Dakota Blue Richards has been cast in the lead role of Lyra Belacqua. Richards, 12 years old, landed the role after filmmakers conducted an extensive casting search. More than 10,000 young girls attended open calls in Oxford, Cambridge, Exeter, and Kendal, before Richards was chosen from the Cambridge call for a further audition and subsequent screen test.
Philip Pullman commented, “I'm delighted with the casting of Dakota Blue Richards as Lyra. As soon as I saw Dakota's screen test, I realized that the search was over. Dakota has just the combination of qualities that make up the complicated character of this girl, and I very much look forward to seeing the film take shape, with Dakota's Lyra at the heart of it.”
New Line have given the go ahead to production on [i]The Golden Compass[/i] film and filming will begin September 4th, for a scheduled November 16th, 2007 release date.
New Line Cinema Greenlights The Golden Compass for September 4 Start Date
12-year-old British schoolgirl to play Lyra in adaptation
of the first of Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy.
Film set for November 16, 2007 release date
LONDON (June 28, 2006) – New Line Cinema has officially greenlit production on The Golden Compass, the highly anticipated adaptation of the first of author Philip Pullman’s bestselling His Dark Materials trilogy, it was announced today by New Line’s Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne. Production on the $150 million-budgeted film is scheduled to begin September 4 in the UK, with Oscar-nominated writer/director Chris Weitz (About a Boy, Antz) at the helm.
“The Golden Compass is the most ambitious film that New Line has undertaken since The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and we have assembled a remarkable creative team, headed by Chris Weitz, to bring it to fruition,†comment New Line’s Shaye and Lynne.
Newcomer Dakota Blue Richards has been cast in the lead role of Lyra Belacqua. Richards landed the role after filmmakers conducted an extensive casting search throughout England, during which they saw more than 10,000 young girls. Open calls were held in Oxford, Cambridge, Exeter, and Kendal, before Richards was chosen from the Cambridge call for an audition and subsequent screen test.
“Dakota made what should have been an extremely difficult decision quite easy,†says writer/director Weitz. “We wanted a completely new face for Lyra, but I was surprised that any young girl, especially one without training, could light up the screen as Dakota does.â€Â
Pullman adds, “I’m delighted with the casting of Dakota Blue Richards as Lyra. As soon as I saw Dakota’s screen test, I realized that the search was over. Dakota has just the combination of qualities that make up the complicated character of this girl, and I very much look forward to seeing the film take shape, with Dakota’s Lyra at the heart of it.â€Â
Helping to bring The Golden Compass to the big screen will be an all-star production team that includes Oscar-winning production designer Dennis Gassner (Road To Perdition, Big Fish), Oscar-nominated costume designer Ruth Myers (L.A. Confidential, Emma), and Oscar-nominated visual effects supervisor Mike Fink (X-Men, X2, Road To Perdition).
The Golden Compass is being produced by Deborah Forte of Scholastic Entertainment and Weitz’s Depth of Field production company. Paul Weitz (an Oscar nominee for About a Boy) and Andrew Miano will serve as executive producers on the film. Bill Carraro will also serve as a producer on the film.
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.
i am realy upset i did not get the part and i realy need 2 find a picy of her
To be fair, what ippydip sounds likely buuuuuuuuuut, if you go on youtube and look at the trailer..
I think she looking brilliant for the part, she isnt really that pretty, but she has this hard determnd ferral look that we all know Lyra should have!
GeoX
decotas no.1 fan-i don't think there are any pictures yet :crying:
OMG Mishca is actually her, she's pretending not to be though and saying she's amazing! It's true cos my sister got into the top forty and she met Mischa!
i got in2 da last 2 but da director changed and he picked dakota! dakota is a bitch!!!!! :angry:
She is not! That is just really mean, and it isn't her fault! You are really lucky that you got in the top two, so be proud of yourself that you did! At least you got to go! I couldn't cus I'm american. If you're out there Dakota, I think that you're awsome, even though I haven't seen a picture of you or anything yet.
geo lion heart- so there is a real trailer out???????
and dainel- Mischa is acually dakota??????
