Cast
Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig are the leading couple in the movie, playing Mrs. Coulter and Lord Asriel. However, Dakota Blue Richards, an unknown British schoolgirl, will be the real star of the show. She was cast in the lead role of Lyra Belacqua after an extensive casting search through open auditions. You can read in detail about these and the other casting appointments on our cast page.
Images
View galleries of images from all stages of the filming process - on location and at the set. There are also many promotional shots from the movie itself that New Line have released - featuring Dakota Blue Richards, Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Gyptians, balloonists and more. View the images.
Director
Chris Weitz will be directing the first film in the trilogy. His previous films include American Pie and About A Boy. The American director was initially appointed director in May 2004, after impressing New Line with a dossier detailing how he would handle the movies and a personal statement on his passion for the books. However, he later left the job citing "technical challenges" and Anand Tucker took over. Then, nearly a year later, Mr Weitz took the role again, with Tucker quitting the production. You can read more about this series of events on our crew page.
Auditioning
Open auditions were held in England for the coveted role of Lyra the upcoming films. Thousands of girls turned out - in the pouring rain for most auditions - with the queues winding their way around town. For full details on how the auditions went and reports from girls who attended, see the BttS auditioning page.
Filming
Filming went on across Great Britain in numerous locations. We've snaps and reports from all of the principal locations: at Oxford, Greenwich - parts standing in for Jordan; and Chatham - acting as the port at Trollesund. Read more.
Fan Trailers & Soundtrack
In the interminable wait for New Line's film production to get off the ground, several short 'trailers' for the film have been produced. They are produced variously by a small film company, by two His Dark Materials fans and by an undergraduate student for an assignment. These are not official trailers! However, they are very well put together and entertaining to watch. You can view them all on our mock trailers page. Some BttS Sraffies are having a go at making their own too - see on our boards for details. The movie's soundtrack score has also attracted fan attention. Chris Byrne has produced an orchestral mock up for The Golden Compass, featuring accompaniments for key scenes in the book. You can listen to it here. |
