Additionally, Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton, Mary Poppins Returns) is close to signing a deal to play Lee Scoresby in His Dark Materials per Entertainment Weekly. Scoresby is a balloonist and adventurer within the Philip Pullman adaptation.
Dafne Keen (Logan) has been cast to star in the big-budget BBC adaptation of Philip Pullman's epic fantasy series His Dark Materials per Deadline. Keen will star as Lyra in the series, an orphan who lives in a parallel universe.
Tom Hooper (The King's Speech) has signed on to direct the eight-part series following negotiations. Jack Thorne (National Treasure, Wonder) will pen the drama. Pullman's story spans three books, Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. His Dark Materials is a complex tale of physics, philosophy and theology featuring witches and armored polar bears. It tells the story of the coming of age of two children, Lyra and Will, who wander through a series of parallel universes.
The drama will air on BBC One in the UK whilst Bad Wolf and BBC Worldwide have been discussing with Apple and Netflix amongst others for international distribution. The drama is said to be one of the most expensive British dramas to date.
Northern Lights introduces Lyra whose search for a kidnapped friend uncovers a sinister plot involving stolen children and turns into a quest to understand a mysterious phenomenon called Dust. In the second book, The Subtle Knife, she is joined on her journey by Will, a boy who possesses a knife that can cut windows between worlds. As Lyra learns the truth about her parents and her prophesied destiny, the two young people are caught up in a war against celestial powers that ranges across many worlds and leads to a thrilling conclusion in The Amber Spyglass.
