Ariyon Bakare has joined the cast of His Dark Materials, BBC One’s highly anticipated adaptation of Philip Pullman’s book series. Bakare will fill the villainous role of Lord Boreal.
Bakare has had a busy few years, and it’s likely you’ll recognise him from somewhere. He’s been seen on the big screen in the sci-fi flicks Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Life, as well as popping up on TV with roles in New Blood and Thirteen. He also set to appear in the Neil Gaiman adaptation Good Omens.
Bakare joins a very impressive cast on His Dark Materials. Dafne Keen, who shot to stardom with her incredible performance in Logan, is heading up the cast as Lyra, a young girl who ends up embroiled in a fantasy epic. Pullman’s books deal with weighty topics through the eyes of young protagonists, in a fantasy world stuffed with magical creatures and intriguing characters.
James McAvoy, who has juggled fun projects like Atomic Blonde and Split with his X-Men commitments in recent years, will play Lord Asriel. This adventurous character is Lyra’s father, and was played by Daniel Craig in the movie version of The Golden Compass (the first book in the His Dark Materials trilogy).
Ruth Wilson, who is perhaps best known for her work on The Affair and Luther, will play Marisa Coulter. This was Nicole Kidman’s character in the film, and she’s one of the main players in the book series (Marisa is particularly vital in book three, The Amber Spyglass).
Clarke Peters, who has The Wire and Three Billboards on his CV, is playing the master that raises Lyra. Lin Manuel Miranda, of Hamilton and Mary Poppins Returns, was cast a while ago as an adventurer named Lee Scoresby.
The behind-the-scenes talent is strong, too. Tom Hooper of The King’s Speech is directing the series, from scripts by Harry Potter And The Cursed Child’s Jack Thorne. Eight episodes are expected in the show’s first series, which doesn’t yet have a release date.
Production on the series began on June 9th, with McAvoy taking to Instagram to share a picture…
We’ll bring you more news on His Dark Materials as we hear it.