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→Cast: WP:BOLD edit - move Miranda to main cast with source: more OR to say he won't be in the main cast than he will be on the strength of his prominence in promotion
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* Daniel Frogson as Tony Costa
* Daniel Frogson as Tony Costa
* [[James McAvoy]] as [[Lord Asriel|Lord Asriel Belacqua]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/showatch/his-dark-materials/|title=His Dark Materials on HBO|website=The Futon Critic|access-date=26 October 2019}}</ref>
* [[James McAvoy]] as [[Lord Asriel|Lord Asriel Belacqua]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/showatch/his-dark-materials/|title=His Dark Materials on HBO|website=The Futon Critic|access-date=26 October 2019}}</ref>
* [[Lin-Manuel Miranda]] as [[Lee Scoresby]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/his-dark-materials/lin-manuel|title=Lin-Manuel Miranda (Lee Scoresby)|date=25 October 2019|access-date=6 November 2019}}</ref>


=== Recurring ===
=== Recurring ===
* [[Lin-Manuel Miranda]] as [[Lee Scoresby]]
* [[Ruta Gedmintas]] as [[Serafina Pekkala]]
* [[Ruta Gedmintas]] as [[Serafina Pekkala]]
* Tyler Howitt as Billy Costa
* Tyler Howitt as Billy Costa

Revision as of 01:51, 6 November 2019

His Dark Materials
Genre
Based onHis Dark Materials
by Philip Pullman
Written byJack Thorne
Starring
ComposerLorne Balfe
Country of origin
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes1 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
ProducerLaurie Borg
CinematographyJustin Brown
Editors
  • Niven Howie
  • Nick Arthurs
  • Dan Roberts
  • Chris Gill
  • David Fisher
Production companies
Original release
Network
Release3 November 2019 (2019-11-03) –
present (present)

His Dark Materials is a television fantasy series based on the novel series of the same name by Philip Pullman. It is produced by BBC Studios, New Line Cinema and Bad Wolf for BBC One and HBO, with the latter handling international distribution.

The eight-episode series premiered on 3 November 2019 on BBC One in the United Kingdom and on 4 November on HBO in the United States and other markets. Before the series premiered, His Dark Materials was renewed for a second series of eight episodes.

Premise

His Dark Materials is set in an alternative world where all humans have animal companions called dæmons, which are the manifestation of the human soul. The series follows the life of young Lyra (Dafne Keen) who is an orphan living with the scholars at Jordan College, Oxford. As in Pullman's novel, Lyra discovers a dangerous secret that involves Lord Asriel (James McAvoy) and Marisa Coulter (Ruth Wilson).[1] In her search for her missing friend, Lyra also uncovers a series of kidnappings and its link to the mysterious substance called Dust.

Director Otto Bathurst explained that some elements of the book and film had been changed to give the series a more modern feel, compared to the original's Victoriana fantasy.[2]

Cast

Main

Recurring

Voice cast

Episodes

No.TitleDirected by [10]Written by [10]Original air date [b]UK viewers
(millions)		US viewers
(millions)
1"Lyra's Jordan"Tom HooperJack Thorne3 November 2019 (2019-11-03)N/A0.424[12]
Lyra Belacqua grows up as a ward of Jordan College in Oxford. Her closest friends are her dæmon Pantalaimon and a servant boy named Roger Parslow. Lyra admires her uncle Lord Asriel, a polar explorer whose research into dust and the multiverse is regarded as heretical by the ruling Magisterium. Lyra saves Asriel from being poisoned by the Master of Jordan College, who foresees Lyra's future importance through the alethiometer. After Asriel leaves on another polar expedition, the Master arranges for Lyra to be adopted by Marisa Coulter, a female adventurer. Marisa offers to train Lyra as her protégé in London. The mysterious "Gobblers" kidnap Roger and a Gyptian boy named Billy Costa. Lyra accompanies Marisa to London, enamoured by the charismatic explorer and in the hope of finding Roger. The Gyptians also travel to London in pursuit of the Gobblers.
2"The Idea of North"[13]Tom HooperJack Thorne10 November 2019 (2019-11-10)N/ATBD
3"The Spies"[14]Dawn ShadforthJack Thorne17 November 2019 (2019-11-17)N/ATBD
4"Armour"[15]Otto BathurstJack Thorne24 November 2019 (2019-11-24)N/ATBD
5"The Lost Boy"[16]Otto BathurstJack Thorne1 December 2019 (2019-12-01)N/ATBD
6"The Daemon-Cages"[17]Euros LynJack Thorne8 December 2019 (2019-12-08)N/ATBD
7"The Fight to the Death"[18]Jamie ChildsJack Thorne15 December 2019 (2019-12-15)N/ATBD
8"Betrayal"[19]Jamie ChildsJack Thorne22 December 2019 (2019-12-22)N/ATBD

