The Golden Compass is a 2007 fantasy adventure film written and directed by Chris Weitz, based on the 1995 novel Northern Lights by Philip Pullman. It stars Nicole Kidman, Sam Elliott, Eva Green, Dakota Blue Richards and Daniel Craig. In the film, Lyra joins a race of water-workers and seafarers on a trip to the far North in search of children kidnapped by the Gobblers, a group supported by the world's rulers, the Magisterium.
Development on the film was announced in February 2002, but difficulties over the screenplay and the selection of a director (including Weitz departing and returning) caused significant delays. Richards was cast as Lyra in June 2006, with Kidman and Craig joining soon thereafter. Principal photography began that September at Shepperton Studios and lasted for several months. Location filming also took place in England, Switzerland, and Norway.
The Golden Compass premiered in London on 27 November 2007, and was theatrically released in the United Kingdom by Entertainment Film on 5 December and in the United States by New Line Cinema on 7 December. The film received mixed reviews and grossed $372 million against a budget of $180 million. It won Best Visual Effects at the 80th Academy Awards and Best Special Visual Effects at the 61st British Academy Film Awards.
Plot On an alternate Earth, a church called the Magisterium controls people's beliefs under the auspices of the Authority. Every person's soul exists as their own animal companion, a dæmon, and they must remain in close proximity. When young, people's dæmons change form reflecting their moods, but at the onset of puberty the dæmons settle into one form.
Lyra Belacqua is an orphan raised at Jordan College with her dæmon Pantalaimon or "Pan". Her uncle is Lord Asriel, an explorer and scholar of the college. When he returns from seeking the elusive Dust — cosmic particles that the Magisterium forbids being mentioned — Asriel reveals that Dust at the North Pole links to infinite worlds. He is granted funding for another expedition though, if proven, his theory would undermine the Magisterium's control.
Kidnappers called "the Gobblers" abduct children, including Lyra's friends, Roger Parslow and Billy Costa, a young Gyptian.
Marisa Coulter, a wealthy "friend" of the college, invites Lyra to stay with her in London. Just before she leaves, the Master of the college entrusts Lyra with her uncle's alethiometer, an artefact that reveals the truth, warning her to keep it secret. Mrs. Coulter becomes domineering after Lyra boasts of knowing about Dust. Lyra discovers she leads the Gobblers. After Mrs. Coulter's dæmon tries to steal the alethiometer, she and Pan flee, but are captured. A band of Gyptians save Lyra from the Gobblers, and she joins the Gyptian army sailing north to Trollesund in Norwegian Lapland to rescue their abducted children.
Gyptian elder Farder Coram recognizes the alethiometer that, with his guidance, Lyra learns to decipher. Serafina Pekkala, queen of a witch clan, flies to the Gyptian ship and tells Lyra the children are at a Magisterial experimental station in Bolvangar. In league with the Magisterium, Mrs. Coulter sends two venomous mechanical spy-flies after Lyra; one is caught by Farder Coram and sealed in a tin, but the other escapes.
Asriel reaches Svalbard, the Kingdom of the Ice Bears, but is captured by Samoyed tribesmen hired by Mrs. Coulter, and imprisoned by the Ice Bears’ king, Ragnar Sturlusson, who usurped the throne.
At Trollesund, Lyra befriends Texan aeronaut Lee Scoresby, who suggests she hire him and his friend Iorek Byrnison, an armoured bear. Once a prince of the Ice Bears, Iorek was defeated in combat and exiled in shame. After Farder and Lyra find Iorek and help him recover his armour, he and Scoresby join the Gyptian trek to Bolvangar.
Following directions from the alethiometer, Lyra finds Billy Costa in a stupor clutching a dried fish in place of his dæmon. The Gobblers have experimented on him using "intercision", which separated him from his dæmon. They return to the Gyptian camp, which is attacked by Samoyeds who capture Lyra. She is taken to the Ice Bear king, Ragnar, with Iorek and Lee in pursuit in Lee's hot air balloon. Lyra tricks Ragnar into single combat with Iorek, who kills Ragnar and reclaims the throne.
Iorek carries Lyra to Bolvangar, but she is forced to cross a chasm over a narrow ice bridge alone before it collapses. Reaching the station, Lyra reunites with Roger. Caught by scientists, Lyra and Pan are thrown into the intercision chamber, but are unconscious when they are rescued by Mrs. Coulter. Lyra wakes up in Mrs. Coulter’s quarters and she explains to Lyra that the Magisterium believe intercision protects children from Dust's corrupting influence, when their dæmon's form settles. Mrs. Coulter admits she could not let Lyra be intercised as she is her mother, who was forced to give her up; Lyra then realises Asriel is her father. Mrs. Coulter asks for the alethiometer, but Lyra gives her the sealed tin containing the spy-fly, which stuns her mother. Lyra destroys the intercision machine, then leads the children outside, where they are confronted by Tatar guards and their wolf dæmons. The guards are defeated by Iorek, Scoresby, the Gyptians, and witches led by Serafina.
Scoresby flies Lyra, Roger, Iorek, and Serafina north in his balloon in search of Asriel. Serafina relates a prophecy with Lyra at its crux in an upcoming war with the Magisterium, plotting to inflict their controlling Authority over all other worlds in the multiverse. Lyra commits to fighting the Magisterium.
