A new trailer for The Golden Compass - the film version of Oxford author Philip Pullman's Northern Lights novel - can now be seen on the Oxford Mail website.

The trailer, which features Nicole Kidman and Bond star Daniel Craig, was partly shot in Oxford, and lasts for about two-and-a-half minutes. It has been made by New Line Cinema - who also made the films of JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings books. And the company is hoping The Golden Compass matches their success at the box office.

The trailer tells viewers: "In 2001, New Line Cinema opened the door to Middle Earth. This December, they take you on another epic journey."

Golden Compass

Click on the Golden Compass to watch the trailer

Earlier this week, the Oxford skyline got the red-carpet treatment at the Cannes Film Festival as a small invited audience saw a nine-minute preview of the as-yet unfinished Hollywood blockbuster.

Starring the unknown 12-year-old Dakota Blue Richards as headstrong heroine Lyra, plus Nicole Kidman and James Bond star Daniel Craig, the movie is set to open on December 7.

Dakota Blue Richards was selected for the lead role following auditions which took place at four locations around the country, including Oxford. New Line hopes the Pullman film, which has taken six years to make and is costing £90m, will be the first instalment in a trilogy of box-office hits.

The other two books in the His Dark Materials trilogy are The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass, and Mr Pullman is thought to be working on a follow-up featuring the same characters.

The Golden Compass was filmed on location in Oxford and Shepperton Studios in London.

The film takes place in a parallel universe and is packed with special effects. Mr Pullman based Jordan College on Exeter College, where he studied, but the scenes were filmed in the main quadrangle of Oxford's largest college, Christ Church.