Director departs HIS DARK MATERIALS

Chris Weitz exits ambitious fantasy movie

By Patrick Sauriol     December 15, 2004
Source: The Hollywood Reporter

ABOUT A BOY director Chris Weitz has exited the development of THE GOLDEN COMPASS, the first movie in fantasy author Philip Pullman's HIS DARK MATERIALS trilogy. According to a story appearing in The Hollywood Reporter, Weitz's departure had nothing to do with a difference in creative matters between himself and the studio, New Line Cinema, but instead revolved around the technical natures of creating the movie.

New Line says that it has received interest from other high profile directors to take over the work begun by Weitz but no replacement has been announced.

The HIS DARK MATERIALS series involves two young teenage children living in different parallel universes. Their fates are intertwined and when one friend goes missing, the other embarks on a dangerous journey to save the him. Some of the concepts that Pullman's books touch upon include religion and the concepts of good and evil, both of which may make for controversial subject matter as the film is adapted for a wider audience.


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