HBO’s His Dark Materials may feel familiar to those who have seen 2007’s The Golden Compass, even if it isn’t a sequel. As His Dark Materials reaches its end with season 3, whether or not the HBO series did a good job adapting the original books can finally be settled. Though HBO’s His Dark Materials has had book changes since season 1, the show continues to try to follow Lyra’s book story with an almost one-on-one adaptation. However, this may have confused those who thought The Golden Compass already told that story, and who thought His Dark Materials was a follow-up.
The Golden Compass movie, released in 2007, covers the story of Lyra and her daemon in this fantastical world where magical animal creatures could talk and bond with their respective humans. Lyra was played by Dakota Blue Richards in The Golden Compass, with characters like Lorde Asriel, Mrs. Coulter, and her daemon also in the film. For that reason, many may confuse HBO’s His Dark Materials with The Golden Compass movie.
His Dark Materials Adapts The Same Books As The Golden Compass Movie
HBO’s His Dark Materials adapts Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials fantasy novel trilogy. His Dark Materials is the overarching name for the trilogy that consists of Northern Lights (1995), The Subtle Knife (1997), and The Amber Spyglass (2000). In North America, the first His Dark Materials book was published as The Golden Compass. In 2007, Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials work was adapted to the big screen with The Golden Compass, a movie directed by Chris Weitz starring names like Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig. As suggested by the title, Weitz’s The Golden Compass movie focused on the events of the first book only.
HBO’s His Dark Materials series, on the other hand, is a completely different project that intended to cover the entirety of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. As a show, it was easier for HBO’s His Dark Materials to cover the entire trilogy. In fact, HBO’s His Dark Materials was designed in a way that each season would cover one of the three His Dark Materials books. Therefore, His Dark Materials season 1 covered Northern Lights/The Golden Compass; His Dark Materials season 2 adapted The Subtle Knife; and His Dark Materials season 3, the show’s final season, is currently covering The Amber Spyglass.
Why The Golden Compass Movie Didn’t Get Any Sequels
The Golden Compass movie had a $180 million budget – a significant number for a 2007 production. However, The Golden Compass only made $372 million at the box office – less than 2.5 times the initial budget – which was not enough to greenlight a sequel. That is why The Golden Compass movie never got any sequels detailing the rest of Philip Pullman’s book trilogy. Considering that HBO’s His Dark Materials season 1 premiered in 2019, 2007’s The Golden Compass remained the only His Dark Materials adaptation for 12 years, explaining the confusion audiences have had regarding the two versions.
Compared to 2007’s The Golden Compass movie, HBO’s His Dark Materials captures the essence of the books in a much better way. The Golden Compass was designed as a blockbuster, something that would have to justify its $180 million budget with big action pieces and a streamlined story. For that reason, elements like His Dark Materials’ religion debate were cut from The Golden Compass, for example. Though His Dark Materials season 1 is the only one that can be directly compared to The Golden Compass, the HBO show starring Dafne Keen overall did a better job of adapting Lyra’s story.
His Dark Materials season 3 releases new episodes Mondays on HBO.
