Writer/Director Chris Weitz has returned to the director’s chair to helm New Line Cinema’s The Golden Compass, the movie adaptation of the first installment of author Philip Pullman’s popular His Dark Materials trilogy, it was announced today by Toby Emmerich, New Line Cinema’s President of Production.
Weitz, who penned the movie's screenplay, was originally attached to direct the project in 2005 before stepping down and being replaced by Anand Tucker. Tucker has exited the movie due to differences in creative direction with New Line. Read the full press release.
You can also read our (once again relevant) interview with Mr. Weitz here.
Update: The Hollywood Reporter has also finally picked up on the story, and adds that “sources close to the project cited budget constraints” as a reason for the change in director.
Writer / Director Chris Weitz to Helm The Golden Compass
Weitz Returns To Director’s Chair For Project Based On His Screenplay
LOS ANGELES (May 5, 2006) – Writer/Director Chris Weitz has returned to the director’s chair to helm New Line Cinema’s The Golden Compass, the feature film adaptation of the first installment of author Philip Pullman’s popular His Dark Materials trilogy, it was announced today by Toby Emmerich, New Line Cinema’s President of Production.
Weitz, who penned the film’s screenplay, was originally attached to direct the project in 2005 before stepping down and being replaced by Anand Tucker. Tucker has exited the film due to differences in creative direction with New Line.
“Chris absolutely over-delivered on the script. He wrote a very strong adaptation of The Golden Compass, and we are eager to see him bring those pages to life on the screen,†says Emmerich.
Weitz adds, “I’ve never lost my love of Philip Pullman’s work, and staying on as screenwriter gave me a better understanding of how a great film version can be accomplished. Though I’m disappointed that New Line and Anand didn’t end up seeing eye to eye, when I was told the job of directing The Golden Compass was open, there was just no way that I could pass it up. I feel very confident in the creativity and expertise of the technical crew that is assembling to take on this challenge.â€Â
“I trusted Scholastic and New Line to look after my story, and when Chris Weitz came along I knew at once that he had as clear and strong a grasp of the story as anyone I’ve ever met,†says Pullman. “His personal knowledge of English school and university life gave him an insight into Lyra’s background that was invaluable.â€Â
Producer Deborah Forte adds, “Chris has demonstrated both passion and a unique understanding of how to take Philip’s magnificent story and translate it into a stunning, epic film for families. I have enjoyed working with him and have tremendous confidence in his ability to make this film succeed on every level.â€Â
The Golden Compass is being produced by Scholastic Entertainment and Weitz’s Depth of Field production company. Paul Weitz and Andrew Miano will serve as executive producers on the film.
A filmmaker with an extensive literary background, Chris Weitz holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in English Literature from Cambridge University. Along with his brother Paul, he has written such films as Antz and About A Boy, the latter of which he also directed.
Based on the bestselling and award-winning Pullman novels, the His Dark Materials trilogy is comprised of The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. It revolves around a young girl who travels to the far north to save her best friend. Along the way she encounters shape-shifting creatures, witches, and a variety of otherworldly characters in parallel universes. The Golden Compass is being produced by Deborah Forte of Scholastic, the U.K. publisher of the His Dark Materials books.
Whatty what what what WHAT????
I FINALLY got used to Chris, and then he stepped down…
I FINALLY got used to Anand, and now HE stepped down…
and Weitz is BACK?
What madness or devilry is this?
So guys, why do you think Anand and New Line didnt "see eye to eye?"
I hope this is the last director change… Otherwise we may be waiting much longer than we expect for the movie's release. :wassat: I don't think I can take much more indecision.
I give up on these movies. I've spent way too long letting other people convince me that Tucker is a good director to try to convince myself that Weitz is a good director. I'm sure someone else is taking over next week so why bother.
'eye to eye'probably means that New Line wants to change 'God-destroyer' into 'prayer meetings' and 'homosexual angels' to 'Evangelist missionaries' :angry:
I think this could be a good thing, if Weitz originaly left because of the reasons he actualy said, too big a project for him. By writing the screenplay he has probably been full of creative ideas & now feels if he had directive authority he could really pull this off well.
Good luck to him.
Is there a link to the original press release in New Line Cinema? A quick search there didn't return any hits regarding this latest change of events.
Tipani, New Line sent us the press release directly–I'm not sure if they have it online yet anywhere else.
New Line post their press releases here but they're rather slow at getting the new ones up:
http://www.newline.com/press/2006.shtml
Hate to drag this into the picture also, but new(ish) director right in the middle of casting? Isn't that a little bit weird?
Hey, I just checked the IMDb for TGC/TNL (it's not updated quite yet) and was wondering if anybody had noticed this:
Original Music by
Barrington Pheloung
He seems to have worked with Tucker before (on Shopgirl and Hilary and Jackie, at least). Here's his IMBd page http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006224/
And sorry if someone already reported this, but I just found it and felt like telling everyone.
Somebody did, but it'll be interesting to see how much of a reshuffle occurs…
this is bull***t!!! make up your bloomin' minds, people!!! ARGH!!!
by the by, that fan trailer was crap.
This is good news people, seeing as Weitz is seemingly intelligent (The multiple degrees from Cambridge) and had a degree of reverence towards the project as we saw when he decided to step down, I think that hes more than good enough, so quit yer whining and shut yer pie holes ya blasphemious ingrates. Hehe, just kidding…
the story is already out there, we have all read it, do we really need movies to satisfy our love of the story? Did anyone ever picture Liv Tyler as Arwen? Films are fun, and horrifically overexposed in media, let them do what they want, change directors a hundred times, we may like it, hate it, laugh at it, then we can just go home and read the books again 🙂
HA. The Fan trailer was hilarious. Especially the bit where Lyra started beating up the Gobblers.
Still no press release?
Only the fansites informed?
Nothing anywhere else?
Sorry, guys, I think you've been had. Someone's havin' a laugh. :laughing:
Sandy, the e-mail came from our longtime source at New Line, the one who has always sent us press releases. This was not a random tip from an unconfirmed source, or an article found on an obscure website. A Senior VP at New Line does not send fake press releases to "have a laugh" at the expense of fan sites. It's legit.
I'll just say what many people are probably thinking. Anand wanted to keep the religious themes in the move and New Line didn't.
The Hollywood Reporter adds that "sources close to the project cited budget constraints."
(Link: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/film/brief_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002463983)
"Creative differences" right in the middle of casting Lyra? I hope New Line isn't pushing a girl who's entirely inappropriate to play Lyra. It doesn't bode well I'm afraid.
Everyone's an actor or an actor's best friend, what's wrong with just being yourself? sings Ani diFranco.
Forget about the movies, read the books instead … and just be yourself.
This is great! The screenwriter also as the director will work well for a film of this magnitude.
Just like Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Braveheart.
Of course George Lucas only directed Episodes I – IV, rather than the exceptionally good Star Wars film…
Pullman updated his website. Finally.
Mel Gibson did not write Braveheart.
😉 who's gonna dress this parallel universes? surely they require a great deal of effort put into it…. and there was only one possible great designer to do it, who has walked out of the project with Anand… 🙁 :crying:
somebody tell me who will do it!!!!!!!
yes but who will Lyra be????
that will change the movie as much as a new director!!!!!!!!!!
!?!?!?!?!
can't wait
I was kind of glad Weitz stepped down way back so long ago. Because religion isnt as important in the first book (which weitz wrote the screenplay for) so i didnt mind it being gone from that ne book, because if he is gone from the progect religion could play a part in the latter two.
But now im afraid Balthamos and Baruch will be straight and Asriel will probably be fighting commies or something.
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