Advertisement

His Dark Materials trailer unleashes a magical war

Photo credit: HBO
Photo credit: HBO

From Digital Spy

A magical war erupts in the stunning full-length trailer for HBO and the BBC's His Dark Materials series.

The spectacular footage, which was unveiled at the show's Comic-Con International panel on Thursday (July 18), sees young Lyra (Dafne Keen) abandoned when her uncle Lord Asriel (James McAvoy) sets off to uncover the kidnappings of children in the North.

His absence allows Lyra to fall under the influence of Marisa Coulter (Ruth Wilson) and the corrupted Magisterium, but Lyra finds her own destiny when she's given a mystical device known as an alethiometer.

Photo credit: HBO
Photo credit: HBO

The trailer is filled with familiar faces, including Hamilton's Lin-Manuel Miranda as the aeronaut Lee Scoresby (who is the caretaker for a badass armoured bear), The Wire's Clarke Peters as Lyra's protector Dr Carne and Game of Thrones star James Cosmo as the wise Coram Van Texel.

The innovative visuals in the Comic-Con trailer are evidence of Otto Bathurst's recent comments about the TV show's team wanting to update Philip Pullman's novels.

Photo credit: HBO
Photo credit: HBO

Related: His Dark Materials TV series reveals who'll play Will Parry

"We're not twisting it, but we are modernising it a little bit, making it feel a little bit more accessible," he told Metro.

"The books are quite Victoriana in their fantasy, but it's pretty on the nose – there are a lot of fans of that book and it's a great book so why mess with it?"

HBO has confirmed that His Dark Materials will premiere this autumn, with BBC One expected to air it later in the year as well.


Want up-to-the-minute entertainment news and features? Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @digitalspy Instagram and Twitter account.


('You Might Also Like',)