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.

On the one hand, it'd be creepy to have your soul embodied in an animal who follows you around and never lets you be. On the other, it'd be pretty neat if said animal was an enormous, snow leopard, like Daniel Craig's Lord Asriel. I'd love, love, love a snow leopard of my very own. Anyway, I'm talking about The Golden Compass, and after months of waiting, the first five minutes of the film have gone up over at Yahoo. Based on the first novel of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, the film is about a 12-year-old girl named Lyra (Dakota Blue Richards) whose attempts to save a kidnapped friend bring her into a quest to save her world and ours.

The opening of the film lays out the basics -- the golden compass, the workings of the worlds, and the embodiment of souls, before jumping into a little hooligan action. It's quickly set up that Lyra is the fearless, creative, and outspoken tough girl, and Richards handles it with ease, which should mean great things for the rest of the film. But as a teaser clip to whet our appetites, I'm not sure this will really wow anyone but those who are itching to see it, and would see it whether the opening was released or not. At the same time, it does, however, offer a brief setup of this fantastical world, which can help those wondering what's up with this whole Compass movie and religion kerfuffle. We don't have too long to wait to see it ourselves. The film hits theaters this week.

Back in January, we were invited to visit the set of The Golden Compass, which was wrapping up its final week of shooting at that time. Since then, a number of photos have hit the net, in addition to two trailers, a few posters and a whole lot of buzz. Based on Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, The Golden Compass (originally titled Northern Lights when it was released in Britain) is the first of three books New Line hopes to adapt for the big screen. Unlike New Line's Lord of the Rings franchise, all three His Dark Materials films (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass) are not being shot at the same time. While plans to make The Subtle Knife are currently in the works, it's believed the studio will wait to see how well The Golden Compass does in theaters before moving on to its sequel.

Earlier this month, director Chris Weitz dropped somewhat of a bomb on fans (in a letter to the His Dark Materials fansite), letting them know that he, along with Scholastic, New Line and Philip Pullman, have decided to cut out the last three chapters of Book I from the film, and will instead use the material for The Subtle Knife (even though footage from those last three chapters does appear in the trailer for Compass). For those of you that have read The Golden Compass, you'll know that the book ends on a pretty big cliffhanger (with both a major death and a betrayal). The consensus from fans is that this was a good choice, and will make for a better overall cinematic experience. Additionally, it also means there's a very good chance The Subtle Knife will be made into a film as well ... and what a beginning it will have! The Golden Compass opens nationwide on December 7th; below you'll find a gallery of pics from our set visit and make sure to read on after the jump to find out how this monstrous production was pieced together.

New Line was cool enough to send Cinematical the final two posters for The Golden Compass, a film that's sure to blow all our minds once it arrives in theaters on December 7. We've included the first poster above (click on it for a larger version), and you can view the second poster after the jump. Both are bursting with color, intrigue and cool-looking warrior bears. Based on Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, The Golden Compass is the first big-screen adaptation to hit screens, with plans to adapt the other two novels in the series (The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass) already in the works. The film was directed by Chris Weitz (who I know will knock this one out of the park), and it stars Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Sam Elliott and Dakota Blue Richards.

Here's a piece of the synopsis to whet your appetite: "The Golden Compass' is an exciting fantasy adventure, set in an alternative world where people's souls manifest themselves as animals, talking bears fight wars, and Gyptians and witches co-exist. At the center of the story is Lyra (played by newcomer Dakota Blue Richards), a 12-year-old girl who starts out trying to rescue a friend who's been kidnapped by a mysterious organization known as the Gobblers - and winds up on an epic quest to save not only her world, but ours as well." As I said, The Golden Compass hits theaters on December 7; you can check out the trailer over on Moviefone and the second poster after the jump. Enjoy.

Her first film, The Golden Compass, hasn't come out yet, but young star Dakota Blue Richards has grabbed her next fantastical starring role. Variety reports that the young, 13-year-old actress will head The Secret of Moonacre, Gabor Csupo's (of Rugrats fame) next film. Our Christopher Campbell hoped it would be AnnaSophia Robb, but Richards is getting the part. See, this is the adaptation of Elizabeth Goudge's The Little White Horse... which was then renamed The Moon Princess when Colin Firth was cast... and now it's The Secret of Moonacre. I'm not quite sure why they keep changing the name.

I wonder if Firth is still in this film, since he's not mentioned on Variety's cast list. They say that the young actress will be joined by Ioan Gruffudd, Tim Curry, Natascha McElhone, and Juliet Stevenson. From an adaptation penned by Lucy Shuttleworth and Graham Alborough, Moonacre is about a young orphan named Maria (Richards) who is sent to Moonacre Manor to live with her uncle. "There she enters a world of magical creatures, and discovers that she is the only person who can undo an ancient curse and save Moonacre Valley." Basically, the regular family fare. The production starts today in Budapest, and meanwhile, you can catch Richards in The Golden Compass on December 7.