Production

Development

The three His Dark Materials novels, written by Philip Pullman from 1995 to 2000, achieved success in young adult fiction, leading to the development of a 2007 feature film, The Golden Compass. The film received criticism from fans of the trilogy for the dilution of elements of the story that were critical of religion, as well as from some religious organisations for the source material's perceived anti-religious themes. When the film was released, sequels that would have adapted the other two novels in the series became unlikely due to the backlash from religious groups and the film's disappointing reception, according to Pullman.[20]

After several years in development hell, the rights reverted to Pullman. In November 2015, BBC One announced that it had commissioned a television adaptation of the trilogy, to be produced by Bad Wolf and New Line Cinema.[21] The eight-part[22] adaptation had a planned premiere date in 2017: however, in April 2017 writer Jack Thorne told Radio Times that the series was still in pre-production. He said, "It's at an exciting point where we're just throwing things at the page and trying to work out what works and what doesn't," and that he wanted to ensure that they were being loyal to the books.[23]

On 12 September 2018, it was announced that HBO was boarding as co-producer and international distributor of the series.[24] On 10 October 2018, Miranda reported that he had wrapped up filming for his role.[25] On 14 December 2018, it was announced on Twitter that filming for the first series had wrapped.[26] On 24 February 2019, it was confirmed the series would "premiere later this year."[27]

Before the series premiered, His Dark Materials was renewed for a second series of eight episodes.[28] Filming of the second season began even before the premiere because some of the actors were so young.[29]

Casting

Promotional image showing lead characters and locations

On 8 March 2018 it was announced that Dafne Keen had signed on to star in the series to play Lyra with director Tom Hooper signed on to direct. Lin-Manuel Miranda would star as Lee Scoresby.[30] On 8 June 2018, it was reported that James McAvoy, Clarke Peters, and Ruth Wilson had joined the cast.[31][32]

On 27 July 2018, the BBC and Bad Wolf revealed the cast and crew for the series.[9]

Release

On 24 July 2019, it was announced that the series will premiere in the fourth quarter of 2019 in the United Kingdom and the United States.[33][34][35] On 12 September 2019, sources revealed that the series was set to premiere on 3 November 2019 on BBC One and the following night on HBO.[36]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the series has an 83% "certified fresh" rating based 46 critics, with an average rating of 7.59/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "The daemon is in the details and while His Dark Materials visual splendor and exceptional performances deftly capture the essence of Philip Pullman's seminal novels, it could use a little more magic."[37] On Metacritic the series has a score of 66 out of 100 based on reviews from 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[38]

Dan Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "This His Dark Materials nails much of what makes the books pop and both the special effects and a star-studded cast led by Dafne Keen and Ruth Wilson are in fine form. What never fully worked for me in the four episodes, out of the eight-episode first season, sent to critics is the necessary feeling of narrative and thematic momentum. It's vastly better than the movie, but neither fun nor smart enough to quite succeed."[39] Caroline Framke of Variety wrote: "Despite the rich complexities of the novel’s world of daemons, power-hungry players and warring faiths, HBO’s “His Dark Materials” feels like it could have been plucked from most any other fantasy epic out there."[40]

Ben Lawrence of The Daily Telegraph gives the first episode 4 out of 5 stars, calling it "a fine piece of drama, capturing the strangeness and childlike wonder of the books, but also their rigour and bite. This is intelligent populism writ large."[41] Huw Fullerton of the Radio Times gives the first episode a positive review: "While there is a slight element of table-setting in the series' first hour the appeal of the actors and setting are beguiling enough to pull you through all the exposition and explanation." Fullerton praises Wilson for her performance saying she "nearly walks away with the whole series".[42]

Notes

  1. ^ Archie Barnes was originally cast to voice Pantalaimon.[9]
  2. ^ The episode first premieres in the UK on BBC One, with the episodes airing in the US the following day on HBO.[11]

