HBO's upcoming series His Dark Materials is reportedly more highly anticipated than Disney+'s The Mandalorian, set in the Star Wars universe. The fall and winter months are quickly becoming very exciting and perhaps even a bit competitive in terms of original series airing on just about every streaming service, with even cable television stepping up their game as well.
Based on the trilogy of best selling novels by Philip Pullman starring Dafne Keen (Logan), Lin-Manuel Miranda (Mary Poppins) James McAvoy from X-Men and Ruth Wilson (The Affair), HBO's His Dark Materials is set in a magical alternate reality where each individual is accompanied by a dæmon, a physical manifestation of their soul that comes to be when they are born with whom they share a mental and physical connection. They shapeshift through out their lives into different animals, finally settling upon one animal form that matches their soul once the individual reaches maturity. The story sets off to follow the character of Lyra, a young tomboy who goes in search of her missing best friend after a series of abductions.
Based upon stats from "millions of viewers" who use the TV Time app, TV Time is reporting that HBO's His Dark Materials was voted #1 as the most highly anticipated new series for the month of November, beating out Disney+'s The Mandalorian, their upcoming Star Wars series. With The Mandalorian taking the #2 spot, coming in third is Apple+'s sci-fi drama See starring Jason Momoa, with The Morning Show starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon taking the fourth spot and DC's animated Harley Quinn rounding things out at #5.
With Jon Favreau behind the wheel of Disney+'s The Mandalorian - after he directed 2019's The Lion King and Iron Man and has also been an executive producer on a slew of Marvel films - the first ever live-action TV series set in a Star Wars universe is sure to bring in high numbers across the board. Pedro Pascal from Game of Thrones stars as the titular man behind the mask, the Mandalorian, with Gina Carano from Fast & Furious and Carl Weathers (Rocky) in supporting roles. The series is set to follow the story of a lone gunfighter (the Mandalorian) in the outer reaches of the galaxy, far away from the New Republic.
As for His Dark Materials, the new series is a second attempt at adapting the book series to the screen, after 2007's The Golden Compass didn't quite take off with fans. Many were not thrilled with the movie being a more watered down version of the controversial novel filled with complex themes that deserve heavy examination. With HBO at the helm of things in this adaptation, it's likely they have kept things as true to the novels as possible while still bringing things to life in a way that is unique, vibrant and brilliantly crafted. Fans will get to see both series for themselves when His Dark Materials and The Mandalorian premiere.
His Dark Materials premieres November 4th on HBO. The Mandalorian premieres November 12th on Disney+
Source: TV Times