‘His Dark Materials’ First Trailer: James McAvoy, Ruth Wilson Star in HBO Fantasy Series
As you may have heard, there’s something happening on HBO this coming Sunday night. As the network looks to get as many eyeballs as possible on upcoming projects, the latest tease might just fit in best with fans looking for a post-“Game of Thrones” fix.
“His Dark Materials,” the landmark Philip Pullman trilogy, forms the basis for the new HBO limited series, which follows Lyra (Dafne Keen) as she navigates a treacherous fantasy world where children are in grave danger. The series constructs a reality where humans and other living beings are connected by metaphysical bonds. As logically follows when a mystical, unexplained power is in play, the fight to control it quickly envelops everything in its path.
That includes the warring ideologies of Marisa Coulter (Ruth Wilson) and Lord Asriel (James McAvoy). When that fight starts to lead to mysterious disappearances, things creep closer to armed conflict. And in this world, that armed conflict involves hostile polar bears. Get excited.
The show, a co-production between HBO and BBC One, has already been renewed for a second season. “His Dark Materials” covers events in the first book of the trilogy, “The Golden Compass.” The previous attempt at bringing these books to the screen resulted in a 2005 “Golden Compass” movie starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig.
The ensemble for “His Dark Materials” also includes Clarke Peters, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Georgina Campbell. “The Last Panthers” creator and “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” writer Jack Thorne wrote the series, with Tom Hooper, Dawn Shadforth, and Otto Bathurst each directing episodes. This is Hooper’s latest HBO effort after previously being behind the camera for the miniseries “Elizabeth I” and “John Adams.” Bathurst was recently announced as a director on Showtime’s upcoming “Halo” series.
Watch the full teaser for the show below:
“His Dark Materials” premieres later this year on HBO.
