Today is the day. At long last "The Golden Compass" has arrived. Certainly one of the most eagerly awaited films of the year, director Chris Weitz has kindly answered your questions the last three weeks (be sure to check out Parts I, II, and III if you missed them). Now, in this final series of questions and answers, Weitz talks about living up to "Lord of the Rings" and his plans for the potential sequels. Read more...

It's been a rare treat for us here at the MTV Movies Blog to get such access and honesty from the director of a film we're so excited to see but that's just what "Golden Compass" helmer Chris Weitz has provided in recent weeks by answering your questions.

Be sure to check out part one of the "Golden Compass" Q&A here and part two right here. This week we've got Weitz weighing in on casting and his favorite scene in the film. We'll be back with one more round of questions and answers next Wednesday.

QUESTION #1 (from Mary):
I'd like to ask about the casting of Eva Green. I think she's perfect for the role of Serafina. So whose idea was to cast her? Who were other girls that you considered for the role? Read more...

Judging from the sudden flood of commercials I've been seeing, the buzz machine really is starting to build for the film adaptation of "The Golden Compass." To help stoke your anticipation for the flick we have director Chris Weitz answering your questions each week exclusively on the MTV Movies Blog.

Last week, in Weitz's first "Golden Compass" Q&A, the filmmaker was exceptionally forthcoming. This week, we're happy to say, the trend continues with Weitz weighing in on the extent of author Philip Pullman's involvement, whether the film will be three hours long, what he makes of the Catholic League's condemnation of the work, and more.

QUESTION #1 (from Kevin):
The relationship between daemons and people seems rather abstract, something that I'd think would be difficult to portray in a film that I'm assuming has no narration. How do you go about getting across the concept of "the great taboo" (aka people never touching other people's daemons) and the strain one feels when his daemon is moving at a far distance? Read more...

As previously mentioned, the director of the upcoming fantasy blockbuster "The Golden Compass, Chris Weitz, has agreed to participate in an exclusive weekly blog series for MTV in which he'll be answering your questions. We're thrilled to now roll out the first installment, in which Chris responds to the burgeoning religious controversy, discusses the reason behind tweaks the film makes to the beloved book, reveals the status of the sequels and more.

QUESTION #1 (from Simon):
Some changes were made in the adapting process -- taking out talk of religion, original sin, beating death, etc. -- to avoid controversy. And yet, some religious groups are still upset. If you can't please everybody either way, if it's not possible to avoid controversy by taking religion out, do you feel more or less emboldened to put it back in the rest of the films?

ANSWER:
It's very important that people understand that nobody just hands you a couple hundred million dollars and says "Go ahead, knock yourself out!" What you have is a dynamic -- you could call it a debate -- between me, the filmmaker, and them, the studio -- that, one hopes, results in a good film. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose. It is my job to fight, by hook or by crook, for the best adaptation of the book possible. It is their job to get the movie to pay back its investors. Even Peter Jackson had to deal with this dynamic, which is why there were shorter theater releases and longer DVD releases of the LOTR movies. But also consider that there was practically nothing that might be deemed controversial in LOTR (other than what you might consider some reflexive racism on Tolkien's part). Read more...