TheSubtleKnife Tagged Articles at Cinematical

At least not any time soon. That's from this article in The Independent, which quotes author Phillip Pullman as saying that following the disappointing box office returns for The Golden Compass, no one has talked to him about adapting The Amber Spyglass (or, obviously, The Subtle Knife). Director Chris Weitz, who had been determined to make a sequel happen, is staying mum, as is New Line, now part of Warner Bros. At this point, the age of star Dakota Blue Richards -- already 14 -- is going to be a problem for any big plans to continue the franchise.

The Independent article is a little annoying, since it insists on blaming (crediting?) the Christian protests against The Golden Compass for the film's commercial failure in the US. That seems a little facile, though even Pullman seems to believe it. The source material didn't turn out to be much of a brand name, the marketing was a bit generic, and I think the movie just never caught on as a must-see holiday blockbuster. I'm not sure the protests had that much pull.

No regrets here, since I think the first film was a bit generic, not doing justice to the book. Though I guess now I really wish Weitz hadn't decided to move the first book's ending to the then-envisioned sequel. Oh well.

I remember being surprised when I heard that The Chronicles of Narnia was thickly Christian. Then again, I was a young girl when I read the books, so I was more drawn to the cool talking animals and crazy adventures than involving myself in textual interpretation. However, for those that find the religious inclusion particularly stifling, Phillip Pullman's Dark Materials series is said to be a rebuttal of C. S. Lewis' Chronicles. It's got the articulate animals, religious allegories and other adventures, without some of the more Christian aspects. Now, on the heels of Narnia, Dark Materials is heading to the big screen.

As we've previously reported, the first book, The Golden Compass, is currently in production with stars ranging from 007 Daniel Craig to Nicole Kidman and Sam Elliot. I imagine that things are going well on the set of Compass, since Variety has now reported that in the midst of its shoot, New Line is making plans for the next part of the trilogy. The company has hired Hossein Amini to pen The Subtle Knife, installment #2. You might remember Amini from his adaptation of Henry James' The Wings of the Dove, or from Wes Bentley's The Four Feathers.

As Knife gears up, it will be interesting to see which actors will remain throughout the series. As Martha Fischer bemoaned, Craig is already wrapped up as Bond. But I am more curious to see what happens with Nicole Kidman. She backed out of both Lar von Trier's Manderlay and The Aviator due to scheduling problems, but frankly, could she have done as well in the latter as Cate Blanchett? Perhaps Cate or Bryce Dallas Howard will have to be brought in again.

[via Coming Soon]