Cast
Dakota Blue Richards as Lyra Belacqua, an orphan and the ward of the Master of Jordan College, Oxford at the behest of her uncle, Lord Asriel, who embarks on a voyage to battle the forces of evil and rescue her best friend. New Line Cinema announced 11-year-old Richards' casting in June 2006. It was her first acting role. Nicole Kidman as Marisa Coulter, a beguiling and influential woman from the Magisterium with an unnamed, silent but aggressive golden monkey dæmon, who takes an interest in Lyra, because secretly she is her mother – a fact that is known only by a very few. Kidman was author Philip Pullman's preferred choice for the role ten years before production of the film, and despite initially rejecting the offer to star as she did not want to play a villain, she signed on after receiving a personal letter from Pullman. Daniel Craig as Lord Asriel, Lyra's strict and mysterious adventurer uncle. In July 2006, it was reported that Paul Bettany was in talks to play the role. Sam Elliott as Lee Scoresby, a Texan aeronaut of a hot air balloon, who comes to Lyra's aid. Pullman has singled out Elliott's performance as one the film got "just right." Eva Green as Serafina Pekkala, a witch queen. Jim Carter as John Faa, the king of the Gyptians. Tom Courtenay as Farder Coram, Gyptian second-in-command and advisor to John Faa. Clare Higgins as Ma Costa, matriarch of a Gyptian family that aids Lyra. Ben Walker as Roger Parslow, an orphaned kitchen boy at Jordan College, Oxford and Lyra's best friend, who is kidnapped by the Gobblers and taken away north to Bolvangar. Charlie Rowe as Billy Costa, who is kidnapped by the Gobblers along with Roger and taken to Bolvangar. Steven Loton as Tony Costa, son of Ma Costa and Billy's older brother. Derek Jacobi as the Magisterial emissary. Christopher Lee as the Magisterium's first high councilor. Lee's casting was also at New Line's behest, rather than that of Chris Weitz. Simon McBurney as Fra Pavel, a Magisterial agent. Jack Shepherd as the Master, head of Jordan College. Magda Szubanski as Mrs Lonsdale, housekeeper in charge of Lyra at Jordan College. Hattie Morahan as Sister Clara, a nurse at the Bolvangar Station. Jason Watkins as a senior official at the Bolvangar Station.
Voice cast Ian McKellen as Iorek Byrnison, an armoured Ice Bear, panserbjørn, a skilled metalworker and warrior, who becomes Lyra's friend and comrade in arms. Nonso Anozie was initially cast and recorded lines for the part, but were replaced by McKellen at a late stage as New Line wanted a bigger name in the role. New Line president of production Toby Emmerich claimed that he "never thought Anozie sounded like Iorek" and while he initially trusted director Weitz's casting decision, he "never stopped thinking that this guy didn't sound right." The recasting was against Weitz's wishes, though he later said "if you're going to have anyone recast in your movie, you're happy it's Ian McKellen." Freddie Highmore as Pantalaimon, Lyra's dæmon taking many forms. Pan was originally to be voiced by an older actor, but they called in Highmore instead, as it would be more of an intimate relationship if Pan and Lyra were the same age, and also would underscore the contrast between Lyra's relationship with him versus her relationships with older male characters such as Lord Asriel, Lee Scoresby and Iorek. Ian McShane as Ragnar Sturlusson, King of the Panserbjørne. Ragnar's name in the book was Iofur Raknison, but the name was changed to prevent confusion between him and Iorek. However, in the German-language version of the film, the dialogue retains the name "Iofur Raknison", whilst the subtitles reflect the change. Kathy Bates as Hester, Lee Scoresby's hare (jackrabbit) dæmon. Kristin Scott Thomas as Stelmaria, Lord Asriel's snow leopard dæmon.
Production Development "Peter's operation was so impressive that, well, I realised the distance between me and Peter Jackson... At that moment, I realised the sheer scope of the endeavor. And I thought, 'You know what? I can't do this'." — Director Chris Weitz on his initial departure from the project On 11 February 2002, following the success of New Line's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, the studio bought the rights to Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. In July 2003, Tom Stoppard was commissioned to write the screenplay. Directors Brett Ratner and Sam Mendes expressed interest in the film, but a year later, Chris Weitz was hired to direct after approaching the studio with an unsolicited 40-page treatment. The studio rejected the script, asking Weitz to start from scratch. Since Weitz was an admirer of Stoppard's work, he decided not to read the adaptation in case he "subconsciously poached things from him." After delivering his script, Weitz cited Barry Lyndon and Star Wars as stylistic influences on the film. In 2004, Weitz was invited by The Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson onto the set of King Kong (2005) in order to gather information on directing a big-budget film, and to receive advice on dealing with New Line Cinema, for whom Jackson had worked on Lord of the Rings. After a subsequent interview in which Weitz said the novel's attacks on organised religion would have to be softened, he was criticised by some fans, and on 15 December 2004, Weitz resigned as director of the trilogy, citing the enormous technical challenges of the epic. He later indicated that he had envisioned the possibility of being denounced by both the book's fans and its detractors, as well as a studio hoping for another Lord of the Rings.
On 9 August 2005, British director Anand Tucker took over from Weitz. Tucker felt the film would thematically be about Lyra "looking for a family", and Pullman agreed: "He has plenty of very good ideas, and he isn't daunted by the technical challenges. But the best thing from the point of view of all who care about the story is his awareness that it isn't about computer graphics; it isn't about fantastic adventures in amazing-looking worlds; it's about Lyra." Tucker resigned on 8 May 2006, citing creative disagreements with New Line, and Weitz returned to direct. Weitz said "I'm both the first and third director on the film ... but I did a lot of growing in the interim."