James Bond is Lord Asriel! / HDM Movie Thread

[Jim]

For months the rumour mill has been grinding away with speculation that Paul Bettany will be taking the role of Lord Asriel in The Golden Compass, AKA the first His Dark Materials film.

But no, it turns out that Bettany was the chaff and Daniel Craig ? yes, 007 himself ? is the wheat in this particular overextended casting metaphor. He?ll be the heroic yet ruthless adventurer who also happens to be the uncle of young Lyra Belacqua, and who helps her out on her adventure to save her best friend.

It?ll be something of a reunion for Craig ? putting him back alongside The Visiting?s Nicole Kidman and Casino Royale?s Eva Green.

Chris Weitz starts directing the film in the UK on 4 September. And once Craig's finished battling giant bears and the evil Marisa Coulter (Kidman), he?ll be slipping back into Bond?s tux for the 22nd 007 adventure. That?s provided they have a script. And a director. Oh, and a soundstage that doesn?t currently have the consistency of a burnt Pop Tart.

www.empireonline.co.uk

I didn't mind him being cast as James Bond, but I'm not keen on this one in the least. Kidman and Craig? I've got a really bad feeling about this movie, like it's going to do a Narnia.........

Oh, and while we're on the subject, The Golden Compass? Clearly Northern Lights was an awful name in comparisson... Fucking Americans.

[Danny Top Hat]

I'm gonna be sick, I think.  I doubt i'll even bother watching this movie as it'll just make me really angry.  NOT all popular stories should be made into films - some of them should just be left the fuck alone.

Although, I can't think of anyone better to play Mrs Coulter than Nicole Kidman.

[Danny Top Hat]

Actually...maybe it's not so bad.? I mean, I don't like the idea of them making a Dark Materials film but maybe Daniel Craig is not such bad casting after all.? I thought he'd be a bit young for the role but maybe he isn't.? Bruce Willis would have been better but...yeah Craig may be a really good choice.

[Jim]

Spliff between posts there?

He's too skinny and young for Lord Asriel, and he doesn't look nearly enough like a lion.

I was hoping that they would go for reasonably unknowns for the majority of the roles. Nicole Kidman wouldn't have been my Coultier, either. Oh well, at least neither of them are American.......................

[Danny Top Hat]

Spliff between posts there?

I wish!  I do think the film will probably suck, or maybe it'll just be horribly average like Da Vinci Code.  I'd love an anime version of the story - I actually pictured it in anime when reading it.  That'll never happen sadly.

I also pictured Lord Asriel as being bald, though I dunno if he was described like that.  Daniel Craig is fairly old looking at times and he has a good face for the movies.  He looks like an explorer!

[Jim]

An explorer, eh? Then surely he should be playing Will's dad!

(... does that count as a spoiler? On two counts?)

[Danny Top Hat]

It's a pretty harmless spoiler.? And, Lord Asriel is an explorer as well.

[Jim]

... I knew that. I didn't forget it..............................

Actually, the other, and major, spoiler that I also alluded to (through italics, no less) is the fact that Lord Asriel is Lyra's father.

[Danny Top Hat]

I knew that and all, but didn't wanna draw attention to it.

[Scabbie]

I fucking loved 'His Darker Materials', more than Lord of the Rings. The way I see it is even if the film is a pile of shit the book is still there. Hopefully if Phillip Pullman is involved he won't let any old load of rubbish go out.

What has Chris Wietz done? IMO this project is so ambitious it needs someone like Peter Jackson, Steven Speilberg or maybe even Tim Burton to take it on.

Northern Lights is so much better as a name!

[Danny Top Hat]

Peter Jackson would slaughter it.  Tim Burton would be interesting though.

[Jim]

Tim Burton would have been a horrible choice! That guys been making the same film for the last ten years.

... Okay, maybe not all the time, but I'm not a huge fan of his quirky stuff any more. Not the too quirky stuff, anyway. Crooked doors, well done. Big Fish was fantastic though, but it's a shame that Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was rubbish.

They should have chosen me to direct or, failing that, M Knight!

[Danny Top Hat]

M Knight Shalymallyman?  Naaaaaaaaah!

[Jim]

Okay then, how about Michael Bay?

[Danny Top Hat]

Well, I dunno who he is and IMDB doesnt work on my crappy work computers.  He'll do I guess.

[Jim]

Well, I'll make it easy for you.

He's one of the worst directors of all time!

He's doing the new Transformers movie.

I don't know how you do it though, I don't think that I would get through an internet sitting without IMDB!

[Danny Top Hat]

Most websites are blocked on this computer, except HTGTH.  I got lucky with that.

Spielberg wouldn't be too bad y'know.  It's his kinda film.

[Jim]

Spielberg? Well, there's a clear lack of a parent or parents, and broken family issues crop up... I'm sure that he'd jump at the chance!

[Kujo]

I have to claim ignorance on the story in question but since we have gotten into a directors discussion, how about Christopher Nolan? Memento, Insomnia, Batman Begins, and the previews for the Prestige look fantastic.  The man can tell a story and set a mood.

[Jim]

For some reason I always forget that Nolan did Insomnia. I'm not sure why. But I love all three mentioned films, and you just know that the Prestige will rock your world!

Also, and most importantly of all, he's English! So I'm sold.