Casting Pullman's Lyra

Open auditions are being held across the UK in an attempt to find a star for Anand Tucker's upcoming adaptation of The Golden Compass. The book is the first, and best, of Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy.

The lead character, Lyra, is a young girl who lives in an alternate Oxford, whereas I myself come from the "real" one. The city is a very strong presence in the books, and I hope Tucker and New Line actually bother to shoot on location there. It'd be nice if an Oxford girl got the Lyra gig too, so take note, locals: the audition date for the city is April 11th. They're looking for a girl aged between 9 and 13 who "embodies Lyra's loyalty, bravery and mischievous nature". Budding starlet-lets with scuffed knees and dirty faces should head for the Examination School on the High Street, where queues will be open from 10am.

Tucker was not the first director attached to the His Dark Materials adaptations, but he does seem to be the one who will see (at least) the first film through. That Terry Gilliam expressed interest, publicly, and was still not able to secure the directorship of the project is nothing short of a damning indictment of the films' producers. That they had a script commissioned from Top Stoppard but then latterly had it rewritten by Chris Weitz is only confirmation of how far off track they seem to be headed. The film is due to shrivel up on cinema screens late next year.