Filmstalker: The Dark is Rising trailer online

There's a trailer online for The Dark is Rising, another children's fantasy series of novels that is making its way to the big screen. This one stars such names as Ian McShane and Christopher Eccleston.

Susan Cooper's novel The Dark is Rising (Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com) tells the story of Will Stanton who discovers at just eleven years old that he's the last of a group of immortals going by the name of the Old Ones who are dedicated to fighting the growing dark forces which threaten the world.

Ian McShane plays Merriman Lyon, one of the Old Ones who mentors Will on his way to learning about his powers and what he must do, while Christopher Eccleston plays a dark and mysterious rider.

The trailer, which is over the page, looks okay, although nothing really leaps out and grabs me. The interest for me is Eccleston being bad and McShane. Is there anyone who has read the book that can comment on how they feel the trailer looks?

The trailer comes from the official site through Mad About Movies.

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I have read all the books, spectacular, the trailer looks crappy and they have changed alot of the story. I am less than thrilled but maybe it won't be as bad as it looks although it is probably worse. Too bad. The books are wonderful, set in Wales.

Posted by: wendy | July 17, 2007 12:10 AM

One of the reasons that Harry Potter films are so successful is cos they kept their British setting. How sad they didn't do the same with these magical stories, full of celtic and english myths and set firmly in the UK 60s & 70s. Why did the makers have to set it in the USA, and change the story so much? What a let down.

Posted by: lesley | July 17, 2007 6:20 PM

Anyone notice any hidden signs in the trailer for the Seek The Signs game @ seekthesigns.com?

Posted by: Daisy | August 23, 2007 10:15 PM

I join my lament with the others. The essence of this story is drawn from british/celtic roots. The archetypal images around which Susan Cooper weaves her story are drawn from that source. Placing it in a US context destroys so much of the spirit of the story. This will not be the story I know.

Posted by: Mary Hykel Hunt | September 3, 2007 8:53 PM

I cannot believe what they have done here.

During my teenager years I read the Dark is Rising books which are firmly set in England and Wales and by looking at the trailer the film makers have transposed to Ameria, probably featuring some obnoxious American kid as the hero of the book, Will Stanton. In addition, they are also starting the films out of sequence, with the second of the Five Books being made into a film first, ignoring the first being Over Sea, Under Stone which does not help. This is like showing The Two Towers before The Fellowship of the Rings- doh !!!!
Although I suppose you could say that film makers have done the same with the Narnia chronicles.

The other thing is that when I was younger I wrote to the author of the books, Susan Cooper to find out some more details of where she set the books and received a personal response. I wonder what she will ultimately make the film.

Posted by: Richard Bowyer | September 23, 2007 12:38 AM

I guess you have probably seen the film by now but as an avid reader of Susan Cooper as a child I can assure you the trailer bears no resemblance. The story is set in Windsor great park in the book and has a definate Celtic undercurrent as the whole series is ultimately a reworking of the Arthurian legend. The great appeal of the book was the ancient British pagan midwinter feel. By transporting the story to modern day America they have lost the whole essence of what makes this series so special. Dreadful-anyone who is a fan of the books-do not go an see this film

Posted by: Zillah Moore | December 17, 2007 3:52 PM