'Golden Compass': What's God Got To Do With It?

ON THE COVER Golden Compass will have to be a global hit to justify a franchise: The studio financed about 70 percent of the $180 million production by selling off international distribution rights

And, proving that the Catholic League doesn't speak for everyone, the Catholic News Service last week issued a positive review of the film, noting that ''rather than banning the movie or books, parents might instead take the opportunity to talk through any thorny philosophical issues with their teens.'' G.P. Taylor, a best-selling Christian fantasy novelist, agrees: ''My God is big enough to defend himself against Philip Pullman. As a Christian, I think his story brings up great points of debate.'' Taylor was actually inspired to become a writer after reading His Dark Materials and being deeply offended. Unlike Pullman's other Christian critics, Taylor has actually met the author: ''He's a gracious, generous thinker — probably the most Christian non-Christian I've ever met.''

Instead of avoiding the religious themes when marketing The Golden Compass, New Line might have lured Passion of the Christ ticket buyers by positioning the film as a conversation starter between Christians and non-Christians. Given the ongoing culture wars, though, that might have led to disaster. In any case, the studio has another chance with the next film — if there is a next one. Emmerich says Compass will have to be a global hit to justify a franchise: The studio financed about 70 percent of the $180 million production by selling off international distribution rights.

With success would come the handle-with-extreme-care challenge of adapting the next two books. Their ideas are more complex, the spiritual stuff more incendiary. In the third book, The Amber Spyglass, Pullman's slow-burning critique of religious dogma explodes with a Miltonian war in heaven. God is declared dead, hell is shut down, and two kids share an erotic encounter so magical it purges the cosmos of original sin. Weitz isn't yet signed for the sequels, but he's up for the challenge, right after a nap: ''What makes the books great is that they bring up all these great questions of the human soul, destiny, and spirituality. Any adaptation would have to address these things, and it becomes a more pronounced issue in the second and third books.'' He then adds, with a wry chuckle: ''But that's another hurdle to deal with later.''

Additional reporting by Vanessa Juarez, Nicole Sperling, and John Young