BBC and HBO are filling the Game of Thrones shaped hole in your heart with His Dark Materials, which is set to air on Sunday 3 November.
Based on the Phillip Pullman novels of the same name, His Dark Materials draws on all sorts of similar themes to GoT. While there won't be a White Walker in sight, the books cover philosophy, religion and morality, and are equally dark and mysterious.
The trilogy, made up of Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass, follows two teenagers, Lyra Belacqua and Will Parry, as they come of age while wandering through a series of parallel universes and try to make sense of the world.
Think witches and armoured polar bears, demons and soul-eating Spectres, as well as developing friendships and relationships. Sounds good, huh?
When is the BBC's His Dark Materials on TV?
If you happen to have cancelled your NowTV or HBO subscription now that GoT is no longer on our screens (same), the new TV adaptation will also screen on the BBC. The first episode airs on Sunday 4 November at 8pm and every Sunday thereafter for eight weeks. English screenwriter and playwright Jack Thorne – who wrote the screenplay for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – created the scripts for the novel-turned-TV show.
Does His Dark Materials have a trailer?
The second trailer, which dropped on Friday 4 October, seems to be based on the first of the triology, Northern Lights. It sees Lyra, the young girl, begin on an expedition with the Gyptians in an attempt to rescue stolen children, after she discovers the Gobblers, a secret Church-funded project, are abducting them for research.
Who stars in His Dark Materials?
It stars Dafne Keen as Lyra Belacqua, newcomer Amir Wilson as Will Parry, Ruth Wilson as Mrs Coulter, Anne Marie-Duff as Ma Costa, Lin-Manuel Miranda as Lee Scoresby and James McAvoy as Lord Asriel. While The Wire’s Clarke Peters plays Dr Carne and Game of Thrones’ Ian Gelder takes on the role of Librarian Scholar Charles.
Speaking of the His Dark Materials adaptation, director Otto Bathurst told Metro:
"[His Dark Materials] has been interesting, as we are twisting that a little bit. We are modernising it a little bit, making it feel a little bit more accessible. The books are quite Victoriana in their fantasy, but it’s pretty on the nose – there are a lot of fans of that book and it’s a great book so why mess with it?"
That's one way to fill the gap.
