The latest edition of Empire Magazine includes a brief blurb on The Golden Compass, which was printed together the first official image from the film (depicting Nicole Kidman’s Mrs. Coulter and child heroine Lyra) that was released back in October.
The article goes on to mention that the filmmakers are “planning a faithful adaptation”, addressing concerns that the studio would insist on omitting original book author Philip Pullman’s anti-religious topics (which become quite central in books two and three). The text states that Pullman himself “insists that the film has not removed the story’s potentially controversial religious undertones” and that film director Chris Weitz’s vision of how it should be told on screen matches that of Pullman. A scan of the article can be viewed at BridgeToTheStars.net.
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Following the success of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, more and more studios are banking on getting their own fantasy epics out just before Christmas and making the big buck. This year’s December release that fits that mould is Fox’s Eragon, the adaptation of the best-selling novel that was penned by the (then) 17 year old Christopher Paolini. Set in the magical world of Alagaësia, the story focuses on a young farmboy who one day mysteriously comes into possession of a dragon egg which eventually hatches for him. The titular hero is then faced with the quest of coming into the inheritance of the legendary ‘dragon riders’.
Guillermo del Toro has revealed in an interview with 
Although the critics have generally not been too positive about fantasy epic Eragon, it has gone on to exceed expectations on its opening weekend. Bruce Snyder, Fox studio’s head of distribution, was expecting an opening of below $20 million, but the film has clawed in $23.5 million, although was still beaten into second place at the box office by the Will Smith vehicle The Pursuit of Happyness. This is the first time that two movies have opened to more than $20 million in sales the weekend before Christmas in a decade.
A number of concept art images from the upcoming Zemeckis adaptation of Beowulf have surfaced on the net, we think originally at AICN (although they don’t seem to be there now). These early glimpses seem to suggest that the movie will indeed be pitched at an adult audience with an NC-17 certificate. 
I am a little leary of the situation. The truth will come out when, and if the US economy, and the dollar begins to strengthen. If prices remain high, you’ll know someone is lying. Either OPEC doesn’t have the supply they claim they have, or Analysts are incorrect when they say demand has decreased. Personally, I don’t buy the claim that demand has decreased. Population is ever increasing, so, the the demand should always be increasing. 