James Mcavoy and ex-wife both announced to star in Pullman series
Actor James Mcavoy and exwife Anne-marie Duff have both been announced for the cast of a BBC adaption of author Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials fantasy series.
Mcavoy, 39, will play Lord Asriel, the uncle of the story’s young protagonist Lyra who will be portrayed by one of the stars of X-men spin-off film Logan, Dafne Keen, 13.
Luther star Ruth Wilson will appear as Mrs Coulter, the former lover of Mcavoy’s character who enters Lyra’s life as she embarks on an intrepid journey of discovery form her home in Jordan Col- lege, Oxford to London. Duff will play the role of Ma Costa, one of the boat-dwelling charactersknownasgyptianswho transport Lyra to the Arctic during her quest.
The Wire’s Clarke Peters and Game of Thrones’ Ian Gelder are also set to appear.
New Line Cinema is producing the series with production company Bad Wolf for BBC One. It marks the Hollywood studio’s first venture in British television. The series will be filmed in Cardiff at Wolf Studios Wales and principal photography has begun.
Carnegie Medal-winning novelist Pullman said: “I’m delighted the production is under way, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it looks. Bad Wolf has assembled a wonderful cast and I’m sure every His Dark Materials reader is as keen as I am to see it all coming together.”