As reported by Deadline, BBC One has hired Jack Thorne to write its big event series adaptation of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series. Thorne is an accomplished writer in the world of British TV, having created and written for Cast Offs, The Fades, Glue, and The Last Panthers. Now he’ll be taking on His Dark Materials, which revolves around a girl named Lyra who lives in a parallel universe in which people’s souls exist as physical animal buddies. This will be the second attempt at an adaptation of this series, as a big-screen version of the first book was released in 2007 under its North American title, The Golden Compass—possibly better remembered as “that movie with the armor-wearing polar bear.”
In a statement released by the BBC, Thorne said that, “it is an honor and a privilege to be given this opportunity to delve into Philip Pullman’s world,” adding that the His Dark Materials series is “vast and glorious” and “full of beautiful characters.” No casting information or a premiere date for His Dark Materials have been announced yet.