'His Dark Materials' Teaser Trailer: James McAvoy, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ruth Wilson Lead A Star-Studded Cast
BBC has released the first look at its big-budget adaptation of His Dark Materials. The teaser trailer gives audiences a glimpse at the star-studded cast of the fantasy miniseries, which is set to adapt all three novels of Philip Pullman's acclaimed fantasy series, led by James McAvoy, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ruth Wilson, and Dafne Keen.
His Dark Materials Teaser Trailer
His Dark Materials might be urging us to "keep our daemons close," but those animal companions of its main characters are nowhere to be seen in the show's first teaser trailer. Set in a fantasy world where human souls take on the form of animal companions called daemons, His Dark Materials is a big-budget fantasy series that will adapt all three novels in Philip Pullman's trilogy — The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. The first season, which covers the span of The Golden Compass, follows Dafne Keen's headstrong protagonist Lyra Belacqua as she ventures into the Arctic to save her friend from child kidnappers.
The Logan breakout star appears terrified in the brief glimpses we get of her in this teaser trailer, which reveals little but does give us a sense of the look and feel of the series, which is directed by Tom Hooper. James McAvoy looks appropriately brooding as Lyra's adventurer father Lord Asriel, as does Lin-Manuel Miranda (tamping down his usual cheery facade!) as the grizzled aeronaut Lee Scoresby. Clarke Peters also looks quite grim as Dr. Carne, but the standout here is The Affair's Ruth Wilson as the glamorous antagonist Mrs. Coulter, sporting fur coats and jewels as well as a devious expression.
While all the stars looks fantastic in character, this teaser does stoke some of my fears that Hooper, who has directed Oscar-nominated fare like Les Miserables and The King's Speech, would not do justice to the rich, sumptuous world of His Dark Materials. The colors are muted, the sights are incredibly...ordinary. As much as I hate Chris Weitz's 2007 big-screen adaptation of The Golden Compass — most of which I blame on its religious controversies — it at least nailed the lavish settings and designs of the fantasy world. I just hope it His Dark Materials does justice to the incredible, thrilling source material by Pullman.
BBC hasn't yet announced a release date for His Dark Materials, but the teaser promises that it is "coming soon."