There seems to be a lot of positive momentum on the upcoming BBC adaptation of the Philip Pullman fantasy epic, His Dark Materials. According to Deadline, The King’s Speech and Les Miserables director Tom Hooper has signed on to helm one episode, and oversee the eight-part mini-series that will likely cover the first book in the trilogy, The Golden Compass.

But that isn’t all. The outlet also confirmed two high-profile cast members. Signing on to play the lead, Lyra Belacqua is Logan breakout star, Dafne Keen, who played Laura Kinney/ X-23 in the comic book film. This is a huge get for BBC One, but isn’t even the most interesting one. Also joining the series is Hamilton creator and Mary Poppins Returns star Lin-Manuel Miranda. The character he’ll be playing is none other than the aeronaut (and best bud of the armored bear Iorek Byrnison) Lee Scoresby.

RELATED – His Dark Materials TV Series To Film Soon

Those who caught the adaptation from New Line Cinema back in 2007 will know that Keen and Miranda are replacing the excellent Dakota Blue Richards and Sam Elliot. While Keen is a fitting choice for the character (the actress is part British), Miranda is an interesting departure due to his much younger age than Elliot. That being said, on a personal level, Miranda is a lot closer to how I imagined the character than Sam Elliot ever was, so I’ll take it.

Fans of the His Dark Materials trilogy have been eagerly awaiting this series for some time. While New Line tried to make the film trilogy happen, there was far too much interference from the studio, forcing the director to cut the runtime, swap the second and third acts of the story, and straight-up cut the last 15 or so minutes because they were too much of a downer. Those minutes would have made up the first part of the second film…but that movie never happened.

With this new take, hopefully, the religious aspect won’t get castrated, and that they’ll allow many of the book’s controversial messages to make it through.

What do you think of this news? Are Hooper, Keen, and Miranda all good fits for the film? Let us know your thoughts down below!

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SOURCE: Deadline, Baz Bamigboye