HBO and BBC are teaming up to adapt Philip Pullman’s epic novel trilogy ‘His Dark Materials’ into a TV series. It is known that the first season will largely adapt the first book, ‘Northen Lights’ (known in the US as ‘The Golden Compass’), and that Season 2 will focus on the second book, ‘The Subtle Knife’. Pullman’s third novel, ‘The Amber Spyglass’ was published in 2000, but since then, he has begun another set of novels set in the same universe as ‘His Dark Materials’, called ‘The Book of Dust’. The first book, ‘La Belle Sauvage’ is set 12 years before ‘Northern Lights’ and focuses on 11-year old Malcolm Polstead, and a girl named Alice, as they must protect the infant Lyra Belacqua, and deliver her to the Jordan College, where ‘His Dark Materials’ starts off. Pullman has expressed that ‘The Book of Dust’ will further build the mythology of ‘His Dark Materials’ and will explore the Dust, the mystical substance that plays a major part in the original trilogy.
Only the first installment of ‘The Book of Dust’ has been published. Pullman has stated that although ‘La Belle Sauvage’ is a prequel, the second and third books will be set after the events of ‘His Dark Materials’. But even so, it appears that some elements from ‘The Book of Dust’ will be woven into the TV adaptation of ‘His Dark Materials’.
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Jane Tranter, the series’ lead executive producer, didn’t go into details but said:
“We use a tiny bit, which I can’t tell you. You’ll have to wait and see. As far as the deeper mythology is concerned, we grab at anything we can get. As [teleplay writer] Jack Thorne would say, it’s like we’ve done a PhD in the mythology of these books.”
The first season consists of eight episodes, with the first premiering on November 4.
In a reality that exists parallel to our own world, young orphan Lyra Belacqua (Logan’s Dafne Keen) continues her rebellious streak at her home of Jordan College until she haphazardly foils an assassination plot against her explorer uncle, Lord Asriel (It Chapter Two‘s James McAvoy), when he comes to present his recent, potentially blasphemous findings to the university. It’s the first in a series of mysterious events that propel Lyra on an international journey, followed by a string of child kidnappings, the disappearance of her friend, and the arrival of the enthralling but dangerous Mrs. Coulter (The Affair‘s Ruth Wilson).
Are you a fan of Pullman’s books? How do you feel about ‘The Book of Dust’ being referenced in ‘His Dark Materials’?
Source: Entertainment Weekly
