"Technical challenges of making such an epic" are the reasons behind director Chris Weitz's departure from New Line's adaptation of "His Dark Materials", as reported yesterday on fansite BridgesTotheStars.net.

"Working on The Golden Compass has been an extraordinary high point of my career," said Weitz. "It will be an extraordinary film, but at this point in my life I am not the right director to bring it to pass. Though I remain honored to continue serving as caretaker of Philip Pullman's work on the page as this project's screenwriter, the technical challenges of making such an epic are more than I can undertake at this point. I look forward to retaining my place as screenwriter and helping to bring Mr. Pullman's epic vision to cinematic life. I deeply appreciate his support, and the understanding of everyone at New Line in allowing me to step aside."

The studio is now apparently inundated with interests from potential directors, to take over the anticipated film. Judging from comments by New Line prez Toby emmerich, the new candidate will seemingly stay on course with the same script.
"At this point we have such a strong screenplay, I'm confident we'll have real interest from A-level filmmakers Chris over-delivered on the script, and I can only respect him for being realistic about the physical, emotional, and technical demands of the project."

Such high regard towards the script provided by Chris Weitz inavertadly confirms a feeling expressed by scribe Tom Stoppard. The writer had been tapped back in May to adapt Phillip Pullman's novel "The Golden Compass", but recently said in an interview he was still waiting to get some feedback from New Line, commenting that Weitz was known to work out of his own screenplays. The studio's announcement pretty much gives Stoppard the answer he was waiting for.

The troubled project was also hit with religious censorship, last week, when Chris Weitz revealed some strong concerns from New Line execs, about the direct references to God and the Catholic Church in the original novels. Both parties had agreed to bring some changes in designation, and tone down the religious themes.

Source: Coming Soon!