After Chris Weitz said "thanks but no thanks" to directing New Line’s epic adventure "The Golden Compass," the studio looked to a variety of heavy hitters like Ridley Scott and David Cronenberg, but they eventually gave the job to one Anand Tucker, director of "Hilary and Jackie," the upcoming "Shopgirl," and a few documentary pieces.
Based on the first book of Philip Pullman’s "His Dark Materials" series, the movie’s about "a girl who travels to the far north to save her best friend, encountering shape-shifting creatures, witches and other fantastical characters along the way. In the second and third books, the action moves between parallel universes as the girl meets a boy from our world and they join forces to overthrow the repressive authority that rules everything."
Mr. Pullman seems perfectly happy with New Line’s choice for director: "(Tucker) respects the integrity of the narrative and will maintain that integrity in the filmmaking process."
For his part, Anand Tucker is an admitted fan of the book, which he read about ten years before he began quietly pushing for the gig.
