The Golden Compass as a movie?

The meteoric rise of cgi has resulted in the making of many of my favorite books into movies. At times I'm not sure how to feel about it. Kermit pointed out that photos and clips of "The Golden Compass" are online.

Without giving the story away, it's the first book in Phillip Pullman's trilligy, His Dark Materials, which tackles some very heavy themes including death, sacrifice, the human soul, and the role of God and the Church in oppression. According to the BBC, "Pullman acclaimed His Dark Materials trilogy tells of a battle against the church and a fight to overthrow God." That is some pretty heavy shit for a movie that will most likely be marketed to children and families.

I'm not sure how I feel about this story becoming a movie. It could be done so poorly. Pullman is an atheist and a strong critic of C.S. Lewis' stories The Chronicles of Narnia. Personally I liked both series.