His Dark Materials TV series has officially finished filming
Series one covering Northern Lights, the first book of Philip Pullman's acclaimed trilogy, has completed production ahead of a rumoured 2019 release date
The upcoming TV adaptation of His Dark Materials has officially finished filming.
Series one of the highly anticipated BBC series completed production on 14th December 2018.
A video of star Dafne Keen on the official His Dark Materials Twitter account confirmed the news.
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The tweet showed Keen, who plays Lyra Belacqua in the TV drama, with a clapperboard proclaiming "That's a wrap!"
The message also quoted the last line of Northern Lights, the first book in the His Dark Materials trilogy: “So Lyra and her daemon turned away from the world they were born in, and looked towards the sun, and walked into the sky.”
Series one of His Dark Materials is set to cover the events of Northern Lights over the course of eight episodes. Future series adapting The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass – the second and third books in the trilogy – are expected to go into production in 2019.
The script is being written by Harry Potter and the Cursed Child playwright Jack Thorne, with an all-star cast including James McAvoy, Ruth Wilson and Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda set to feature.
The first series could air late in 2019, although no air date has yet been confirmed by BBC1. In the USA, His Dark Materials will air on HBO.
Author Philip Pullman said he was "delighted" after filming began in July earlier this year, adding, "I’m looking forward immensely to seeing how it looks."
He also thanked production company Bad Wolf for their work in adapting the trilogy and assembling "a wonderful cast".
BBC director-general Tony Hall confirmed that series one is only the beginning for the production, with at least one more series set to be made.
“The cost per episode is high – it’s really ambitious,” he said in September 2018.
The King’s Speech director Tom Hooper will helm the project and direct the first two episodes.
Screenwriter Thorne said that he felt "in awe" when adapting the trilogy for television: “His Dark Materials are the most beautiful set of books, taking us into a world of constant imagination. Reading them I was a massive fan, in adapting them I've increasingly felt in awe of them. It's the constant invention, the way the story never sits still, and that the characters constantly surprise you."
