MTV have posted the first part of a very illuminating Q&A session with Chris Weitz, the director of The Golden Compass. Weitz addresses the ongoing rows over His Dark Materials’ religious themes, making clear that the overt stating of some of these themes would “never – this is important to make clear – never EVER get across the goal line.” Weitz says he knew he would have to make compromises in order to satisfy New Line, but has tried to make the film as faithful to the books as possible.

Part of his reason for compromising with The Golden Compass, he says, is to build – financially – a “solid foundation on which to deliver a faithful, more literal adaptation of the second and third books.” If the “intellectual depth and the iconoclasm” of The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass can’t be retained, Weitz says he will leave the project. He makes clear: “I will not be involved with any “watering down” of books two and three, since what I have been working towards the whole time in the first film is to be able to deliver on [them].”

On the altered ending to the film, Weitz confirms that the change was due to negative responses from audiences at test screenings. It seems that, contrary to earlier speculation, Lyra won’t meet Lord Asriel again before the end of the film. The movie now ends “before Lyra sets off to find Asriel.” Weitz justifies the changed narrative by saying that Lyra has “fulfilled the initial reason for her journey (to save her friend Roger), but there is a further tangible aim for her.”

Read Chris Weitz’s responses to these and other questions.