Nah, Mischa is Mischa! My sis told me that's like everything she always says! It's definitely her.
sorry guys, it is actually mischa, sh told me not to say but then she said i was a bitch so this is my revenge, but don't say owt to her right?
thats odd… I wonder why she said she wasn't who she was.
what? i'm really confused….. :wassat:
me too! If there is a trailer with the real dakota in it, I need to see it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The other lyras in those teaser trailers were horrid! Especially the one where those people battle with lite sabers. I mean, when in any of the books were ther Light sabers? :wassat:
I don't think there is a real trailer yet, I think the trailer Geo Lion-heart means is one of the Fan Trailers:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=his+dark+materials
I know, all the trailers were really bad!
blondy-what did dakota look like???? Tell me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i NEED to know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i can't wait to see a pic of dakota!!!!!!!!! 🙂 :laughing: 🙂
ugly! they say they wanted someone 'intersting lookin'! she has blonde hair and the blue eys but she is reli weird. lol soz, dat isn't reli wat u wanted 2 hear! stil ANGRY! :angry:
how did it go with Hayley?
soz cnt chat
blondy, what is wierd about her? i mean, is she like, fat or something? or does she just have wierd features?
I REALLY NEED A PICTURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ME TO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🙂
hi n! lml! 🙂 I STILL NEED A PICTURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
just reli weird features. n shes short n stuff 2. :angry: :sad:its so not fair! :angry:
thats too bad! well, i hope she's at acting. :crying:
I know dakota! She isnt ugly at all!!! she's really pretty and she's an amazing actress! She'll do great, I know she will.
you know her??? tell her that i think that she is awsome, and i think that she'll do great! i think that people should stop being so mean to her! i mean, really. it isn't her fault that any of you didn't get the part! so, i can see that you should be disapointed, but, be mad at new line, not her! 🙂
i know, people! stop being so mean!!!!!!!! and thanks, indie! you just made my day a lot better!!!!!!!
hi c! lml! check email!
i agree with orange and dakota's # 3 fan. stop being so mean, people!!!!!!
omg ur all rrrreeeaaallllyyy sad i agree wiv sum of yas sorry but wateva u think,dakota got the part so she MUST have been beta than ya and that the ppl that have been doin this 4 years and r probably millionnaires and u think u no beta than them.Really :wassat:cumon and blondy i dunno hoo u think u r callin her ugly. haha u must have been uglier than her then if u didnt get the part. :laughing:
i think that people should stop being mean at dakota, but that doesn't call for anyone being mean at other people too! just be nice to eachother! i mean really, all of this drama over who got the part really isn't worth it! dakota got the part fair, and square, and if anyone has a problum, take it up with the casting directors! IT ISN'T DAKOTA'S FAULT!!!!!!!!!!
all of you should just be glad that you even got to go to the audition! tons of people around the world would have died to go, including me, so just be glad you had the experience!!! 🙂
oh my god, all you people are just being evil about these people who don't like Dakota, give them a break and look at YOURSELVES!!! It's called an opinion, cows! If somebody else has SEEN her and ISN'T lying, she probably has a better opinion don't you think???
there is a difference between an opinion and swearing at someone. :angry:
I agree that people should be alowed to have an opinion, but swearing and making rude comments is different. be reasonable! she is just a 12 year old girl!
So am I! And when did I swear?
you didn't, but some othere people were…
OMG! I can't wait any longer for a picture!!!!!!!!!!!! It was June that we found out, and now it is september, and we STILL DON'T HAVE A PICTURE!!!!!!!!!!! :crying: :angry: 🙁 :wassat:
Hi evrybody. 🙂 I sow pepele taking abot me but I didnt red it al, sory Im no god at typig! Or spelig! We start filmig on mundaiy I cant wayt can yu? by the way i am goig owt wit daniel radcliffe so hads of cos im Lyra!!!
