His Dark Materials star Ruth Wilson will record new audiobook versions of fantasy trilogy

Philip Pullman published the first book in his His Dark Materials trilogy, Northern Lights, in 1995. The Subtle Knife followed in 1997 and The Amber Spyglass wrapped things up in 2000. By the end, our heroes Lyra Belacqua and Will Parry had played a part in the death of god and successfully restored grace and wonder to the world by giving into their lustful impulses. It was a funny kind of fantasy epic.

Years later, we got a movie based on the first book in the series called The Golden Compass, but no one really liked it enough to keep the series going. HBO and the BBC amended this years later still with a three-season TV show that adapted the whole of the trilogy. Dafne Keen played Lyra, Amir Wilson played Will, and Luther veteran Ruth Wilson played Mrs. Coulter, ruthless ambition monster and Lyra's biological mother.

Now, Deadline reports that Wilson will be narrating new audiobook versions of the His Dark Materials trilogy, lending her mellifluous voice to Pullman's twisty tale. “I fell in love with Philip’s world of His Dark Materials when I first read the books: they’re so complex in their themes and playing Mrs. Coulter on screen allowed me to explore themes deeper than just her villainy: narcissism, freedom, motherhood, imagination," she said in a statement. "Having the opportunity to narrate this series of audiobooks and delve further into Philip’s profoundly intricate world was an honor and a pleasure."

Pullman is pretty into the idea too: “I was delighted when I learned that Ruth Wilson was going to narrate the new audio edition of His Dark Materials. I enjoyed her TV performance so much, and I learned from that – and from talking to her separately – how much thought she puts into every characterization. Her voice is naturally rich and attractive, and she can vary it with the tiniest possible intonation here or emphasis there and make the story live as vividly in the ear of the listener as I hoped it would have in the eye of the reader. I count myself very lucky that she was involved in both TV and audio.”

Wilson definitely has a voice made for audiobooks, so this is a good choice. There's already an audiobook version of His Dark Marterials out there narrated by Pullman with a full cast. That version will remain available.

Pullman is also writing a new trilogy, The Book of Dust, which details Lyra's continuing adventures. The first two books in that series, La Belle Sauvage and The Secret Commonwealth, are already out, with a third and final book to come. HBO has yet to adapt those into a TV show, but who knows what could happen down the line?

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