Debuting at Comic-Con via its panel was a brand new look at His Dark Materials thanks to a bunch of fresh images and the latest trailer. The series is adapted from Philip Pullman’s hugely acclaimed fantasy novels, marking the second time they’ve reached the screen – the first being in the unsatisfying Golden Compass movie. This take is the form it probably always should have taken: a long-form TV show, with considerable production value, and time to tell the story to its fullest without shaving off those harder edges.
The story, set in an alternate version of Victorian-ish Britain, finds rebellious pre-teen Lyra Belacqua (Logan's Dafne Keen) go on a mission to the tundras of Svalbard when children start going missing in mysterious kidnappings. In this world, humans are joined by animal companions, a physical manifestation of the soul, called daemons – beings which can shape-shift in childhood, and settle into one single form at puberty.
The new images reveal some exciting elements from the upcoming show. First up, here’s Clarke Peters as Dr Carne, the Master of Jordan College, Oxford – flanked by Miss Coulter’s daemon, the menacing golden monkey.
And this is Stelmaria, the snow leopard daemon of theological explorer Lord Asriel (James McAvoy).
Most excitingly, here’s one of the panserbjørn, the sentient armoured polar bears of Svalbard. Judging by the rough metal of the armour this is Iorek Byrnison, the exiled warrior who helps Lyra on her quest, and not his vain, gold-armoured rival Iofur Raknison.
Finally, here’s a fresh look at Lyra with her adorable daemon Pantalaimon in pine marten form – and in her hands, she’s holding the alethiometer, the ‘Golden Compass’ of the first book’s US title, which goes by its original title Northern Lights in the UK. The mythical dial is a truth-telling device that takes considerable study to master, and which Lyra finds herself adept at using.
Thanks to the show's Comic-Con panel, we also know to expect it this autumn on the Beeb in the UK and via HBO in the States. Meanwhile, here's everything we're excited about for the Con.