The new mega-budget epic “The Golden Compass” will either be a hit like “The Chronicles of Narnia” and launch a franchise or it’ll be a major flop like “The Dark is Rising” and die a quick death. Which one will it be? I haven’t a clue, but Yahoo! Movies has some slick looking character posters for the movie currently showing on their site. The film itself looks nice enough, with major stars like Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman attached, with a sultry looking Eva Green doing what she does best, plus a bow. It’s a kids fantasy movie, with a 12-year old as the star, so kids will either drag their parents to go see it, or, well, they won’t. New Line is trying to sell it as being something like “The Lord of the Rings”, but that seems to be a real reach.

12-year-old Lyra is an orphan who lives in a parallel world, where human souls take the form of animal companions called daemons. When her best friend disappears, Lyra promises to find him. Her uncle, Lord Asriel, doesn’t want her to go, but the mysterious Mrs. Coulter offers to bring Lyra along for the adventure of a lifetime. One thing Lyra packs for the trip: the alethiometer — a mysterious compass that many people are violently determined to possess. When the compass reveals to Lyra the truth about her friend’s kidnapping and the evil force behind it, it’s up to her to stop the war that threatens her world.

Starring Nicole Kidman, Dakota Blue Richards, Eva Green, Daniel Craig, Nonso Anozie, Sam Elliott, and directed by Chris Weitz.

Get lost December 7, 2007.

Here’s the trailer for those of you who still haven’t seen it:

Character posters for “The Golden Compass”:

(via)