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Airdate: His Dark Materials

Sprawling UK fantasy based on Philip Pullman’s novel begins in early November on FOX Showcase.

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FOX Showcase has confirmed sprawling UK fantasy His Dark Materials will be fast-tracked to screens in early November.

Based on Philip Pullman’s novel the cast now includes Dafne Keen, Ruth Wilson, James McAvoy, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Helen McCrory and David Suchet amongst others.

This will screen 1 day after the UK premiere.

Based on author Philip Pullman’s award-winning trilogy of the same name, considered a modern masterpiece of imaginative fiction, the series has been picked up for two seasons and features a stunning ensemble cast lead by Ruth Wilson (Golden Globe winner for The Affair), Lin-Manuel Miranda (Tony winner for the musical Hamilton) and James McAvoy (Golden Globe nominee for Atonement).

The first 8-episode season follows Lyra (Dafne Keen), a seemingly ordinary but brave young woman from another world. Lyra’s search for a kidnapped friend uncovers a sinister plot involving stolen children, which leads to a quest in understanding a mysterious phenomenon called Dust.

Keen is joined by McAvoy as Lyra’s Uncle Asriel; Wilson as socialite Mrs Coulter; and Miranda as the adventurer Lee Scoresby. The series also boasts a stellar supporting cast including Anne-Marie Duff, Clarke Peters, Will Keen, Ian Gelder, Georgina Campbell and James Cosmo.

Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) has adapted the novels for television, with the first two episodes directed by Oscar-winner Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech).

His Dark Materials is produced by Bad Wolf and New Line Cinema for BBC One and HBO. Executive producing the series are: Dan McCulloch, Jane Tranter, Joel Collins and Julie Gardner for Bad Wolf; Philip Pullman, Jack Thorne, Tom Hooper, Otto Bathurst; Deborah Forte, Toby Emmerich and Carolyn Blackwood for New Line Cinema; and Ben Irving and Piers Wenger for BBC One.

His Dark Materials is exclusive in Australia to Foxtel.

Tuesday, November 5 at 8.30pm on FOX Showcase.

One Response

  1. The success of this series will depend on its pace, if it stops and starts or takes detours it will be distracting no matter how good the CGI . Carnival Row had excellent production quality but seemed uneven in places relying on gore to make a point when a stronger story arc for the actors to work with would have been better. Hopefully, His dark Materials will fulfill the promise it offers, if it does it could have a few more seasons ahead of it.

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