# Will the next "Golden Compass"/"His Dark Materials" movie ever get made? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 28, 2007, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-next-golden-compass-his-dark-materials-movie-ever-get-made/431532 "2007-12-28T22:59:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2007, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-next-golden-compass-his-dark-materials-movie-ever-get-made/431532/21 "2007-12-29T07:47:51Z")
According to [Boxofficemojo](http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=GoldenCompass.htm), it’s made $146,000,000 so far with a $180,000,000 budget. Not _that bad_. ---
**Author:** ![Pel2na](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Pel2na](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pel2na)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2007, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-next-golden-compass-his-dark-materials-movie-ever-get-made/431532/22 "2007-12-29T08:09:14Z")
[QUOTE=Equipoise] New Line can always get rid of Shaye and then hire WETA, who’ll be a lot cheaper to work with for upcoming effects [/QUOTE] I can’t see this happening. Not until the Jackson/New Line lawsuit is settled and that could be a while. A long stinkin’ while. [pats dogeared copy of _The Hobbit_ and sighs] ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2007, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-next-golden-compass-his-dark-materials-movie-ever-get-made/431532/23 "2007-12-29T08:14:11Z")
Well, I gave it a C+. But still, that was damning with faint praise, and there is **NO ONE** I know or have read that thinks that the Golden Compass is not \*far and away \*the best book of the 3. Look, the plot is disjointed, confusing and somewhat depressing. Books 2 + 3 get worse. Even worse than that is that the 1st book is set in a very interesting universe, with Steam-tech Victorian airships, armored bears and Daemons. None of those cool things (IIRC) are in the other two. I could give a rats-ass about the religous theme, or lack there-of. **Equipoise** - you liked “the casting (especially Nicole Kidman), the art direction/set decoration, the special effects, the costumes, the atmosphere.” No Kidman, no costumes, no atmosphere in books 2&3. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2007, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-next-golden-compass-his-dark-materials-movie-ever-get-made/431532/24 "2007-12-29T16:31:04Z")
[QUOTE=Pel2na] I can’t see this happening. Not until the Jackson/New Line lawsuit is settled and that could be a while. A long stinkin’ while. [pats dogeared copy of _The Hobbit_ and sighs] [/QUOTE] You probably turned off all media to avoid Christmas carols and specials, which is why you missed this: [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hkuaB7l-Jr9A2pNhbvKbnjEAXVIQD8TK2D4G2](http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hkuaB7l-Jr9A2pNhbvKbnjEAXVIQD8TK2D4G2) > [@](#): > > After publicly feuding for more than a year, “Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema have reached agreement to make J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit,” a planned two-film prequel to the blockbuster trilogy. > > Jackson, who directed “Rings,” will serve as executive producer for two “Hobbit” pictures. They will tell the story of how the young hobbit Bilbo Baggins originally came to possess the nefarious One Ring that Frodo, his adopted heir, needed three films to dispose of. > > A director for the films has yet to be named. Production is tentatively set to begin in 2009 with a release planned for 2010, and the sequel following in 2011. > > … > > “I’m very pleased that we’ve been able to put our differences behind us, so that we may begin a new chapter with our old friends at New Line,” Jackson said in a statement. “We are delighted to continue our journey through Middle Earth.” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_In_Black)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2007, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-next-golden-compass-his-dark-materials-movie-ever-get-made/431532/25 "2007-12-29T16:51:26Z")
I loved the movie. I really hope the other books will be made into movies. And I think I may read the books soon. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2007, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-next-golden-compass-his-dark-materials-movie-ever-get-made/431532/26 "2007-12-29T17:01:55Z")
Loved the books, didn’t like the movie. Saying that I probably would go to see the sequels just to see what they do with them. I agree that the amount of money that the film has made having only been out a month is hardly making it a bomb, I see it making a very healthy profit in the long run. It’s no Lord of the Rings though. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2007, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-next-golden-compass-his-dark-materials-movie-ever-get-made/431532/27 "2007-12-29T18:17:03Z")
