13 Reasons To Be Excited For HBO's New Series "His Dark Materials"

Lin-Manuel Miranda's first scene involves a duet with his daemon.

At San Diego Comic Con this year, HBO gave fans a first look at their upcoming show His Dark Materials. Here's what we learned about the new series:

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1. First, His Dark Materials follows Lyra, a young woman whose quest to find her kidnapped friend leads her to uncover a sinister plot of a secret organization, encounter extraordinary beings, and protect dangerous secrets.

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2. The series is based on Philip Pullman's amazing trilogy of novels: The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass.

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Executive producer Jane Tanter talked about bringing the novels to TV, saying, "It was time for the books to be liberated in a space which could do them justice...The real estate of contemporary television, being able to stretch those books out and really be able to sound every note that Philip Pullman sounded in the novels, I just felt it was time."

3. His Dark Materials stars Dafne Keen, Ruth Wilson, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and James McAvoy as Lyra, Mrs. Coulter, Lee Scoresby, and Lord Asriel respectively.

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James McAvoy actually found out that he booked the role only a few days before filming began.

4. Looking behind the camera, the series is adapted by Jack Thorne, who wrote the stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

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5. In His Dark Materials, each character has their own daemon, an animal that embodies a persons "inner self," and the TV show used CGI and even puppeteers to bring them to life.

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Ruth Wilson talked about the experience, saying, "[The puppeteers helped] not only us, but it helped the camera crew and the editors to know where these daemons were going to be on the screen. I knew this [relationship with her daemon] was a key to who Mrs. Coulter was. It really gave so many more layers to who this character is."

6. Lin-Manuel Miranda and his wife Vanessa actually fell in love while reading these books for the first time.

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Lin said "I'm a HUGE fan, of the books. When my wife and I started dating we read these books together. This is like part of our falling in love story...So, they have a really special place in my heart."

7. While the His Dark Materials books are categorized as children's books, the show will depict a dark and complicated world everyone can enjoy.

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Jane spoke about the complex themes, saying, "In my experience, children love complicated themes and big questions about who we are and where we are. And I think that Pullman never underestimates children, either as the hero and heroine of his books or as readers at home...I hope that we ended up making an adult piece that children will watch and should watch."

8. While the story can be dark at times, it's ultimately a show about goodness and what it takes to be a better person, which is something the world need right now.

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Jack Thorne spoke about the importance of the show's theme of goodness, saying, "I've got a tattoo that's from E.T. [and says] 'Be good.' I really believe that we should be following our goodness right now. We are getting distracted by greatness quite a lot in these arguments, and there's something very beautiful about the way that Philip sees the world and the way he communicates this world."

9. His Dark Materials also deals with the idea of wanting to change the world around you through James McAvoy's character, Lord Asriel.

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James spoke about his character, saying, "It's great fun to play somebody that looks at the world and goes, 'I don't like this. This is utterly wrong, and I am going to change it. And I'm going to rip it apart doing so.'"

10. Lin-Manuel Miranda's first scene in the show involves him singing a duet with his daemon.

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11. Both Lyra and Mrs. Coulter kick some serious butt in His Dark Materials.

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Ruth Wilson talked about doing the action scenes, saying, "I had some fight scenes, which I really enjoyed. And both of us get quite a lot of action...Mrs. C is so controlled and so sort of glamorous, and seemingly has lots of grace, but then you see her at her worst. I've quite enjoyed those bits. She's super cool."

12. Lord Asriel's snow leopard daemon will be voiced by Helen McCrory, who played Narcissa Malfoy in the Harry Potter films.

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13. And finally, His Dark Materials has already been picked up for Season 2, which will start filming soon.

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Check out the first full trailer for His Dark Materials below:

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