Author Philip Pullman has criticised the Hollywood film version of his most famous novel, Northern Lights.

The first part of the His Dark Materials trilogy was made into a film called The Golden Compass in 2007, starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig.

Mr Pullman told the Daily Mail: “They didn’t finish the story. They needed an ending that would work for a single film, but one that would also work if it was the first of a trilogy. They wanted both a cliffhanger and a resolution. You just can’t do that.”

The film reportedly cost $180m, but Pullman was unimpressed. He said: “It was over-designed.”