Two cents from a conservative Catholic who has little use for Philip Pullman. “The Golden Compass” certainly isn’t a flop in the “Heaven’s Gate” sense. It’s made around $60 million here, more abroad, and will probably do decently on video. So, the studio certainly isn’t taking a bath on this movie. My guess is, it will probably even turn a small profit at some point. Many films that are widely perceived as flops do. But “The Golden Compass” was supposed to be the start of a highly profitable franchise, not a single movie. And by that standard, its performance was mighty poor. Sequels could only do worse, not better. Add to that the fact that there’d be practically no merchandising, and the movie looks like a major disappointment (not a bomb, just a disappointment). “The Golden Compass” was the least controversial of the Dark Materials trilogy. I think it’s a good bet that most kids who saw it didn’t grasp the underlying anti-religious message (just as millions of kids who saw “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” had no idea Aslan was supposed to be Jesus). Unless the next two movie adaptations completely abandon Pullman’s plots, they’d be FAR more difficult to sell to the movie-going public. So, if business and profit were the only considerations, New Line should say, “Sigh… nice effort, but there’s no franchise here. No more movies.” But Hollywood likes to thumb its nose at Christians every now and then, so they might green light a sequel with a MUCH smaller budget. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2007, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-next-golden-compass-his-dark-materials-movie-ever-get-made/431532/28 "2007-12-29T18:47:24Z")
I hope they get made, just because I hate when series end before they are properly resolved. I did like the film, especially visually and conceptually, although I wouldn’t put it in any top ten list. I haven’t read the books yet but I plan to. This may color my feelings one way or another. The one thing I don’t understand though is why it cost $180 friggin million dollars. For that much money I expect something like Pirates, which filmed for years with a cast and crew of thousands in exotic locales with huge elaborate set pieces and custom built ships… This probably would have been better off as a trilogy of miniseries on the sci-fi channel or something, then it wouldn’t have been censored or edited so tightly, could have had decent effects with a more reasonable budget, and would have higher chances of being completed. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2007, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-next-golden-compass-his-dark-materials-movie-ever-get-made/431532/29 "2007-12-29T19:31:33Z")
[QUOTE=Exapno Mapcase] You probably turned off all media to avoid Christmas carols and specials, which is why you missed this: [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hkuaB7l-Jr9A2pNhbvKbnjEAXVIQD8TK2D4G2](http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hkuaB7l-Jr9A2pNhbvKbnjEAXVIQD8TK2D4G2) [/QUOTE] The fact that the failure of TGC is probably a factor in forcing New Line to see reason in this regard is one point in its favor, at least. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2007, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-next-golden-compass-his-dark-materials-movie-ever-get-made/431532/30 "2007-12-29T20:25:39Z")
Perhaps the problem lies with too many fantasy films being made. Did we really need another film whose plotline concluded with yet another great battle, where all seemed lost, until an army of allies appeared at the last minute in order to save the day? Didn’t the LOTR trilogy corner the market on this device? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2007, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-next-golden-compass-his-dark-materials-movie-ever-get-made/431532/31 "2007-12-29T22:10:04Z")
[QUOTE=Dominic Mulligan] Perhaps the problem lies with too many fantasy films being made. Did we really need another film whose plotline concluded with yet another great battle, where all seemed lost, until an army of allies appeared at the last minute in order to save the day? Didn’t the LOTR trilogy corner the market on this device? [/QUOTE] You can’t have too many _good_ fantasy films. TGC just failed by not being good. I had high hopes for this flick, having enjoyed the books. And I’ve have loved to see it succeed, and confound its foes among the religious right. But it was a lousy movie, for many of the reasons outlined in this and other threads. If New Line is smart, they’ll pour their resources behind PJ and the Hobbit flicks. Which will mean no sequels of TGC. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2007, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-next-golden-compass-his-dark-materials-movie-ever-get-made/431532/32 "2007-12-29T23:09:16Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] If New Line is smart, they’ll pour their resources behind PJ and the Hobbit flicks. Which will mean no sequels of TGC. [/QUOTE] I’d much rather have Hobbits than more TGC, especially with PJ at the helm (or at least on the bridge). ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2007, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-next-golden-compass-his-dark-materials-movie-ever-get-made/431532/33 "2007-12-30T00:54:38Z")
[QUOTE=Orual] So? They’re idiots. [/QUOTE] [Donohue especially.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=352090) ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2007, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-next-golden-compass-his-dark-materials-movie-ever-get-made/431532/34 "2007-12-30T01:14:48Z")