i completely agree with mayleen. there is a difference between an option and swearing! it's ok to have options, but you shouldn't be so mean to her. how would you like it if you were dakota and people were saying mean stuff about you.
and Dakota, do you really think people are going to believe you?
yeah wel latr cos im not bothred abot this sit ill just go and find sum pepele whoo like me!!!1 :angry:
nice try 'dakota'. like anyone is really going to believe you. ha, ha, ha.
if the real dakota is out there, i think that you are awsome!! :laughing:
If she's out there? What if she's on Mars or something??? :tongue: And anyway how do you know it's not Dakota if she was then she's just gonna hate all of you now, I wouldn't be friends with you after you thought I was a fake!
because, she has no proof, she can't be betrothed because it is illegal to be married at the age of 12, and of course she is not going out with danial radcliff, because he is, like 17, and she is 12. what do you mean she's on mars??
kittykat, do you seriously believe that that's her? 😉
Now now heres a thought I'dd like to pithch to Dakota. If youv'e read the books you will know that you have to kiss the actor paying as Will repeatadly do you have a problem with that 2/8/06
I would like to add that your all being very unfair and that you haven't give the girl a chance so back off I know where you all live I traced you posts back down to your adress
I was lieing with my last coment but I have to say lay of the Dakota bashing ye all are just jelous :angry: :wassat:
…and so are you.
:wassat: I'm confused! I've only just found this site and someone pretended to be me and eventually confessed, saying I was amazing and other nice things, but please- I'd prefer it if people didn't pretend to be me. Also, I want you guys to know I'm not really Dakota and it's not just a stage name. There is a girl called Dakota somewhere probably, and she got the part, and yes, I did get into the top forty but I don't believe this business about the top two cus' I would have got a letter saying I hadn't
made it into the next round. Mine just said it had been decided and I wouldn't be playing Lyra. Oh well… I'm not Dakota unfortunately. :crying: Good luck to the real Dakota! And let me know what you think. Bye!
Reading the other posts I hope no-one makes a piczo website with my identity! I have one myself, so I can report you! I know what to do. I hope "Fake Mischa" never comes on again. And also, my pal Sammy is a whizz at computers. Hi if you're out there Sam! Have a cool time in NZ! I apologize for "Fake Mischa's" posts. I can't believe someone faked being me and said mean things! :crying: :crying: :crying: Like she said, if I do become famous(hopefully!) then there might be bad stuff about me. Double-triple :angry: LOL!
As I'm the real Mischa, this is what you should know:
I found this site 10 minutes ago. Stop saying I'm fake Mischa! I'm not. However, yes, I am upset and by da way Daniel, ur Sammy's brother aren't you? That SOOO was not me!!!!!! Oh, and Fake Mischa, leave me alone!!!!!!!! Please! It's not fair! I'm crying right now cause you told a really nasty lie (not even Lyra would have told a lie like that!) and could possibly make me lose a friendship with a fab friend! Please believe me Daniel! I've just come home from Germany to a nasty surprise, it's shook me up :crying: Go away Fake M.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:wassat: wait, i am really confused. who is mischa??? everyone is saying that they're mischa, and then saying that they arn't, and then other people say that they are!! anyways, to the real mischa, i didn't ever pretend that my name is mischa, and i think that it is awful to pretend that you are someone that you arn't. i still am really confused!!!
🙁 :crying: 🙁 :crying: Sammy u believe me don't you? You know I was upset about not being Lyra… :angry: :crying: Hope you had as nice a time in NZ as I did in Berlin. Lets carry on with OUR piczo website and ignore this. 😉 The fake Mischa is clearly just as upset as I was. I wouldn't be mean enough to write bad stuff about her on this web though. Sorry Daniel as well. You'll probably see me differently now because of something I didn't do. I've gotta go now and sort myself out. I'm shaking. :crying:
By the way, the last four Mischa posts were mine- the REAL Mischa 🙁 Also, I'm sorry Dakota about what Fake Mischa said. I hope all this will be forgotten. Also Orange, thank you for sympathising. You're really nice. Soz you didn't get to audition.