Anand Tucker is in negotiations to direct "The Golden Compass," the feature film adaptation of the first installment of author Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy for New Line Cinema. The studio went with Tucker in part because the helmer put together a presentation that included conceptual art, visual effects demos and a 20-page director's manifesto. The trilogy -- its individual books are titled "The Golden Compass," "The Subtle Knife" and "The Amber Spyglass" -- revolves around two children who live in parallel worlds surrounded by a cast of shape-shifting creatures.

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