I think Nicole Kidman is perfect as Mrs. Coulter and Daniel Craig is a good choice for Lord Asriel. Man that book was good. I may have to pick it up again.
For beautiful pics from the The Golden Compass (comes out Dec 7) go here.
There is something just freaky about the notion of your soul living in the form of an animal outside of your body – who accompanies you through life. It requires a paradigm shift – because what is the meaning of being alone when you have your daemon to speak to all the time? It is also so revealing for everybody around you to be able to see what form your soul has taken (the daemon of children in Lyra’s world shift shape until the child reaches a certain maturity.)
I also love the idea of the alethiometer: a compass that points to truth.