Fans of Philip Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” novels were pretty devastated when they saw the big-screen adaptation “The Golden Compass.” Not that the film was bad, but those involved decided to remove big portions of the series to make it easier for audiences to digest. Ultimately, the film wasn’t as successful as the studio had hoped and plans for any sequels were soon squashed. Now, “His Dark Materials” is getting a second shot at an adaptation but as a big-budget BBC TV series. And with the latest news surrounding the upcoming series, there’s reason to believe fans of the novels might be in for a treat.
According to Deadline, the BBC adaptation of “His Dark Materials,” starring “Logan” breakout actress Dafne Keen and Lin-Manuel Miranda, has just been picked up for a second season. This is especially exciting, and promising, considering the first season isn’t even finished production yet. This sort of confidence is just what fans of Pullman’s series were hoping for.
But that’s not all.
In addition to the vote of confidence from the BBC, Deadline also reports that HBO has signed on to distribute the series in the US. While this is definitely indicative of the network’s new game plan of filling out its schedule with more and more original content, HBO has been, for decades, the standard-bearer as far as quality TV goes. And for fantasy genre fans, the premium network has supported the greatest live-action fantasy TV series of all-time, “Game of Thrones.” So, perhaps they see the potential of “His Dark Materials” to become another flagship series for the network.
READ MORE: AT&T CEO Says HBO Is The Tiffany Of Subscription Services While Netflix Is Just Walmart
“His Dark Materials” stars Keen and Miranda, as well as James McAvoy, Ruth Wilson, and Clarke Peters.
Sure, we haven’t seen a single frame from the TV series, as of yet, but both of these news items sure do indicate that “His Dark Materials” is going to be a series that everyone should watch out for in 2019.