HBO's His Dark Materials: Release Date, Cast, And Everything Else We Know
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His Dark Materials' release date, where to watch, and more.
Update: HBO has officially announced the series' release date. Scroll down for more.
Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" books are ripe for adaptation--in fact, they already got a big screen version in the 2007 film The Golden Compass. Unfortunately, that movie, despite starring big name actors like Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman, missed the mark significantly. That's why we're thrilled that we're getting another shot thanks to New Line, Bad Wolf, HBO, and the BBC.
His Dark Materials is a fantasy book trilogy originally published between 1995 and 2000, including Northern Lights (called The Golden Compass in North America), The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. The three novels follow Lyra Belacqua and Will Parry, two children in a world where people's souls are embodied in companion critters--called dæmons--that accompany them everywhere. The series starts out small, but grows fantastically epic in scope by the end.
Between the His Dark Materials trailers, the San Diego Comic-Con panel, and various announcements, we know plenty about the upcoming show. Read on to find out everything you need to know.
His Dark Materials release date
Update: HBO has announced the series' release date. The first episode of His Dark Materials will air on the platform on Monday, November 4, with episodes releasing weekly after that.
His Dark Materials cast
The adaptation has an impressive cast:
Dafne Keen (X-23 in Logan) as Lyra Belacqua
Lin-Manuel Miranda (creator of Hamilton) as Lee Scoresby
James McAvoy as Lord Asriel
Ruth Wilson (Luther, The Affair) as Marisa Coulter
Amir Wilson as Will Parry
Ian Peck (Peaky Blinders) as Cardinal Sturrock
Clarke Peters (The Wire, Three Billboards, John Wick) as Dr. Carne
Anne-Marie Duff (Shameless, Suffragette) as Ma Costa
James Cosmo (Game of Thrones' Jeor Mormont) as Farder Coram
Ariyon Bakare (Good Omens, Carnival Row) as Lord Boreal
Andrew Scott (Sherlock, Fleabag) as Colonel John Parry
Ruta Gedmintas (The Strain) as Serafina Pekkala
And the voice actors, too
In addition, HBO announced in early September that David Suchet (Poirot) will voice Serafina Pekkala's dæmon Kaisa, and Helen McCrory (Peaky Blinders) will voice Lord Asriel's dæmon, the snow leopard Stelmaria. Joe Tandberg (Netflix's The Innocents) voices the armored bear Iorek Byrnison, while Kit Connor (Rocketman) voices Lyra's dæmon Pan, and comedian and writer Cristela Alonzo will play Lee Scoresby's dæmon, Hester.
Who else is behind the show?
The original His Dark Materials books were written by Philip Pullman, who has an executive producer credit on this adaptation. The series was adapted in this incarnation by Harry Potter and the Cursed Child stage play writer Jack Thorne, and IMDB lists a number of directing credits for the first season's eight episodes, including Tom Hooper (The Danish Girl, The King's Speech). According to HBO, Hooper directed the first two episodes, while the other six were divided amongst Jamie Childs (Doctor Who), Otto Bathurst (Peaky Blinders, 2018's Robin Hood), Dawn Shadforth, and Euros Lyn (Doctor Who, Daredevil).
The show is a joint production between New Line Cinema, BBC One, and Bad Wolf (an independent production company founded by executive vice-president of programming and production at BBC Worldwide, Jane Tranter, and Welsh producer Julie Gardner). It was announced in 2018 that HBO will handle international distribution.
What's the story about?
The overarching, series-spanning story of His Dark Materials is honestly too crazy and epic to get into. Based on what we've learned so far, it seems safe to bet that the show's first season will concern itself primarily with the first book--originally called Northern Lights, although it was published in North America as The Golden Compass.
That original novel follows Lyra Belacqua, a young girl who discovers a terrible secret concerning the kidnapping of children in her hometown, an alternate reality, steampunkish Oxford. Other characters in Oxford include Lord Asriel, Lyra's vaguely Indiana Jones-like uncle, and Mrs. Coulter, a socialite who adopts Lyra. On her adventures, she'll also meet a talking armored bear named Iorek and his airship pilot friend Lee Scoresby.
The religion controversy
The original books are largely viewed as critical of organized religion, particularly the Catholic church. The semi-fictional "Holy Church" is one of the series' main antagonists, and it's not painted in a particularly positive light (far from it, in fact). That's caused no shortage of controversy over the years, including when the story elements critical of religion were toned down for the 2007 movie.
During the His Dark Materials San Diego Comic-Con panel this year, executive producer Jane Tranter said, "Philip Pullman, in these books, is not attacking belief, not attacking faith, not attacking religion or the church per se...He's attacking a particular form of control where there is a very deliberate attempt to withhold information, keep people in the dark, and not allow ideas and thinking to be free."
She said that although that authoritarian force is represented by the Holy Church and the Magisterium in His Dark Materials, it doesn't equate directly with any real-world churches or religions. That stance seems meticulously designed to try and sidestep any controversy before the show's release, but we'll see how well it holds up once it's actually out.
Will there be musical elements?
His Dark Materials will feature at least some musical elements, thanks in part, it seems, to the involvement of Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda. He stars as the airship pilot and adventurer Lee Scoresby, and Miranda said at Comic-Con that his character will be introduced with a song--a duet between Scoresby and his dæmon, the hare Hester (voiced by Cristela Alonzo).
Watch the trailer for more.
The show's Comic-Con trailer provided the most comprehensive look yet at what we can expect. And honestly--it looks freaking great. Here's hoping it sticks the landing when it finally premieres.
Where can you watch His Dark Materials?
His Dark Materials will air sometime in 2019 either on HBO or the BBC, depending on where you live.
What about His Dark Materials Season 2?
Regardless of whether the first season is any good, Season 2 is already happening--BBC director general Tony Hall confirmed it back in September 2018. We learned in December 2018 that Season 1 had wrapped filming, but it turns out--as HBO shared with the Television Critics Association in July 2019--they actually shot Season 2 back-to-back with the first season. So, perhaps depending on the reception to Season 1, expect to learn more about Season 2's premiere date soon.