and reverent piece of writing". Pullman's agent urged people to "recognise that [adapting these films] is a challenge in the climate of Bush's America".
On December 15, 2004, Weitz announced his resignation as director of the trilogy. He is to remain on-board as the screenwriter. New Line is currently searching for a new director.
See also
External links
- His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0385752/) at the Internet Movie Database