Yahoo! has your first look at the brand new trailer for The Golden Compass, and right off the bat New Line makes it pretty clear that they want this to be the next Lord of the Rings-type epic. In fact, the trailer even starts out with a ring falling through mid-air, which then transforms into a compass ... and away we go. As expected, the visual effects look absolutely stunning. Back in February, I was fortunate enough to sneak 10 minutes of footage while on The Golden Compass set in London; though keep in mind a lot of that footage was missing the shine, the polish and the effects. Since some of those same scenes are included in this trailer, I'm happy to report that the finished product has exceeded my expectations. While it's not as badass as Rings was, pic should definitely help New Line launch another highly successful franchise when it arrives in theaters this December.

Written and directed by Chris Weitz (who I bet will surprise a lot of people with this flick), The Golden Compass is based on the first book in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series. Starring Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Eva Green and little Dakota Blue Richards, Compass is a sprawling adventure set in a parallel universe (think along the lines of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow as far as look goes) in which we follow a young girl on a quest to track down her best friend, along with a group of kids who have been kidnapped by a mysterious force. But that's just the skeleton of the story; there's so much more going on in this thing. It's a pretty complex book to adapt, and I'll give a lot more props to Weitz and Co. once I see they found a way to maintain the meat of the story, while at the same time making it somewhat easy for kids to pick up on the first go-round. New Line has already started their big marketing push for Compass, unveiling a website that includes a slew of info on the film, the world and the characters. Also, might I suggest picking up the book prior to seeing the film, as I imagine it will greatly enhance your moviegoing experience. The Golden Compass arrives in theaters on December 7.

I don't know why, but every time I have seen the name Daniel Craig in the last month, I've thought of Clive Owen. Even now, being hyper-aware of it, I still see the name and have immediate flashes of the gruff-voiced dark and dirty Brit in my head -- and I'm now realizing that my description isn't a great way to distinguish between the two of them. I immediately think "Ooh! Clive!" and then have the split-second pause before thinking "Oh..." Anyhow, I'm sure you don't care about the evil way my brain plays tricks on me, so I'll get to the news at hand.

Yesterday, as I reported, The Subtle Knife, the second installment in the His Dark Materials series, got a screenwriter. Now, Movies Online has put up a whole ton of new images from the series' first installment, the upcoming The Golden Compass. The ladies steal the scenes in these pictures, although for entirely different reasons. Nicole Kidman's beyond-waifish look gives her an air of the exotic, but it really makes me want to invite her over for a particularly fatty smorgasbord of tasty food. On the other female side of things -- Dakota Blue Richards, who plays Lyra Belacqua, looks wonderful. The fresh-faced newbie actress already has a commanding presence in these still images, so I'm sure that means great things for her performance. As for the men of the Compass, such as Daniel Craig, there are lots of beards, facial hair and furrowed brows. All in all, I'm intrigued. What do you think? Do these pictures bode well for the film?

Odds and ends from Wednesday:

• Watch out Dakota Fanning -- there's a new Dakota out there on the horizon who's bound to give the old Dakota a run for her money. Variety reports that 12-year-old newcomer Dakota Blue Richards (much cooler name if I may say so myself) has been chosen among 10,000 girls in the U.K for the lead role in The Golden Compass. Pic, which will be directed by Chris Weitz (Yes, this time he's really directing it) is an adaptation of the first book in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials fantasy trilogy. With a budget of $150 million, Compass will become New Line's most expensive since The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
• Hey, remember that Frankie Muniz sex comedy that had Martha foaming at the mouth in anticipation of its release? Yeah, well Dimension Films has snatched up the rights to Parental Guidance Suggested, suggesting that people should actually pay money to go see this thing. Labeled a "sketch comedy feature," pic boasts an ensemble cast that includes a cast full of folks that have the potential to be funny if it weren't for the moronic films they choose to appear in. Yes, I'm talking about you Jamie Kennedy. 
• Well, it appears Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way has taken a small lead in the race to land a Timothy Leary-related film in theaters. Appian has gone ahead and tapped playwright Craig Lucas and Leary archivist Michael Horowitz to develop a biopic based on the famous 1960s icon as a potential starring vehicle for the Titanic star. Now, you may recall that Appian is not alone in their pursuit to create a film about the LSD advocate. In fact, Miramax has already gone ahead and purchased the rights to Robert Greenfield's book, Timothy Leary: A Biography, with similar intentions. And, while all this is going on, director Darren Aronofsky is said to be quietly developing his own Leary project as well. Since there's a good chance we won't see three Leary films hit theaters at the same time, I'm wondering who will nab the top spot? Not for nothing, but these other guys don't stand a chance against, well, the King of the world. My money is on DiCaprio.