[QUOTE=Tapioca Dextrin] According to [Boxofficemojo](http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=GoldenCompass.htm), it’s made $146,000,000 so far with a $180,000,000 budget. Not _that bad_. [/QUOTE] Actually, it is that bad. The film is just about at the end of its theatrical run and since the rule of thumb is that a film has to gross twice its budget just to break even, _TGC_ is a flop. Unfortunately. I’m a big fan of the books and think the main problem with the film is that it needed a bout an hour more to develop the complex themes, characters, and storyline that made the books so great. As others have said, there was so much great about the film, it was just too rushed. I’d like to see the sequels made, but I’m not hopeful that they will be. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2007, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-next-golden-compass-his-dark-materials-movie-ever-get-made/431532/35 "2007-12-30T01:47:32Z")
Come to think of it, wasn’t _A Series of Unfortunate Events_ supposed to be the beginning of a franchise for its studio? Thirteen books to work with, IIRC, but the first movie was a flop - or, more importantly for Hollywood’s purposes at least, _perceived_ as one - and thus we’re still waiting for a second movie. And will likely continue to do so. ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2007, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-next-golden-compass-his-dark-materials-movie-ever-get-made/431532/36 "2007-12-30T05:38:45Z")
Another conservative Catholic here, but although I dislike a lot of Pullamn’s views, I quite liked the first two books in the series. I would have liked to see how they’d do _The Subtle Knife_, but I was pretty disappointed with TGC. I really can’t imagine making a good film of _The Amber Spyglass_ at all. It’s not as coherent as the other two. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2007, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-next-golden-compass-his-dark-materials-movie-ever-get-made/431532/37 "2007-12-30T06:49:18Z")
I think **Elendil’s Heir** hit on the problem way back in post #2. The pre-release hype made it sound like The Golden Compass was going to be the next _Lord Of The Rings_. It’s clear that New Line had high hopes for this movie. However, when the newspaper critics saw it, they were pretty lukewarm. Most said something like this: “It’s not bad. The CGI effects are pretty. But it’s rather grim and humorless, and overall it’s really nothing special.” In the end, even if the movie does OK, New Line will probably be disappointed because they were hoping for a SUPER MEGA SMASH HIT. The fact that the next two books are, by all accounts, even grimmer and darker than the first won’t do anything to change their minds. > [@](#): > > Come to think of it, wasn’t A Series of Unfortunate Events supposed to be the beginning of a franchise for its studio? Thirteen books to work with, IIRC, but the first movie was a flop - or, more importantly for Hollywood’s purposes at least, perceived as one - and thus we’re still waiting for a second movie. And will likely continue to do so. I kinda liked the _Series of Unfortunate Events_ books, but as for the movie, let’s face reality: It sucked. Badly. Jim Carrey was the only thing that saved that movie from being unwatchable dreck. (I usually don’t like Carrey, but occasionally he’ll click with me. I enjoyed his version of The Riddler in that one Batman movie, for example.) ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2007, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-next-golden-compass-his-dark-materials-movie-ever-get-made/431532/38 "2007-12-30T06:57:46Z")
[QUOTE=Diceman] I think **Elendil’s Heir** hit on the problem way back in post #2. The pre-release hype made it sound like The Golden Compass was going to be the next _Lord Of The Rings_… [/QUOTE] The hype ALSO cast it in the tradition of _The Chronicles of Narnia_. I bet Mr. Pulliam _loved_ that. I have the books but haven’t yet read them. I also want to see the movie but haven’t yet. (I still have _Enchanted_ to see- and that’s first priority if I get the chance). I don’t want to see the movie flop- I also would like to see the other two made, I want a diverse & robust array of spiritually-themed films out there- but there are other movies I want to see more. So I hope the HDM trilogy gets made and do OK, and I hope all seven NARNIA films get made & kicks HDM’s tail. _G_ And remind me again why we in the US should care how we look to the Europeans? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2007, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-next-golden-compass-his-dark-materials-movie-ever-get-made/431532/39 "2007-12-30T08:05:10Z")
[QUOTE=Diceman] I kinda liked the _Series of Unfortunate Events_ books, but as for the movie, let’s face reality: It sucked. Badly. Jim Carrey was the only thing that saved that movie from being unwatchable dreck.) [/QUOTE] No, also the sets, etc were wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelQReilly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@MichaelQReilly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelQReilly)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2007, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-next-golden-compass-his-dark-materials-movie-ever-get-made/431532/40 "2007-12-30T16:30:21Z")
The biggest problem, as someone alluded to up-thread, is that the first book is far and away the best and most accessible of the series, especially for movie-making purposes. Frankly, I don’t understand how or why Hollywood ever considered making films 2 and 3. Books 2 and 3 aren’t very good, and that is coming from someone who probably shares 95% of Pullman’s anti-religious world view. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-next-golden-compass-his-dark-materials-movie-ever-get-made/431532.md?page=1)