Dakota Blue Richards, who we hope will have nothing in common with the “other” Dakota (Fanning) is going from being the chosen child to carry the Golden Compass to being The Moon Princess. Let’s hope her head doesn’t get too big as she becomes the chosen one in movie franchise after movie franchise.
The thirteen-year-old actress has been signed to star in The Secret of Moonacre (previously titled The Moon Princess) even though she hasn’t had a movie hit theaters yet. Richards’ actual film debut will come later this year when The Golden Compass is released over the Holiday season. Despite the lack of experience, the actress is getting to act with a wealth of talent, from Compass’s Nicole Kidman and Daniel Crag to Moonacre’s Tim Curry, Ioan Gruffudd, Juliet Stevenson, and Natascha McElhone. The news comes through Variety.
The Secret of Moonacre is based on the children’s novel The Little White Horse and will feature Richards as an orphan who is sent to live with her uncle in Moonacre Manor. Like so many children in stories like this before her Maria (Richards) discovers mysteries and magical creatures abound around Moonacre Manor, but that magic comes with a curse that only Maria can possibly undo and save Moonacre Valley.
This isn’t the first adaptation for The Little White Horse. It previously appeared as Moonacre, a television miniseries. And, if the plot sounds slightly familiar with a more recent story of a quasi-orphan who becomes the chosen one, that’s because J.K. Rowling is an admitted fan of the original novel.
This could be a good career move for Richards. If The Golden Compass does well, she’ll quickly be in demand to continue the story in another movie (the movie is based on the first book of a trilogy). If it doesn’t, now Richards has already gotten attached to another beloved story.
