HBO keeps teasing that His Dark Materials, its television adaptation of Philip Pullman’s trilogy, is “coming soon”—but if they keep releasing trailers like this, then they’re gonna have to hurry up and give us a release date. The latest teaser is tense and excellent, with glimpses of Iorek Byrnison, the Silver Guillotine (!), and Ruth Wilson acting wonderfully creepy as Mrs. Coulter.
No alethiometer like last time, but plenty of other worldbuilding and scene-setting to take in:
The official synopsis for the eight-part series, from the BBC:
Dafne Keen takes on the lead role of Lyra, the young protagonist of the story who lives in Jordan College, Oxford. Placed there at the request of her Uncle, Lord Asriel (James McAvoy), she lives a sheltered life amongst the scholars and college staff while under the watchful protection of The Master (Clarke Peters) and Librarian Scholar Charles (Ian Gelder).
When the glamorous and mesmeric Mrs Coulter (Ruth Wilson) enters Lyra’s life she embarks upon a dangerous journey of discovery from Oxford to London. Here she meets Father MacPhail (Will Keen), Lord Boreal (Ariyon Bakare) and journalist Adele Starminster (Georgina Campbell) at a glittering society party where she first hears about the sinister General Oblation Board.
Lyra is subsequently thrown into the nomadic world of the boat dwelling Gyptians—Ma Costa (Anne-Marie Duff), Farder Coram (James Cosmo), John Faa (Lucian Msamati), Raymond Van Geritt (Mat Fraser), Jack Verhoeven (Geoff Bell) and Benjamin de Ruyter (Simon Manyonda)—who take her North in her quest.
Once in the North she meets charismatic aeronaut and adventurer Lee Scoresby (Lin-Manuel Miranda), who joins them on their epic journey and who becomes one of Lyra’s closest allies.
His Dark Materials will air on HBO and the BBC.
