HBO is producing a series called ‘His Dark Materials,’ based on the series by the same name by Philip Pullman (‘Northern Lights’ in 1995 (also published as ‘The Golden Compass’), ‘The Subtle Knife’ in 1997, and ‘The Amber Spyglass’ in 2000). HBO has tapped James McAvoy to play Lord Asriel. McAvoy explained that he has always been a fan of Pullman’s novels and he takes the role very seriously:
“The narrative drive you need for a TV show or a movie isn’t the same as the focus and attention that you can pay in a novel. Missing things isn’t necessarily the worst thing, you’ve just got to do it right. If you do change something, if you take something away, you’ve got to show everything else tip-top and spick and span.”
McAvoy’s character is only in a few episodes, but he’s dedicated to his art:
“In episode 8 there’s a lot of work to do, and incredibly intellectual and metaphysical conversations that Asriel has with Lyra that the audience needs to understand in order for them to have more than a ‘what the f— is going on in this crazy multifaceted and multilayered multiverse that is ‘His Dark Materials?’”
As big a fan as McAvoy is, he still hasn’t met Pullman in person but hopes he will. He commented:
“I’m not bothered about that. That’s alright. I’ve had bad experiences meeting the authors that I’m dramatizing in the past, so if I don’t meet him, I might be okay. I sometimes feel it’s better not to meet your heroes.”
The ‘His Dark Materials’ series is a deep one and it will be difficult for HBO to do it justice. However, if ‘Game of Thrones‘ is any indication, there’s a very good chance that ‘His Dark Materials’ will be amazing!
Source: Entertainment Weekly
