"BEARDED CRAIG IN HIS DARK MATERIALS"

Those who have already watched "Casino Royale" on DVD or Blu-ray may wonder, why on Earth does Bond actor Daniel Craig wear a beard in those behind-the-scenes documentaries? Well, the answer is to be found in the still above, from Chris Weitz' upcoming adaptation of bestselling author Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass". The first part of this fantasy series will open worldwide in December.

Many things in the alternate universe Pullman's novels depict are very strange indeed. Human souls appear in the form of small animals, talking bears wage war and there are mysterious disappearances of children. Daniel Craig portrays the charismatic adventurer, Lord Asriel. Nicole Kidman portrays the beautiful but lethal Mrs. Coulter. Looks like a must-see adventure.