The Golden Compass
How did I not hear that they're making The Golden Compass into a film?
I've read Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, of which The Golden Compass is the first novel, a bajillion times. Those books were some of my very favorites as a kid. And! now! a! movie!
Lest you think that these are just some dorky childrens' books, here's what The New Yorker has to say:
“His Dark Materials” may be the first fantasy series founded upon the ideals of the Enlightenment rather than upon tribal and mythic yearnings for kings, gods, and supermen. Pullman’s heroes are explorers, cowboys, and physicists. The series offers an extended celebration of the marvels of science: discoveries and theories from the outer reaches of cosmology—about dark matter and the possible existence of multiple universes—are threaded into the story.
Not to mention Milton, critiques of theology, explorations of morality... and giant armored polar bears.
There's something of a proto-trailer to watch here.
Movie stills are here.