Quite a bit of time has passed since The BBC first announced its adaptation of His Dark Materials, so to say we're due for footage at this point is an understatement. With that said, this first trailer feels well worth the wait as audiences are teased with the outstanding all-star cast this series boasts. Take a look below, and be amazed by this chilling (but apparently not chilling enough to show a polar bear) and star-studded tease.
Guns, screaming, shocked faces, this trailer has it all. The impact is elevated by the fact that there's a few familiar faces behind all those actions, as Logan's Dafne Keen will play the young Lyra as she goes on a quest to understand the phenomena of "Dust." She gets the lion's share of the screen-time in this teaser, as she's seen running, hiding, and snapping shut a golden compass fans of His Dark Materials are most certainly familiar with.
Dafne Keen's screen time is nearly matched by former actress on The Affair Ruth Wilson, who will play Mrs. Coulter. Then there's James McAvoy's Lord Asriel, who plays a sizable role in this adventure but is seen just as much as Clarke Peters, who will appear as The Master. Then there's Lin-Manuel Miranda, who is seen briefly as Lee Scoresby. Of course, this is just the first trailer, so there's plenty of time to see the Hamilton actor in future footage.
The footage is brief, but welcome all the same for a project that's sounded like a fairy tale in its own right when it was announced. Now, years after its announcement, His Dark Materials is getting an adaptation that feels worthy of its acclaimed story, and a cast of actors any television series would dream of. It's up for debate whether or not which cast is better between this and The Golden Compass, but it's a close call either way.
Which might be why there were said to be quite a few streaming services and networks in the running for the series' American run. Early word said Netflix and Apple were both trying to get the rights, but in the end HBO ended up scoring the eight episode series for the United States release. As of now there's no official word on when the show will run stateside, although HBO just confirmed its 2019 arrival when adding more His Dark Materials footage to the network's multi-show teaser:
Of course, CinemaBlend will keep an eye out for more trailers and release date details for His Dark Materials, and always provide the latest and greatest updates on relevant entertainment news. Keep up with what's on the way to television in 2019 by visiting and bookmarking our midseason premiere guide, which is jam-packed with all the new and returning shows audiences will want to check out.
