Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy is poised to become the next wildly popular fantasy film franchise, following the example of the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings adaptations:

In London, the National has staged a lavishly ambitious, sold-out, $1.4 million, two-part, six-hour adaptation. And New Line Cinema, which released the “Lord of the Rings” mega-movies, has bought the rights to Mr. Pullman’s trilogy and hired Tom Stoppard to write the screenplay.