New Line Cinema has set Oscar winner Christopher Hampton (Dangerous Liaisons) to adapt Susanna Clarke's best-selling supernatural novel Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell for the big screen, Variety reported. The book concerns a magician and his apprentice who use their powers in the war against Napoleon, but are eventually pitted against each other.

New Line is also developing a movie based on The Golden Compass, the first installment of Philip Pullman's fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials. A director will be named soon to replace Chris Weitz, who wrote the last draft of the script.