The legacy of a failed compass

With production on the TV version of Philip Pullman's His Dark Material book series it is worth remembering the last attempt it to the screen. In 2007 the film of The Golden Compass was released to a somewhat less than desirable reception. Religious organisation attacked the film because the book's attack on the Roman Catholic church while secularist ones complained the film's theme had been watered down to appease certain quarters. At the box office the film tanked in the US yet in the rest of the world was a hit this led to Warner Bros to take full distribution of New Line Picture who had outside North America sold the film outside distributors. Despite winning an Oscar for Visual Effects His Dark Materials as a blockbuster film series was dead on arrival whether the forthcoming TV series avoids remains to be seen.