Variety have an interview with Deborah Forte, the New Line producer who optioned the film rights to His Dark Materials way back in 1996. “It's been a long road getting here,” Forte admits. “There were lots of opportunities to do 'His Dark Materials' before this, but it would not have been the film I wanted to make. It would have been smaller, and would not have had the same level of talent.” Variety say, “Pullman himself has remained closely involved with the project, visiting the set and helping out with script advice.” Read more.