References

  1. ^ Ellis, Philip (25 May 2019). "What You Need to Know About HBO's New Fantasy Show 'His Dark Materials'". Men's Health.
  2. ^ Lewis, Rebecca (8 November 2018). "His Dark Materials will be 'twisted and modernised' for BBC adaptation". Metro.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "His Dark Materials". BBC Media Centre. 24 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  4. ^ "His Dark Materials on HBO". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  5. ^ "Lin-Manuel Miranda (Lee Scoresby)". 25 October 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  6. ^ "His Dark Materials on Twitter". 20 September 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  7. ^ "His Dark Materials on Twitter". 18 July 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Cast revealed for His Dark Materials daemons and animal characters". BBC Media Centre. 30 August 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  9. ^ a b "BBC and Bad Wolf unveil cast and creative team of His Dark Materials". BBC Media Centre. 27 July 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  10. ^ a b Flook, Ray (3 October 2019). ""His Dark Materials": Lyra's Journey Begins [OFFICIAL TRAILER]". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  11. ^ "Listings - His Dark Materials on hbo". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  12. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (5 November 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.4.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  13. ^ "BBC One - His Dark Materials, Series 1, The Idea of North". BBC Programmes. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  14. ^ "His Dark Materials 03: The Spies". HBO. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  15. ^ "His Dark Materials 04: Armour". HBO. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  16. ^ "His Dark Materials 05: The Lost Boy". HBO. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  17. ^ "His Dark Materials 06: The Daemon-Cages". HBO. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  18. ^ "His Dark Materials 07: The Fight to the Death". HBO. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  19. ^ "His Dark Materials 08: Betrayal". HBO. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  20. ^ Miller, Leon (25 October 2019). "His Dark Materials: 10 Things The HBO Series Needs To Get Right". ScreenRant. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  21. ^ "BBC One commissions adaptation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials". BBC Media Center. 3 November 2015.
  22. ^ Ellis, Philip (25 May 2019). "What You Need to Know About HBO's New Fantasy Show 'His Dark Materials'". Men's Health.
  23. ^ Fullerton, Huw (18 April 2017). "Jack Thorne opens up about His Dark Materials TV Series". Radio Times. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  24. ^ Andreeva, Nellie; White, Peter (12 September 2018). "HBO Boards 'His Dark Materials' BBC Series Based On Philip Pullman's Books". Deadline Hollywood.
  25. ^ Miranda, Lin-Manuel [@Lin_Manuel] (10 October 2018). "Rachel, I JUST wrapped on His Dark Materials, I could have used you!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  26. ^ His Dark Materials [@darkmaterials] (14 December 2018). ""So Lyra and her daemon turned away from the world they were born in, and looked towards the sun, and walked into the sky."" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  27. ^ Davies, Megan (24 February 2019). "His Dark Materials drops a first-look teaser for epic new series". Digital Spy.
  28. ^ White, Peter (11 September 2018). "BBC Doubles Order Of Philip Pullman Fantasy Adaptation 'His Dark Materials'". Deadline Hollywood.
  29. ^ Brewer, Kyla. "Navigating the multiverse: 'His Dark Materials' follows a girl's adventure through worlds". TV Media. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
  30. ^ White, Peter; Wiseman, Andreas (8 March 2018). "'The King's Speech' Director Tom Hooper & 'Logan' Star Dafne Keen Sign Up For 'His Dark Materials' Adaptation". Deadline Hollywood.
  31. ^ White, Peter (8 June 2018). "James McAvoy & Clarke Peters Sign Up To BBC One Fantasy Drama 'His Dark Materials'". Deadline Hollywood.
  32. ^ White, Peter (8 June 2018). "'The Affair' Star Ruth Wilson Signs Up To BBC Fantasy Drama 'His Dark Materials'". Deadline Hollywood.
  33. ^ "His Dark Materials: Lyra's Nightmares Come to Life in Eerie New Teaser". TVLine. 17 May 2019.
  34. ^ "Video: "His Dark Materials" - San Diego Comic-Con Trailer - HBO". The Futon Critic. 18 July 2019.
  35. ^ "Drama Series "His Dark Materials" Debuts This Fall, Exclusively on HBO". The Futon Critic. 24 July 2019.
  36. ^ White, Peter (12 September 2019). "'His Dark Materials': HBO & BBC Set Premiere Dates For Big-Budget Philip Pullman Adaptation". Deadline.
  37. ^ "His Dark Materials: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes.
  38. ^ "His Dark Materials". Metacritic.
  39. ^ Dan Fienberg (1 November 2019). "'His Dark Materials': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter.
  40. ^ Framke, Caroline (24 October 2019). "TV Review: HBO's 'His Dark Materials'". Variety (magazine).
  41. ^ Lawrence, Ben (15 October 2019). "His Dark Materials, episode 1, first-look review: a faithful adaptation full of strangeness and childlike wonder". The Telegraph.
  42. ^ Huw Fullerton (17 October 2019). "His Dark Materials spoiler-free preview: "The dæmon's in the detail"". Radio Times.
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